Rudy Youngblood

Youngblood has participated in HIV activism, engaging in AIDS walks and visiting HIV-positive children in hospitals — in particular to draw attention to the rate of HIV infection in the Native community. Having seen a family-member die of AIDS-related complications, he felt it important to "give back and make a difference" and has spoken out about the importance of education in combating ignorance around HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, drug abuse and child abuse. Having grown up looking after his sisters as a result of his mother's struggles with alcoholism, he regained a close relationship with her subsequently.

Going to a general casting call, Youngblood was selected by the director Mel Gibson to play the leading role of Jaguar Paw in the epic film Apocalypto (2006), in which he also performed his own stunts. He learned the Yucatec Maya language in order to appear as a tribesman in the film, in which all dialogue was in Maya. For his work in the film, he won the Best Actor award at the 15th annual First Americans in the Arts awards.

Rudy Youngblood (born Rudy Gonzalez, September 21, 1982), is a Native American actor, musician, dancer, and artist. He was born in Belton, Texas. Youngblood is of Comanche, Cree, and Yaqui ancestry.