IC
Iron Eyes Cody
Actor
Died January 4, 1999 (91 years)
Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti), was an Italian-American actor. He portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, famously as Chief Iron Eyes in Bob Hope's The Paleface. He also played a Native American shedding a tear about litter in one of the country's most well-known television public service announcements, "Keep America Beautiful". Cody began acting in the early 1930s. He worked in film and television until his death. Cody claimed his father was Cherokee (and his mother Cree), also naming several different tribes, and frequently changing his claimed place of birth. To those unfamiliar with Indigenous American or First Nations cultures and people, he gave the appearance of living "as if" he were Native American, fulfilling the stereotypical expectations by wearing his film wardrobe as daily clothing—including braided wig, fringed leathers and beaded moccasins—at least when photographers were visiting, and in other ways continuing to play the same Hollywood-scripted roles off-screen as well as on.
He appeared in more than 200 films, including The Big Trail with John Wayne; The Scarlet Letter, with Colleen Moore; Sitting Bull, as Crazy Horse; The Light in the Forest as Cuyloga; The Great Sioux Massacre, with Joseph Cotten; Nevada Smith, with Steve McQueen; A Man Called Horse, with Richard Harris; and Ernest Goes to Camp as Chief St. Cloud, with Jim Varney.
In 1953, he appeared twice in Duncan Renaldo's syndicated television series, The Cisco Kid as Chief Sky Eagle. He guest starred on the NBC western series, The Restless Gun, starring John Payne, and The Tall Man, with Barry Sullivan and Clu Gulager. In 1961, he played the title role in "The Burying of Sammy Hart" on the ABC western series, The Rebel, starring Nick Adams. A close friend of Walt Disney, Cody appeared in a Disney studio serial titled The First Americans, and in episodes of The Mountain Man, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. In 1964 Cody appeared as Chief Black Feather on The Virginian in the episode "The Intruders." He also appeared in a 1968 episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood featuring Native American dancers.
Cody was widely seen as the "Crying Indian" in the "Keep America Beautiful" public service announcements (PSA) in the early 1970s.The environmental commercial showed Cody in costume, shedding a tear after trash is thrown from the window of a car and it lands at his feet. The announcer, William Conrad, says: "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. He made a cameo appearance in the 1990 film Spirit of '76.
Living in Hollywood, he began to insist, even in his private life, that he was Native American, over time claiming membership in several different tribes. In 1996, Cody's half-sister said that he was of Italian ancestry, but he denied it. After his death, it was revealed that he was of Sicilian parentage, and not Native American at all.
Cody, at age 94, died of mesothelioma at his home in Los Angeles on January 4, 1999.
Filmography
| 2004 | Hit Celebrity TV Commercials · as Native American - for PSA for 'Keep America Beautiful' Campaign |
| 1990 | The Spirit of '76 · as Iron Eyes Cody |
| 1987 | Ernest Goes to Camp · as Old Indian Chief |
| 1983 | The A-Team (TV Series) · as Chief Watashi |
| 1982 | Newhart (TV Series) · as American Indian |
| 1980 | Hollywood (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1979 | Matt and Jenny (TV Series) · as Shaman |
| 1977 | Grayeagle · as Standing Bear |
| 1977 | Fantasy Island (TV Series) · as Chief Daniel Tenquot |
| 1976 | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch · as Indian Henchman |
| 1976 | The Quest · as Old Indian |
| 1976 | How the West Was Won (TV Series) · as Medicine Man |
| 1973 | Dusty's Trail (TV Series) · as Full Moon |
| 1970 | A Man Called Horse · as Medicine Man |
| 1970 | El Condor · as Santana |
| 1970 | The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County · as Crazy Foot |
| 1968 | Something for a Lonely Man · as Chief |
| 1968 | Here's Lucy (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1967 | The Fastest Guitar Alive · as 1st Indian |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith · as Taka-Ta (uncredited) |
| 1965 | The Great Sioux Massacre · as Crazy Horse |
| 1965 | Branded (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1965 | The F.B.I. (TV Series) · as Medicine Man |
| 1964 | Daniel Boone (TV Series) · as Medicine Man |
| 1962 | Black Gold · as Charlie Two-Bits |
| 1962 | The Virginian (TV Series) · as Chief Black Feather |
| 1961 | Mister Ed (TV Series) · as Chief Thundercloud |
| 1960 | Heller in Pink Tights · as Indian |
| 1960 | The Tall Man (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1959 | Alias Jesse James · as 2nd Indian on Train (uncredited) |
| 1959 | Rawhide (TV Series) · as Medicine Man (uncredited) |
| 1959 | |
| 1959 | The Rebel (TV Series) · as Sammy Hart |
| 1958 | Gun Fever · as 1st Indian Chief |
| 1958 | Lawman (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1957 | Ride Out for Revenge · as Cheyenne Indian |
| 1957 | The Restless Gun (TV Series) · as George Washington Smith |
| 1957 | Maverick (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1957 | Tales of Wells Fargo (TV Series) · as The Medicine Man |
| 1957 | Sugarfoot (TV Series) · as Joe White Cloud |
| 1957 | Wagon Train (TV Series) · as Seeba |
| 1956 | Westward Ho, the Wagons! · as Many Stars |
| 1956 | Comanche · as Medicine Arrow - The Medicine Man |
| 1956 | Zane Grey Theater (TV Series) · as Nemanna |
| 1955 | Apache Ambush · as Apaho - Apache Chief |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke (TV Series) · as Indian |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1955 | Cheyenne (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1955 | Sergeant Preston of the Yukon (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1954 | Sitting Bull · as Crazy Horse |
| 1954 | The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (TV Series) · as Long Buffalo |
| 1954 | Disneyland (TV Series) · as Mad Wolf |
| 1953 | Fast Company · as Ben Iron Mountain |
| 1952 | Son of Paleface · as Chief Yellow Cloud |
| 1952 | Lost in Alaska · as Canook |
| 1952 | The Big Sky · as Blackfoot Subchief |
| 1952 | Apache Country · as Indian with Pat |
| 1952 | The Savage · as Warrior |
| 1952 | Death Valley Days (TV Series) · as Chief |
| 1952 | Cavalcade of America (TV Series) · as actor |
| 1951 | The Last Outpost · as Mangas Coloradas |
| 1951 | The Redhead and the Cowboy · as Loukai - Lamartine's Indian Scout |
| 1951 | Red Mountain · as Ute Indian |
| 1951 | Fort Defiance · as Brave Bear (as Iron Eyes) |
| 1951 | Ace in the Hole · as Indian Copy Boy (uncredited) |
| 1950 | Broken Arrow · as Teese, Court Jester |
| 1950 | Davy Crockett, Indian Scout · as Lone Eagle's Brave |
| 1950 | Comanche Territory · as Comanche (uncredited) |
| 1950 | North of the Great Divide · as Headdress Presenter |
| 1950 | The Cisco Kid (TV Series) · as Chief Big Cloud |
| 1949 | |
| 1949 | The Cowboy and the Indians · as Indian Farmer (uncredited) |
| 1948 | The Paleface · as Chief Iron Eyes |
| 1948 | Blood on the Moon · as Toma (uncredited) |
| 1948 | The Dude Goes West · as Pipe-Smoking Indian |
| 1947 | Unconquered · as Red Corn |
| 1947 | Bowery Buckaroos · as Indian Joe |
| 1947 | The Last Round-up · as Indian |
| 1946 | Under Nevada Skies · as Indian |
| 1942 | Klondike Fury · as Trading Post Indian |
| 1942 | Valley of the Sun · as Indian |
| 1942 | Dawn on the Great Divide · as Indian |
| 1942 | King of the Stallions · as Unknown |
| 1941 | Western Union · as Indian Who Drinks Chemical Solution |
| 1941 | In Old Cheyenne · as Indian |
| 1940 | Northwest Passage · as Scout |
| 1940 | Young Bill Hickok · as Big Bear |
| 1940 | |
| 1940 | Too Many Girls · as Indian |
| 1940 | Young Buffalo Bill · as Comanche Renegade (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Kit Carson · as Indian |
| 1940 | Hi-Yo Silver · as White Feather |
| 1940 | Arizona · as Indian (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Union Pacific · as Indian (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Crashing Thru · as Indian Joe - Harrington's Henchman |
| 1939 | Across the Plains · as Brave |
| 1939 | Fighting Mad · as 2nd Indian at Post |
| 1938 | The Cowboy and the Lady · as Rodeo Indian (uncredited) |
| 1938 | The Lone Ranger · as Bullet-Bringer (Ch. 7) |
| 1937 | Riders of the Whistling Skull · as Indian |
| 1936 | Ride, Ranger, Ride · as Comanche War Party Leader |
| 1936 | Rose-Marie · as Indian Dancer (uncredited) |
| 1936 | The Bold Caballero · as Indian (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Custer's Last Stand · as Chief Brown Fox |
| 1936 | Custer's Last Stand · as Chief Brown Fox |
| 1935 | Annie Oakley · as Indian in Show |
| 1935 | Chandu on the Magic Island · as Cat Man |
| 1935 | The Farmer Takes a Wife · as Indian |
| 1935 | Toll of the Desert · as Marauding Indian |
| 1934 | The Scarlet Letter · as Indian |
| 1934 | The Return of Chandu · as Cat Man |
| 1933 | The Thundering Herd · as Indian |
| 1932 | Murders in the Rue Morgue · as Indian at Sideshow (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Big Stampede · as Crew's Indian Servant |
| 1932 | Texas Pioneers · as Little Eagle |
| 1931 | Fighting Caravans · as Indian After Firewater |
| 1926 | The Scarlet Letter · as Young Indian at Dunking |
| 1925 | The Road to Yesterday · as Indian |