Larry Sellers, Native American Character Actor and Dr. Quinn Star, Dead at 72
Actor Larry Sellers, best known for playing Cloud Dancing on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, died this week of an unknown cause. He was 72. His death was confirmed by his son, actor Jerry Wolf. In an Instagram post published by his Dr. Quinn co-star Jane Seymour, Sellers is remembered as "the heart and spirit" of the western drama that aired 150 episodes between 1993 and 1998 on CBS. Sellers served as technical advisor and portrayed Cloud Dancing, a Cheyenne medicine man, across all six seasons of Dr. Quinn and the 1999 television film Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Movie.
"Rest in Power Dad. I love you tremendously," Jerry "Wolfman" Wolf wrote on Instagram. "I'm incredibly grateful for you. We will miss you and carry on with your grit and good humor."
"Larry Sellers was truly the heart and spirit of Dr. Quinn. His presence was magical, mystical, and spiritual," Seymour, who played the titular role of Dr. Michaela Quinn, wrote in the tribute posted to Instagram. "I feel so fortunate to have had all those wonderful years together. He will be missed by us all. My heart goes out to Larry's family and friends, may his memory be a blessing to us all."
For his role as Cloud Dancing on Dr. Quinn, Sellers wanted the character to "be brought across as the representation of the real Native American both of tribal ethnicity and as a whole of the Native American peoples," journalist C.L. Harmon wrote in a 2017 profile titled "Larry Sellers, The True Native American."
Sellers, an Emmy-nominated actor and stuntman of Osage, Cherokee and Lakota descent, also appeared in film in the western comedy Lightning Jack and Wayne's World 2. Other television credits include roles on the original Walker, Texas Ranger, the 1994 frontier adventure series Hawkeye, Beverly Hills, 90210, and The Sopranos.
As of 2016, Sellers worked as an Osage language instructor in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, according to Osage News. According to his biography, Sellers taught American Indian history and was a Fellow at the Newberry Library Center for the History of the American Indian. Sellers also championed the Reading is Fundamental children's literacy program.
Sellers is survived by his wife, actor Susie Duff, and their son, Osage actor Jerry Wolf.