Lara Rosenstock, the Hollywood agent who represented Myrton Running Wolf, always wanted to make a movie from the life story of the Ìϲ©ÌåÓý faculty member.
The mere fact that an assistant professor of race and media at the Reynolds School of Journalism had a Hollywood agent at all — let alone an agent who finds her client’s story so compelling — speaks volumes about the extraordinarily full life of Running Wolf, who lost his battle with cancer in January.
During his 56 years, he was a stellar collegiate athlete, earned graduate degrees from Stanford University, New York University and the University of Southern California, acted in film, television and theater productions, wrote award-winning scripts, became a nationally recognized academic on the portrayal of Native Americans in popular entertainment and inspired untold students as a member of the Reynolds School faculty.
The rich life of Myrton Running Wolf will be commemorated in a memorial service from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Joe Crowley Student Union Theater.
Spreading his wings
The film that Rosenstock envisions might begin on the reservation at Browning, Mont., where Running Wolf grew up as an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. Surrounded by poverty and raised by a single mother, he found an outlet in athletics. By his late teens, he had won a full scholarship to Western Michigan University as a 6-4, 248-pound offensive tackle on its football team
Then maybe the movie would flash forward a few years. Preparing to complete his undergraduate degree in math and chemistry at the Ìϲ©ÌåÓý, he signed up, more or less randomly, for an acting course at Truckee Meadows Community College to meet a speech-class requirement. It grabbed him.
His math degree in hand, and his heart fired up by theater, Running Wolf earned a scholarship to New York City’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy and began a career acting in New York and regional theater productions. Hollywood called, and he found supporting roles in films such as “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Focusing on just portrayals
But then the movie could show a crisis: Offended by the entertainment industry’s portrayal of Indigenous peoples, Running Wolf earned master’s degrees from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, followed by a doctorate in theater and performance studies from Stanford. His goal, Running Wolf told an was to teach corrective steps to students even while he continued his career as an actor, award-winning screenwriter of short films and production professional.
He put that vision into action with his arrival at the University in 2017.
Paromita Pain, an associate professor in the Reynolds School of Journalism, said Running Wolf sharpened her thinking about the ways that gender, class and society intersect.
“He had an incredible sense of the nuances of power, its constituents and its complexities. His views on the ‘othering’ of certain communities were compassionate and he did not blame folk for thinking in certain ways. Rather he always provided options to think with clarity and encouraged inclusiveness in thought,” said Pain.
Just as important, she said, were Running Wolf’s sense of humor, his kindness and his friendship.
“He was a fantastic storyteller, and we spent hours discussing his activism, work and talking about family,” Pain said. “He loved nice restaurants, and we bonded over food, plays and sundry other very ordinary stuff. Now, they seem to be among the most important things we did.”
Bringing fresh perspectives
As one of the few Native American professors in the field of film, Running Wolf brought a perspective well beyond Hollywood cliches, said Gi W. Yun, dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism.
“He had a unique ability to make people see what had been in plain sight from a different perspective,” said Yun. “Because journalism and media professions require presenting all aspects of an issue, his keen ability to encourage 360-degree thinking was one of his most valuable attributes.”
Running Wolf’s experience in performing arts, meanwhile, created memorable moments in the classroom.
Yun was intrigued once as he watched Running Wolf ask students in his classroom to hold hands and stand.
“It was about feeling each other’s physical presence in the shared space. He created a moment that was very different from a typical journalism class,” Yun said. “When we had a faculty and staff retreat, he used a similar method to help faculty and staff connect with one another.”
Challenging students
Jarrette Werk, a 2022 graduate of the Reynolds School, said Running Wolf was more than a teacher who held his students to very high standards.
“He was a mentor, a role model, and a true force of nature,” said Werk. “That passion wasn’t limited to the classroom; Dr. Running Wolf challenged everyone in his orbit to reach higher, think deeper, and step boldly into our futures.”
Werk, today a reporter and photographer with the Indigenous-oriented publication , holds close his memory of the proudly Indigenous Running Wolf.
“His voice, his vision, and his fierce compassion will stay with me always,” Werk said.
Holding family close
From its scenes at the University, the movie might then return again to Myrton Running Wolf’s family.
“Growing up, I cherished the times I got to spend with him, even if he popped in for only a couple hours during the holidays as he was passing through. Between his education and acting, he was constantly on the move,” said Stan Running Wolf, a nephew who looked to his uncle as a father figure.
Later, Stan Running Wolf worked with his uncle in the production of short films, ultimately serving as assistant director on some of them. Professionally and personally, he stayed close to his uncle — even through Myrton Running Wolf’s final days at home and in a hospital.
“The most important lessons I learned from him were to never, ever give up on myself, and to always keep pushing to be a better person and grow within myself,” said Stan Running Wolf.
Agent Lara Rosenstock, who considered Running Wolf to be like brother as well as a client, hasn’t let go of her dream of keeping his vision alive in a film.
“I only hope I can do it justice,” she said. “He was honest and earnest, a perfectionist. I care deeply to hold that legacy.”
