Kevin Costner, the Oscar-winning star and director of Dances With Wolves, shattered hearts on September 3, 2025, with an emotional tribute to his co-star and confidant Graham Greene, who passed away at 73 on September 1, 2025, after a long illness. In a poignant Instagram post, Costner bared his soul, calling Greene a “brother” whose quiet friendship endured Hollywood’s storms long after their 1990 epic. The Kevin Costner and Graham Greene bond, forged on the South Dakota set and lasting over three decades, has left fans in tears, with X erupting in grief and praise, amassing 2.6 million views by September 4, 2025, per hollywoodreporter.com. This heartfelt farewell is a testament to a friendship that outlived the film.
Costner, who directed and starred as Lt. John J. Dunbar in Dances With Wolves, shared memories of Greene’s role as Kicking Bird, the Lakota Sioux medicine man who earned an Oscar nomination. “I think of his willingness to learn Lakota, his quiet strength, and the way he made our friendship a home,” Costner wrote, per variety.com. Greene, a Canadian First Nations actor, died in a Toronto hospital, with his agent confirming the cause as a lengthy illness, per abcnews.go.com. X fans poured out their sorrow, one tweeting, “Kevin’s words broke me—Graham was family to him!” Another posted, “Their bond was real—this hurts.” Costner’s tribute highlighted Greene’s resilience, recalling a moment when Greene, thrown from a horse during filming, refused a break, joking about “payback” instead, per dailymail.co.uk.
The duo’s friendship, nurtured through shared challenges in Hollywood, including the film’s risky production, saw Greene stand by Costner during career highs and lows, per deadline.com. Dances With Wolves, a seven-time Oscar winner, grossed $424 million, per en.wikipedia.org, and Greene’s role broke barriers for Indigenous actors. Filmed in South Dakota’s sweeping plains, their story’s emotional weight resonates, with Costner’s grief echoing the raw humanity of recent media moments. The Hollywood Reporter noted a 10% spike in the film’s streaming on Max post-tribute, per Nielsen.
Join the X frenzy over Kevin Costner and Graham Greene and dive into this saga of loss and enduring friendship. Will Costner’s words cement Greene’s legacy, or is this just the start of honoring a brother? Stream Dances With Wolves and witness the bond that defined a classic.
