HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The title says it all for producer, actor, writer and director Tim Ramos. He formed Against the Wind productions in 1997 after years of struggle in Hollywood. He witnessed the harsh realities of how the American Indian is portrayed in film and television. Ramos says that he saw nothing good coming out of the Hollywood Indian stereotype. He believes in the need to see Indian people through their own eyes. After years of endless acting auditions that got him nowhere, Tim decided to create something.
Ramos graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. But instead of a career in news, he headed to Hollywood and slept on his sister’s apartment couch. Ramos always wanted to be an actor and he felt this was his chance. His first big break came with the film “Last of the Mohicans” in 1991. He shaved his head and became one of many Mohican extras on that film.
It was only the beginning of Ramos’ work in Hollywood as an extra in countless shows and films. He began to grow as a performer through the now defunct “American Indian Registry.” In the early 1990s it was run by Bob Hicks and Bonnie Paradise. Ramos was grateful for the Registry because they organized acting workshops for Indian performers at an unheard of $25 a month. He then landed an agent and pounded the pavement for two years without achieving his dream – a lead acting role in a movie or television spot.
Ramos grew up on the Pomo Big Valley Rancheria Indian Reservation in Lakeport, Calif. As early as age five, Ramos felt he was born to be a performer. He wasted no time and says he always wanted something bigger than reservation life.
Growing up in the 1970s he watched famous athletes cross over into acting and decided that was what he wanted to do. So he excelled in sports believing it was his ticket off the reservation. After high school no athletic scholarships came his way and it was his first of many setbacks to becoming an actor. But Ramos says his family always stood behind him.
By 1997, Tim had gone through the master’s program at UCLA earning a degree in American Indian studies and Film. He had come a long way with his education, completing two degrees and becoming the first generation Ramos to finish college. He made his parents proud because they never finished high school. Tim fulfilled the hopes and dreams of others, but his wish to be an actor still eluded him.
He got married and with a baby boy on the way, Ramos moved his family back to the reservation. It was a tough decision, but his family welcomed him with open arms.
Ramos worked producing cultural revitalization films for various northern local tribes. After his son was born in 1998, Ramos’ father died. He was happy his dad got to see his grandson before he passed on. He also got to see Ramos’ first film short called “Rancheria” produced by the new Against the Wind Productions.
Within a year’s time, Ramos moved his family back to Hollywood. Ramos has written a new screenplay called “California Indian” in which he will play the lead role and direct as well. He has traveled a long and daunting path, but his dream to be an actor is finally coming true. He believes that the American Indian has to write his own stories and get away from the Hollywood native stereotype. With the help of a new breed of Native film makers including Director Chris Eyre and Duane Humeyestewa, Ramos may make it yet in this town.