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Born · April 3, 1907
Died · January 3, 1999 (91 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Gueydan, Louisiana, USA
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.
Crying Indian (archival footage)
0.0
2024
6.0
1991
Iron Eyes Cody
4.6
1990
Old Indian Chief
5.2
1987
Chief Watashi · (1 episode)
7.5
1983
Self · (13 episodes)
8.3
1980
Self
0.0
1979
Standing Bear
5.6
1977
Old Indian
10.0
1976
(1 episode)
7.4
1970
Santana
5.6
1970
Medicine Man
6.5
1970
Crazy Foot
6.3
1970
(1 episode)
4.8
1969
Chief
7.4
1968
Medicine Man · (1 episode)
6.7
1968
(2 episodes)
6.5
1967
Taka-Ta (uncredited)
6.8
1966
Medicine Man · (1 episode)
5.5
1965
Crazy Horse
4.2
1965
(1 episode)
6.4
1965
Chief Black Feather · (1 episode)
6.4
1962
Charlie Two-Bits
1.0
1962
Self · (1 episode)
5.1
1961
(1 episode)
4.0
1960
(1 episode)
6.2
1960
(1 episode)
6.3
1960
Sammy Hart · (1 episode)
5.1
1959
2nd Indian on Train (uncredited)
5.9
1959
Medicine Man (uncredited) · (2 episodes)
7.2
1959
(1 episode)
5.3
1958
(1 episode)
5.4
1958
Cuyloga's Counsellor
6.8
1958
1st Indian Chief
4.6
1958
Eskimo Pilot (uncredited) · (1 episode)
8.6
1957
Cheyenne Indian (uncredited)
5.5
1957
Mad Wolf
0.0
1957
(1 episode)
6.8
1957
(1 episode)
7.6
1957
Joe White Cloud · (1 episode)
4.8
1957
Chief
5.5
1956
Many Stars
5.5
1956
Nemanna · (1 episode)
5.5
1956
Mountain Cloud
0.0
1956
Red Rock
0.0
1956
(2 episodes)
5.7
1955
(1 episode)
5.8
1955
Indian · (1 episode)
6.6
1955
(1 episode)
6.6
1955
5.6
1955
Crazy Horse
5.0
1954
Chief Rasacura (uncredited)
5.9
1954
Ben Iron Mountain
7.0
1953
Apache with Major Dekker's Hat
3.0
1952
Canook (uncredited)
6.0
1952
Chief Yellow Cloud
6.3
1952
Male Model
0.0
1952
Indian with Pat (uncredited)
0.0
1952
Osage Brave - Blue Shirt
6.0
1952
Henchman Cherokee
3.0
1952
Ute Indian
6.2
1951
Brave Bear (as Iron Eyes)
6.3
1951
Indian Copy Boy (uncredited)
7.8
1951
(2 episodes)
4.5
1951
Indian
4.0
1950
Longknife
0.0
1950
Teese, Court Jester
6.7
1950
5.8
1950
Comanche (uncredited)
4.8
1950
Indian Who Slugs Cody (archive footage) (uncredited)
6.0
1950
Chief Iron Eyes (uncredited)
2.0
1949
Indian Farmer (uncredited)
6.8
1949
Indian (uncredited)
4.5
1949
Chief Yellowstone
6.2
1949
Chief Iron Eyes
6.1
1948
Wovoka
5.2
1948
Toma (uncredited)
6.1
1948
Geronimo
6.0
1948
Indian Warrior
7.0
1948
Indian
5.4
1947
Indian Joe
6.5
1947
Red Corn
6.2
1947
Indian Scaring Caroline (uncredited)
5.1
1944
Native (uncredited)
6.2
1943
Indian
5.0
1942
White Cloud (uncredited)
6.7
1942
Indian
0.0
1942
6.0
1942
1st Friendly Indian
7.0
1942
Indian (uncredited
4.2
1942
Indian
4.2
1942
Arab
0.0
1942
Indian (uncredited)
5.8
1942
Indian (uncredited)
5.8
1942
Indian
0.0
1942
Indian (uncredited)
5.8
1942
Indian
5.8
1942
Native Henchman at Mill [Ch. 5]
0.0
1942
Carlos
6.0
1941
Hostile Indian
3.2
1941
Black Eagle
0.0
1941
Indian
4.1
1941
Indian Who Drinks Chemical Solution
6.0
1941
Indian (uncredited)
6.2
1940
Indian
0.0
1940
Big Bear
4.4
1940
Indian
5.7
1940
Indian Henchman
5.5
1940
Indian
6.1
1940
Indian (uncredited)
4.3
1940
indian
0.0
1940
Acuna's Aide
3.8
1940
Indian (uncredited)
4.0
1940
Indian Joe - Harrington's Henchman
6.0
1939
Indian Chief
2.0
1939
2nd Indian at Post
4.0
1939
Running Wolf
0.5
1939
Crow Foot
8.0
1939
Brave
3.3
1939
Indian (uncredited)
6.5
1939
Wild West Show Indian
6.5
1939
Indian
0.0
1939
Rodeo Indian (uncredited)
6.1
1938
Bullet-Bringer
0.0
1938
Indian (uncredited)
3.5
1937
6.0
1936
Indian (uncredited)
5.7
1936
Comanche War Party Leader (uncredited)
4.7
1936
Little Deer
1.0
1936
Chief Brown Fox
0.0
1936
Indian Dancer (uncredited)
6.2
1936
Chief Brown Fox
4.5
1936
Indian
6.1
1935
Cat Man
4.8
1935
Cat Man
4.7
1934
Temple Guard
5.0
1934
Indian (uncredited)
5.8
1934
Cheyenne Rider
6.0
1933
Circus Indian
0.0
1933
Indian (uncredited)
6.0
1932
Little Eagle
0.0
1932
Indian at Sideshow (uncredited)
6.1
1932
John Tom
0.0
1932
War Eagle
0.0
1931
Indian (uncredited)
6.4
1928