Chief White Eagle
Encyclopedia
Basil F. Heath, better known as Chief White Eagle, (March 18, 1917 - January 24, 2011) was a Canadian
-born American
Mohawk actor
, stuntman
and television personality whose career spanned several decades beginning with the 1940 film, Northwest Passage. He was sometimes credited as Chief Sky Eagle. Chief White Eagle also appeared in television programming in the Chicago
, Illinois
, area.
Additionally, Chief White Eagle was a senior Mohawk tribal chief
in both Canada and the United States.
, Canada
. A member of the Mohawk people, he was the son of Andrew Cleve and Amelia (née
De Amorim) Heath. Heath attended McGill University
in Montreal
, Quebec
, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom
. After moving to the United States
, Heath served as a liaison officer for the United States Office of War Information
during World War II
, as well as a volunteer member of the United States Army
’s 101st Airborne Division
during the war.
Chief White Eagle began his career as a welder
and iron worker in skyscraper
construction in Chicago
and other cities. He then became a stuntman before transitioning to on-screen film roles. His first film role came in the 1940 movie, Northwest Passage, which starred Spencer Tracy
. He appeared in more than thirty films throughout his career, including Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
and Niagara
. Chief White Eagle noted that his characters had been killed in films seven times by actor John Wayne
.
Chief White Eagle also hosted Totem Pole on WTTW
during the 1960s, including a segment called "Indian Stories with Chief White Eagle". The show was one of the first children's programs to debut on WTTW, a PBS affiliate based out of Chicago
. Chief White Eagle also hosted a Native American radio show, appeared in television and radio commercials and appeared as a guest on television series, Wagon Train
. He was known for his appearances in which he wore his headdress.
Chief White Eagle married his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath, on June 29, 1977 in Grand River Reservation in Canada. He resided in Tinley Park, Illinois
, from 1975 until 1990. Chief White Eagle and his family then moved to Rochester, Indiana
, where he lived for the rest of his life.
In 1996, Chief White Eagle reflected on his acting career and the role of Native Americans
in western films saying, "The Indians were always the losers...For years, the movie industry portrayed the Indians in a derogatory manner. Happily, today, Indian films are more credible."
Chief White Eagle died at Woodlawn Hospital in Rochester, Indiana
, at 2:35 a.m. on January 24, 2011, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath; daughter, Eunice Madeline Heath Collard; his adopted son, Kenneth "Lone Eagle" Heath; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lauraine Heath, and his two sisters, Sylvia Schroeder and Valerie Peterson.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Mohawk actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
and television personality whose career spanned several decades beginning with the 1940 film, Northwest Passage. He was sometimes credited as Chief Sky Eagle. Chief White Eagle also appeared in television programming in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, area.
Additionally, Chief White Eagle was a senior Mohawk tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
in both Canada and the United States.
Biography
Chief White Eagle was born Basil F. Heath on March 18, 1917, on the Iroquois Indian Grand River Reservation in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A member of the Mohawk people, he was the son of Andrew Cleve and Amelia (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
De Amorim) Heath. Heath attended McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. After moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Heath served as a liaison officer for the United States Office of War Information
United States Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information was a U.S. government agency created during World War II to consolidate government information services. It operated from June 1942 until September 1945...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as well as a volunteer member of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
’s 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
during the war.
Chief White Eagle began his career as a welder
Welder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
and iron worker in skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
construction in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and other cities. He then became a stuntman before transitioning to on-screen film roles. His first film role came in the 1940 movie, Northwest Passage, which starred Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
. He appeared in more than thirty films throughout his career, including Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a 1949 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The film was the second of Ford's trilogy of films focusing on the US Cavalry ; the other two films were Fort Apache and Rio Grande...
and Niagara
Niagara (1953 film)
Niagara is a 1953 thriller-film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, and introducing Marilyn Monroe. Unlike other film noirs of the time, Niagara was shot in Technicolor on location and was one of 20th Century Fox's biggest box-office hits of the year.-Plot:Ray...
. Chief White Eagle noted that his characters had been killed in films seven times by actor John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
.
Chief White Eagle also hosted Totem Pole on WTTW
WTTW
WTTW channel 11 is one of three Public Broadcasting Service member public television stations serving the Chicago, Illinois market; the others are WYCC and WYIN. WTTW began broadcasting on September 6, 1955 and it is owned and operated by Window to the World Communications, Inc., a not-for-profit...
during the 1960s, including a segment called "Indian Stories with Chief White Eagle". The show was one of the first children's programs to debut on WTTW, a PBS affiliate based out of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Chief White Eagle also hosted a Native American radio show, appeared in television and radio commercials and appeared as a guest on television series, Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
. He was known for his appearances in which he wore his headdress.
Chief White Eagle married his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath, on June 29, 1977 in Grand River Reservation in Canada. He resided in Tinley Park, Illinois
Tinley Park, Illinois
Tinley Park is a village located primarily in Cook County, Illinois, United States with a small portion in Will County. The population was 48,401 at the 2000 census, and 58,322 in the 2007 census. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs south of Chicago...
, from 1975 until 1990. Chief White Eagle and his family then moved to Rochester, Indiana
Rochester, Indiana
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rochester is located at ....
, where he lived for the rest of his life.
In 1996, Chief White Eagle reflected on his acting career and the role of Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in western films saying, "The Indians were always the losers...For years, the movie industry portrayed the Indians in a derogatory manner. Happily, today, Indian films are more credible."
Chief White Eagle died at Woodlawn Hospital in Rochester, Indiana
Rochester, Indiana
Rochester is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rochester is located at ....
, at 2:35 a.m. on January 24, 2011, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath; daughter, Eunice Madeline Heath Collard; his adopted son, Kenneth "Lone Eagle" Heath; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lauraine Heath, and his two sisters, Sylvia Schroeder and Valerie Peterson.