Crystle Lightning is a Canadian actress and musician of First Nations descent.
Early life Lighning is an Enoch Cree artist.
Film career Lightning started acting in 1994 and has been in several films, with her most notable role portraying Lori Piestewa in Saving Jessica Lynch. She played the lead role of Jo in 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995). Since then, she has been cast in a recurring role on the daytime NBC soap Days of Our Lives, played Chloe in 2005's American Pie Presents: Band Camp, The CW/BET/Paramount+'s The Game (2006), the spinoff of Girlfriends; and in Older Than America (2008) alongside Bradley Cooper. She also voiced Jen, the girlfriend of the game's protagonist, Tommy, in the 2006 video game Prey.
At the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, she won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Trickster.Brent Furdyk, "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, 'Schitt's Creek' Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada, March 30, 2021.
Music career Lightning is also an electro house DJ. Inspired by a mix performed by DJ Lady Tribe at a local Los Angeles nightspot, Lightning sought a musical apprenticeship with Christi Mills, later partnering with her mentor to form a performance crew called Ladies of the House. They perform regularly at Los Angeles venues, as well as throughout the United States.
LightningCloud Moving from the DJ booth to the center-stage mic, Lightning paired up with MC RedCloud to form the hip-hop group LightningCloud. The pair released their self-titled debut, LightningCloud, in 2012 with RedCloud's long-term musical collaborator, DJ Hydroe. Sam Slovik of L.A. Weekly called the group, "a near-earth object inventing new realms of the Electro-House-Hip-Hop revolution on the planet. Urban futurist[s], MC RedCloud and Crystle Lightning are L.A.'s subterranean Bonnie and Clyde." The Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards (APCMA) honored the group with recognition for Best Hip Hop Album in November 2012. (November 1, 2012). APCMA, And the Winners Are. Retrieved 2012-03-12. In 2013, LightningCloud won the "Who's Next: Battle for the Best" contest on Power 106. As winners, LightningCloud received a cash prize, a performance with Kendrick Lamar, and the honor of representing west coast hip hop against Hot 97's Brooklyn-based east coast representative, Radamiz, in a freestyle battle in Austin, Texas, on March 15, 2013. After winning that MC battle, LightningCloud received the opportunity to work with Timbaland in the recording studio.
Filmography Film
Year Title Role Notes 1994 The Last Chance Detectives: Mystery Lights of Navajo Mesa Winnie 1995 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up Jo 1995 Tecumseh: The Last Warrior Star Watcher 1995 The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot Winnie 1996 The Last Chance Detectives: Escape from Fire Lake Winnie 2003 Saving Jessica Lynch Pfc Lori Piestewa 2005 American Pie Presents: Band Camp Chloe 2008 Older than America Diane 2014 Death Factory Girl in Trunk Uncredited 2015 Tamales and Gumbo Gloria's Cousin 2023 Fancy Dance Sapphire 2025 Buffalo Daze Mary Pablo
Short film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Yellow Wooden Ring Velma Blea 1998 6/29 Paula Cooper 2010 Sardines Tiffany 2010 The Ricochet Misty 2010 Search for the World's Best Indian Taco Rose 2014 Unmatched Candi 2022 Stripper Ashley 2024 Mary Margaret Road Grader
Television Year Title Role Notes 1995 ABC Weekend Special Keah Nez Episode: "The Secret of Lizard Woman" 2001 Touched by an Angel Anna Hernandez Episode: "Mi Familia" 2006 The Game Scantily Clad Girl #2 Episode: "Mi Casa Es Su Casa" 2006 Live! From the Future Herself 2008 Days of Our Lives Sasha Episode: #1.10981 2009 Tease Tina 3 episodes 2012 Femme Fatales Candela Episode: "Hell Hath No Furies" 2013 Southland Tia Episode: "The Felix Paradox" 2018 Yellowstone Verda Stands Alone Episode: "Daybreak"as Crystle Lea Lightning 2018 Outlander Giduhwa Episode: "Common Ground" 2020 Trickster Maggie 6 episodes 2021 Hudson & Rex Kiera Laford Episode: "Blood on the Tracks" 2021 The Good Doctor Val Episode: "One Heart" 2021–2022 Diggstown Michelle Knockwood 8 episodes 2022 Rutherford Falls Shauna Episode: "Halloween" 2022 Three Pines Missy Two-Rivers 5 episodes 2022 Ghosts Shiki Recurring role 2023 Lawmen: Bass Reeves Nita Episode: "Part II" 2024 Spirit Rangers Twigs Episode: "Summer's in Charge/Barracuda Brouhaha" 2026 Anna Pigeon Frieda Dierkz 5 episodes
Video games Year Title Role 2006 Prey Jen/Radio Caller #2 (voice)
References
External links
Official Website