Iron Eyes Cody

Acting

Born April 3, 1907 — Died January 3, 1999 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.

Movies(122)

The Hypocrite

Crying Indian (archival footage)

2024

Vaudeville

Self

1997

The Great Indian Wars 1840-1890

1991

The Spirit of '76

Iron Eyes Cody

1990

Ernest Goes to Camp

Old Indian Chief

1987

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

Self

1979

Grayeagle

Standing Bear

1977

The Quest

Old Indian

1976

El Condor

Santana

1970

A Man Called Horse

Medicine Man

1970

The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County

Crazy Foot

1970

Something for a Lonely Man

Chief

1968

Nevada Smith

Taka-Ta (uncredited)

1966

The Great Sioux Massacre

Crazy Horse

1965

Black Gold

Charlie Two-Bits

1962

Alias Jesse James

2nd Indian on Train (uncredited)

1959

The Light in the Forest

Cuyloga's Counsellor

1958

Gun Fever

1st Indian Chief

1958

Ride Out for Revenge

Cheyenne Indian (uncredited)

1957

Gun for a Coward

Chief

1956

Westward Ho, The Wagons!

Many Stars

1956

Johnny Moccasin

Mountain Cloud

1956

The Wild Dakotas

Red Rock

1956

Apache Ambush

1955

Sitting Bull

Crazy Horse

1954

Arrow In The Dust

Chief Rasacura (uncredited)

1954

Fast Company

Ben Iron Mountain

1953

Apache War Smoke

Apache with Major Dekker's Hat

1952

Lost in Alaska

Canook (uncredited)

1952

Son of Paleface

Chief Yellow Cloud

1952

Ellis in Freedomland

Male Model

1952

Apache Country

Indian with Pat (uncredited)

1952

Fort Osage

Osage Brave - Blue Shirt

1952

Night Raiders

Henchman Cherokee

1952

Red Mountain

Ute Indian

1951

Fort Defiance

Brave Bear (as Iron Eyes)

1951

Ace in the Hole

Indian Copy Boy (uncredited)

1951

California Passage

Indian

1950

Cherokee Uprising

Longknife

1950

Broken Arrow

Teese (uncredited)

1950

The Iroquois Trail

1950

Cody of the Pony Express

Indian Who Slugs Cody (archive footage) (uncredited)

1950

Mrs. Mike

Chief Iron Eyes (uncredited)

1949

The Cowboy and the Indians

Indian Farmer (uncredited)

1949

Sand

Indian (uncredited)

1949

Massacre River

Chief Yellowstone

1949

The Paleface

Chief Iron Eyes

1948

Indian Agent

Wovoka

1948

Blood on the Moon

Toma (uncredited)

1948

Train to Alcatraz

Geronimo

1948

The Gallant Legion

Indian Warrior

1948

The Senator Was Indiscreet

Indian

1947

Bowery Buckaroos

Indian Joe

1947

The Last Round-up

1947

Unconquered

Red Corn

1947

Can't Help Singing

Indian Scaring Caroline (uncredited)

1944

The Phantom

Native (uncredited)

1943

Dawn on the Great Divide

Indian

1942

Springtime in the Rockies

White Cloud (uncredited)

1942

Overland Mail

Indian

1942

King of the Stallions

1942

The Omaha Trail

1st Friendly Indian

1942

Pierre of the Plains

Indian (uncredited

1942

Perils of Nyoka

Arab

1942

Ten Gentlemen from West Point

Indian (uncredited)

1942

My Gal Sal

Indian (uncredited)

1942

Lawless Plainsmen

Indian

1942

Valley of the Sun

Indian (uncredited)

1942

Don Winslow of the Navy

Native Henchman at Mill [Ch. 5]

1942

Ride 'Em Cowboy

Indian (uncredited)

1941

King of the Texas Rangers

Carlos

1941

This Woman Is Mine

Hostile Indian

1941

Saddlemates

Black Eagle

1941

In Old Cheyenne

Indian

1941

Western Union

Indian Who Drinks Chemical Solution

1941

Arizona

Indian (uncredited)

1940

Hudson's Bay

Indian (uncredited)

1940

Pony Post

Indian

1940

North West Mounted Police

Indian Brave (Uncredited)

1940

Young Bill Hickok

Big Bear

1940

Too Many Girls

Indian

1940

Colorado

Indian Henchman

1940

Kit Carson

Indian

1940

Untamed

Indian (uncredited)

1940

Winners of the West

indian

1940

Young Buffalo Bill

Acuna's Aide

1940

Green Hell

Indian (uncredited)

1940

Maintain the Right

Killer

1940

Crashing Thru

Indian Joe - Harrington's Henchman

1939

Overland Mail

Indian Chief

1939

Fighting Mad

2nd Indian at Post

1939

Overland with Kit Carson

Running Wolf

1939

The Oregon Trail

Crow Foot

1939

Across the Plains

Brave

1939

Union Pacific

Indian (uncredited)

1939

The Kid From Texas

Wild West Show Indian

1939

Scouts to the Rescue

Indian

1939

The Cowboy and the Lady

Rodeo Indian (uncredited)

1938

The Lone Ranger

Bullet-Bringer

1938

Prairie Thunder

Indian (uncredited)

1937

The Boss Rider of Gun Creek

1936

The Bold Caballero

Indian (uncredited)

1936

Ride, Ranger, Ride

Comanche War Party Leader (uncredited)

1936

Treachery Rides the Range

Little Deer

1936

Custer's Last Stand

Chief Brown Fox

1936

Rose Marie

Indian Dancer (uncredited)

1936

Custer's Last Stand

Chief Brown Fox

1936

The Farmer Takes a Wife

Indian

1935

Chandu on the Magic Island

Cat Man

1935

The Return of Chandu

Cat Man

1934

Young Eagles

Temple Guard

1934

Massacre

Indian (uncredited)

1934

Fighting With Kit Carson

Cheyenne Rider

1933

King of the Arena

Circus Indian

1933

Wild Girl

Indian (uncredited)

1932

The Golden West

Indian Dancer

1932

Texas Pioneers

Little Eagle

1932

Murders in the Rue Morgue

Indian at Sideshow (uncredited)

1932

The Rainbow Trail

John Tom

1932

Oklahoma Jim

War Eagle

1931

Fighting Caravans

Indian After Firewater (uncredited)

1931

The Viking

Indian (uncredited)

1928

Iron Eyes Cody

TV Shows(31)

Movies(122)