Meet Martin Sensmeier: 'Wind River' Sequel Star and Taylor Sheridan Regular

While he may not have been a major character in Taylor Sheridan's initial Wind River movie, Chip Hanson's struggle with addiction and compelling story arc definitely made him someone to root for despite his limited screen time. So much so that he's the focal point of the film's upcoming sequel, Wind River: The Next Chapter.

Fans of the original movie will be happy to learn that actor Martin Sensmeier will be reprising his role as Chip Hanson. According to Deadline, Hanson seems to have turned his life around in the new film. He's the U.S. Fish & Wildlife's newest tracker for the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming — and the FBI's go-to man when a string of ritualistic murders starts rocking the reservation. As the film's description goes, Hanson "becomes embroiled in a desperate and dangerous fight between the authorities, a vigilante, and the reservation he calls home."

While you may recognize Sensmeier's face from previous projects, Wind River: The Next Chapter marks his first major starring role. So who is the man behind this fan-favorite character? Here's everything we know about Sensmeier.

He's Alaskan

Born in Anchorage but raised in Yakutat, Sensmeier is a descendant of the German-Tlingit and Koyukon-Athabascan tribes. He's proud of his heritage and is an active member of the Alaska Native community, which is where he first caught the acting bug.

"It happened in fourth grade," he told the Anchorage Daily News back in 2016. "My teacher, Celia Eklund, everything she taught I fell in love with. ... She directed a school play, and I fell in love with acting. I daydreamed about it all day long."

But living in a small fishing town that was home to around 600 people made options for a career in showbiz pretty limited. "When you live in a small town like that, even when you're a teenager, you feel like a man. I had friends who were fishing and making $60,000-$70,000 a season. I knew I'd be working, but I didn't want to fish."

So instead of fishing, Sensmeier spent the next five years welding and working on drilling rigs. But his desire to act never left. He'd spend his time off flying to Los Angeles and taking acting classes, just hoping for that big break. When an elder in his town passed away, he felt incredibly guilty for not being home. So he gave himself two more years before he'd cut his losses in California and move back.

His first major gig came a short while later.

He's A Taylor Sheridan Regular

You may not know the name Sensmeier yet, but you've likely seen him before. His first big break came in 2016, acting alongside Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke in the movie The Magnificent Seven. After that, he started appearing in hit shows such as Westworld and FBI: Most Wanted. And, of course, he snagged roles in big films including Wind River.

"There's no such thing as an unrealistic dream," he told ADN. "I don't believe it. I've never believed it. Some people would have said that it couldn't happen. I was a kid in Yakutat. I was a roughneck for five years. And now I'm doing what I've always wanted to do."

Following his appearance in Wind River, Sensmeier has proved to be a bit of a regular in Sheridan productions, as the Yellowstone creator is known to use many of the same actors across his various projects. Yellowstone fans will recognize him as the handsome physical therapist who tried to woo the married Monica Dutton in season 2. He also played Sam, who became Elsa Dutton's husband in the prequel series 1883.

While it may have been a long road to get there, Sensmeier is living his dream. In addition to reprising his role as Chip Hanson in Wind River: The Next Chapter, he's also recently appeared in hit shows including La Brea and Alaska Daily. At one point, he was slated to play legendary Native American athlete Jim Thorpe in a biopic — being the first Native American to portray the iconic Olympic gold medalist in a feature film. It's unclear whether that film is still moving forward at this time.

As a Native often playing Native characters, Sensmeier has opened up about minority representation in Hollywood and his role in bringing more-authentic portrayals to the screen.

"As a kid, when I saw Native characters in movies, they opened up the movie with face paint on, they're angry at the white man, you're already villainizing us from the beginning — that stuff is harmful," he said in a 2021 Smithsonian Channel video essay for Native Peoples' Heritage Month.

"As an actor, what I would like for Native kids to see, just somebody that represents something real, that's real power, because I want people to know who we are."

He's A New Dad

In addition to his work as an actor and advocate for Native American representation in film, Sensmeier recently took on a new role: dad.

He welcomed his first child with partner Kahara Hodges back in 2021. And from the looks of his Instagram feed, the parents welcomed another kiddo last year.

When Does Wind River: The Next Chapter Premiere?

The short answer? TBD. The sequel to Wind River is currently in production and is expected to wrap up sometime this year.

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