Sensmeier was born in 1985 in Anchorage, Alaska,[3] to Raymond and Eva Sensmeier, but was raised in Yakutat. His father is of German and Tlingit heritage, while his mother is KoyukonAthabascan from Ruby, Alaska, on the Yukon River. Sensmeier identifies with the cultures of his Alaska Native grandmothers, which his parents stressed.[5] Martin’s paternal grandfather, Gilbert Michael Sensmeier, was born in Indiana of German descent. He is a citizen of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida).[6]
Career
Sensmeier began his working career as a welder, then worked on an oil rig for Doyon Drilling. He quit to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.[7][8] There and in New York, Sensmeier worked as a professional model; he gradually found work as an actor in Los Angeles.
His first feature film was the sci-fi thriller Beyond the Sky.[1] He appeared in a leading role, as one of the "seven", in the 2016 feature film The Magnificent Seven, a remake of an earlier version.
In 2017, Sensmeier was cast in the lead role in the biopic The Chickasaw Rancher, portraying Montford Johnson (Chickasaw), a man who built a ranching empire near the Chisholm Trail.[9] That year he also had a role as Chip Hanson in the film Wind River, and will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel Wind River: The Next Chapter.[10]
Sensmeier joined the cast in the second (2018) season of the HBO television series Westworld, in the recurring role of Wanahton.
In 2020, he took on the role of Chief Eddy in the original English version of the video game Tell Me Why from Dontnod Entertainment. The game is set in Alaska and the character belongs to the indigenous Tlingit people, as does Sensmeier.
More recently, he has played a physical therapist in Season 2 of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone, the four-season saga of the Dutton family and their patriarch's determination to keep the ranch intact, and the character of Sam, a Comanche warrior, in 1883, Sheridan's prequel to Yellowstone. 1883 centers on a group of covered-wagon settlers seeking a new life in Oregon after banding together in Texas. It stars Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill & newcomer Isabel May as Elsa Dutton, the series narrator and love interest of Sam's.
In 2023, Sensmeier starred in the western thriller Cottonmouth (film), which is set for release in 2024.[11]
Personal life
Sensmeier is a member of the Native Wellness Institute, a youth advocacy group. He is proud of his Alaska Native heritage.[12]
Sensmeier and partner Kahara Hodges have two children, born 2020 and 2022.[13][14][15][16]
