Photo from Ebay |
| Want your own Nakoma Doll? You may want to try Ebay, because there have been some dolls for sale there now and then. Here's what they said about it: "Don't think that the women stars took over the year 1978, because there were also several male celebrity dolls introduced to the line that year." "For you outdoorsy types, why not Mattel's Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams) and Don Shanks (Nakuma, "Nakoma" on packaging) from "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams". |
Bio goes here - eventually....
So far there's no bio as such, so the info we have is what Kim has gleaned from various websites and a radio interview (on the web). Here's what she said in an e-mail to the NativeCelebs discussion list:
I'm not sure how old Don Shanks is, but he was very young when he played Nakoma on the Grizzly Adams TV series in 1977 (38 episodes).
From an article I read he said he had done Greek theater and pantomime before he got into acting. In a radio interview that you can listen to online he stated he had also done special effects makeup before acting.
>I seem to remember him from many years ago when he
> either co-starred or guest starred on several
western series
Yes, he has been in several western TV series, such as the NBC mini-series Centennial (1978), co-starred in ABC's How the West Was Won (1978), and was in CBS's The Chisholms (1979). He also co-starred in the series Dream West (1986)and starred in Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills (1986). He also starred in NBC's 1977 version of The Last of the Mohicans as Uncas. He starred in and was stunt coordinator in The Treasure (or Secret) of Lost Creek, but I'm not sure if that's a western or not; I think it is. He's also done stunts for Walker, Texas Ranger, stunt coordinating for Promised Land, and stunts/stunt coordinating for Touched by an Angel. He's been in many more movies, but there are too many to list here.
>Is this the
> same Don Shanks or is it a junior?
It's the same Don Shanks. As far as I know, there is no Don Shanks, Jr., that's acting. Don is still very busy, making on average between three and four movies a year. Some of the more-recent ones are an HBO movie, Made Men, with James Belushi; Partners in Crime, Ride With the Devil (Universal); Box; Temptation; and Shepherd, with Amy Irving.