
Cast
Acting
Cast
Known for
Acting
Born
1907-04-03
From
Gueydan, Louisiana, USA
Died
1999-01-03
Also known as Iron Eyes, The Crying Indian (nickname), Espera Oscar de Corti
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.

as Teese (uncredited)

as Taka-Ta (uncredited)

as Indian Copy Boy (uncredited)

as Indian

as Red Corn

as Crazy Horse

as Indian Brave (Uncredited)

as Medicine Man

as Indian Who Drinks Chemical Solution

as Indian (uncredited)

as Santana

as 2nd Indian on Train (uncredited)

as Old Indian

as Old Indian Chief

as 1st Indian Chief

as Standing Bear

as Indian After Firewater (uncredited)

as Indian Chief

as Indian (uncredited)

as Native (uncredited)

as War Eagle

as Cheyenne Indian (uncredited)

as Indian Dancer (uncredited)

as Toma (uncredited)

as Indian at Sideshow (uncredited)

as Indian (uncredited)

as Wovoka

as Indian (uncredited)

as Ute Indian

as Crying Indian (archival footage)

as Brave Bear (as Iron Eyes)

as Indian (uncredited)

as Indian Henchman

as Indian (uncredited)

as Crazy Foot

as Indian (uncredited)

as Chief Rasacura (uncredited)

as Charlie Two-Bits

as Self

as Chief

as Osage Brave - Blue Shirt

as Many Stars

as Little Deer

as Indian (uncredited)

as Mountain Cloud

as Rodeo Indian (uncredited)

as Chief Iron Eyes (uncredited)

as Male Model

as Indian (uncredited)

as Cuyloga's Counsellor

as Indian


as Indian

as Iron Eyes Cody

as indian

as White Cloud (uncredited)

as Chief Yellow Cloud

as Indian Joe - Harrington's Henchman

as Bullet-Bringer

as Canook (uncredited)

as Hostile Indian

as 2nd Indian at Post

as Black Eagle

as Crazy Horse


as Crow Foot

as Big Bear

as Wild West Show Indian

as Indian (uncredited)

as Indian (uncredited)

as Chief

as Indian

as Chief Iron Eyes

as Ben Iron Mountain

as Indian

as Indian

as Indian

as Comanche War Party Leader (uncredited)

as Henchman Cherokee

as Indian (uncredited)

as Indian (uncredited)

as Brave

as Little Eagle

as 1st Friendly Indian

as Chief Brown Fox

as Indian (uncredited)

as Indian

as Indian Dancer

as Temple Guard

as Indian Warrior

as Red Rock

as Indian with Pat (uncredited)

as Geronimo

as Indian Scaring Caroline (uncredited)

as Running Wolf

as Acuna's Aide

as Cat Man

as Indian Farmer (uncredited)

as Carlos

as Apache with Major Dekker's Hat

as Native Henchman at Mill [Ch. 5]

as Chief Brown Fox

as Longknife


as Cat Man


as Arab

as Self

as Indian

as Chief Yellowstone

as Indian Who Slugs Cody (archive footage) (uncredited)

as Indian (uncredited)

as Indian

as John Tom

as Indian

as Cheyenne Rider

as Indian (uncredited

as Indian

as Indian Joe

as Circus Indian


as Killer
