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Iron Eyes Cody

 
Actor: Iron Eyes Cody
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  • Born: Apr 03, 1904 in Kaplan, Louisiana
  • Died: Jan 04, 1999 in Los Angeles, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '30s-'70s
  • Major Genres: Western, Action
  • Career Highlights: Ernest Goes to Camp, Grayeagle, Sitting Bull
  • First Major Screen Credit: Unconquered (1947)

Biography

While maintaining his whole life that he was part Cree and part Cherokee, actor Iron Eyes Cody was in fact born Espera DeCorti, a second generation Italian-American. He started out as a Wild-West-show performer, like his father before him. His earliest recognizable film appearances date back to 1919's Back to God's Country. While his choice of film roles was rather limited in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, Cody made himself a valuable Hollywood commodity by offering his services as a technical advisor on Indian lore, customs, costuming and sign language. In between his TV work and personal appearances with the Ringling Bros. Circus and other such touring concerns, Iron Eyes continued accepting supporting roles in Hollywood westerns of the 1950s; he played Chief Crazy Horse twice, in Sitting Bull (1954) and The Great Sioux Massacre (1965). Far more erudite and well-read than most of his screen characters, Iron Eyes has in recent years become a popular interview subject and a fixture at western-movie conventions and film festivals. His famous appearance as the tear-shedding Indian in the "Keep America Beautiful" TV campaign of the 1970s recently enjoyed a "revival" on cable television. In 1982, Cody wrote his enjoyably candid autobiography, in which several high-profile movie stars were given the "emperor has no clothes" treatment. As well as being an actor, Cody owns an enormous collection of Indian artifacts, costumes, books and artwork; has written several books with Indian themes; is a member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Indian Center, the Southwest Museum and the Los Angeles Library Association; is vice-president of the Little Big Horn Indian Association; is a member of the Verdugo Council of the Boy Scouts of America; and has participated as Grand Marshal of Native American pow-wows throughout the U.S. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Iron Eyes Cody
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Iron Eyes Cody

Iron Eyes Cody (left), Glendale, California, 1947.
Born Espera Oscar DeCorti
April 3, 1907(1907-04-03)
Gueydan, Louisiana, United States
Died January 4, 1999 (aged 91)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Other name(s) The Crying Indian
Years active 1927 - 1987
Spouse(s) Bertha "Birdie" Parker (1936 - 1978)
Wendy Foote (1992 - 1993)

Iron Eyes Cody, born Espera de Corti (April 3, 1907 - January 4, 1999) was an American actor. He was recognized for portraying Native Americans in Hollywood films. Near the end of his life, his Italian ancestry was made public. In 1995 he was honored by the Native American community for his portrayals.

Contents

Early life

Cody was born Espera de Corti in Kaplan, Louisiana, a son of Antonio de Corti and his wife, Francesca Salpietra, immigrants from Sicily. They had a local grocery store in Gueydan, Louisiana, where he was raised.

In some of his earliest acting credits, Cody was listed as Tony de Corti. He and his two brothers, who were also acting, changed their surname to "Cody". Tony Cody then claimed to be part Cherokee and Cree.

Film career

Cody began his acting career at the age of twelve and continued to work until the time of his death. He appeared in more than 200 films, including The Big Trail (1930), with John Wayne; Sitting Bull (1954), as Crazy Horse; Nevada Smith (1966), with Steve McQueen; A Man Called Horse (1970), with Richard Harris; and Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), with Jim Varney. In 1953, he appeared twice as Chief Big Cloud in Duncan Renaldo's syndicated western television series, The Cisco Kid.

He was most famous for his "crying Indian" role in the "Keep America Beautiful" public service announcement in the early 1970s.[1] It was an ecology commercial in which an Indian (Cody) sheds a tear after some trash is thrown from a speeding car and lands at his feet. The announcer, William Conrad, of Bullwinkle and Cannon fame, memorably declares: "People start pollution; people can stop it."

The Joni Mitchell song "Lakota," from the 1988 album, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm, features Cody's chanting.[2]

Cody had a cameo in the 1990 film Spirit of '76.

Legacy and honors

In 1995, the Hollywood Native American community honored Cody for his contributions to Native American life. They cared for the activities which he had carried out.[3]

In 1996, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported his Sicilian heritage, but Cody denied it. He lived all his adult life claiming he was Native American and supported Native causes. Cody and his wife Bertha, who was Native American, adopted several children, all Native American.

Cody died in 1999. He was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. He was survived by his adopted son, Native American flautist Robert "Tree" Cody.

Thomas King named and created a character based on Iron Eyes in his novel Green Grass, Running Water.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ PSA - Native American 1970s, thewall.net
  2. ^ Chris J. Walker, "Larry Klein Is Doing It All", mixonline.com, June 1, 2002
  3. ^ "Was Iron Eyes Cody an American Indian?", Snopes.com

External links

Movie
Year Title Role Notes
1930 The Big Trail (uncredited) .... Indian In 2006, the United States Library of Congress deemed this film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
1931 Fighting Caravans (uncredited) .... Indian 'Firewater'...aka Blazing Arrows During the Civil War, freight wagons make their way West, crossing hostile Indian country.
1931 Oklahoma Jim Indian 'War Eagle'
1954 Sitting Bull Indian 'Crazy Horse' Depicts the war between Chief Sitting Bull and the American forces, leading up to the Battle of Little Big Horn and Custer's Last Stand
1966 Nevada Smith (uncredited) .... Indian Taka-Ta
1977 Grayeagle Indian 'Standing Bear'
1987 Ernest Goes to Camp Old Indian 'Chief St. Cloud' His last major movie
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982 Fantasy Island 1 Episode
1986 The A-Team Chief Watashi 1 Episode
1986 Mission of Peace Chief Watashi 1 Episode

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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