Iron Eyes Cody
Encyclopedia
Iron Eyes Cody was an American
actor
. He frequently portrayed American Indians
in Hollywood films. In 1995, Cody was honored by the American Indian community for his work publicizing the plight of Native Americans, including his acting in films. In 1996, his Italian
ancestry was made public.
, a second son of Antonio de Corti and his wife, Francesca Salpietra, immigrants from Sicily
, Italy
. He had two brothers and a sister. His parents had a local grocery store in Gueydan, Louisiana
, where he was raised. In some of his earliest acting credits, he was listed as Tony de Corti. His father left the family and moved to Texas, where he took the name Tony Corti. His mother married Alton Abshire and had five more children with him.
When the three De Corti brothers were teenagers, they joined their father in Texas and also took the shortened last name of Corti. They moved on to California, where they started acting in movies, and each took the surname Cody. Joseph William and Frank Henry Cody worked some as extras, but moved on to other work. Tony Cody made a career as a film actor.
-Cree
ancestry. He lived his life as if he were of indigenous
Native American descent, both on and off the screen, and strongly supported American Indian causes.
He appeared in more than 200 films, including The Big Trail
(1930), with John Wayne
; The Scarlet Letter
(1934), with Colleen Moore
; Sitting Bull
(1954), as Crazy Horse
; The Light in the Forest
(1958) as Cuyloga; Nevada Smith
(1966), with Steve McQueen
; A Man Called Horse (1970), with Richard Harris
; and Ernest Goes to Camp
(1987), as Chief St. Cloud. In 1953, he appeared twice as Chief Big Cloud in Duncan Renaldo
's television series, The Cisco Kid
. He later guest starred on John Payne
's NBC
western
series, The Restless Gun
.
Cody became widely seen in his "crying Indian" role in the "Keep America Beautiful
" Public Service Announcement (PSA) in the early 1970s. The environmental commercial showed Cody as an Indian, shedding a tear after people throw trash from a speeding 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
.
In an episode of the TV series, The Sopranos
, titled "Christopher" (2002), Ralph Cifaretto (Joseph Pantoliano) threatens to expose Cody's Sicilian ancestry as leverage against anti-Columbus
protests by an Indian group. He is told that "it's like knowing that James Caan
isn't Italian" (referring to his role as an Italian American in The Godfather film).
-Maricopa
. They divorced in 1978.
In 1992 he married Wendy Foote. They divorced in 1993.
In 1996, the New Orleans Times-Picayune
reported his Sicilian heritage, but Cody denied it. He lived all his adult life claiming he was American Indian and supported related causes.
Cody died in 1999, aged 94; he was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
. He was survived by his adopted son, Robert "Tree" Cody, who has become known as a performer on the Native American flute
. Robert is of Dakota
-Maricopa
ancestry.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. He frequently portrayed American Indians
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 Hollywood films. In 1995, Cody was honored by the American Indian community for his work publicizing the plight of Native Americans, including his acting in films. In 1996, his Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
ancestry was made public.
Early life
Cody was born as Espera Oscar de Corti in Kaplan, LouisianaKaplan, Louisiana
Kaplan is a small city in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,177 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, a second son of Antonio de Corti and his wife, Francesca Salpietra, immigrants from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He had two brothers and a sister. His parents had a local grocery store in Gueydan, Louisiana
Gueydan, Louisiana
Gueydan is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,598 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, where he was raised. In some of his earliest acting credits, he was listed as Tony de Corti. His father left the family and moved to Texas, where he took the name Tony Corti. His mother married Alton Abshire and had five more children with him.
When the three De Corti brothers were teenagers, they joined their father in Texas and also took the shortened last name of Corti. They moved on to California, where they started acting in movies, and each took the surname Cody. Joseph William and Frank Henry Cody worked some as extras, but moved on to other work. Tony Cody made a career as a film actor.
Film career
Cody began his acting career at age twelve. He worked in film and TV until the time of his death. From his time in Hollywood, Tony Cody claimed CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
-Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
ancestry. He lived his life as if he were of indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Native American descent, both on and off the screen, and strongly supported American Indian causes.
He appeared in more than 200 films, including The Big Trail
The Big Trail
The Big Trail is a lavish early widescreen movie shot on location across the American West starring John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh....
(1930), with 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...
; The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter (1934 film)
The Scarlet Letter is a 1934 American film directed by Robert G. Vignola.It was shot in Salem's Pioneer Village and Sherman Oaks, California. This was the only film Colleen Moore ever said she made for the money. She was preparing to take her dollhouse on tour for charity, and saw the film as an...
(1934), with Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
; Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
(1954), as Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
; The Light in the Forest
The Light in the Forest (film)
The Light in the Forest is a 1958 film based on a novel of the same name first published in 1953 by U.S. author Conrad Richter. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and starred Fess Parker, Joanne Dru, James MacArthur and Wendell Corey. Though it is a work of fiction and primarily...
(1958) as Cuyloga; Nevada Smith
Nevada Smith
Nevada Smith is a 1966 American Western film starring Steve McQueen and made by Embassy Pictures and Solar Productions, in association with and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie was produced and directed by Henry Hathaway with Joseph E...
(1966), with Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
; A Man Called Horse (1970), with Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
; and Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp is a 1987 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the second film to feature the character of Ernest P...
(1987), as Chief St. Cloud. In 1953, he appeared twice as Chief Big Cloud in Duncan Renaldo
Duncan Renaldo
Renault Renaldo Duncan , better known as Duncan Renaldo, was an American actor who portrayed The Cisco Kid in films and on the 1950-1956 American TV series, The Cisco Kid.-Early years:...
's television series, The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid (TV series)
The Cisco Kid is a half-hour American Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role, The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo as the jovial sidekick, Pancho...
. He later guest starred on John Payne
John Payne (actor)
John Payne was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, and for his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series The Restless Gun.-Background:Payne was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series, The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun is a western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict...
.
Cody became widely seen in his "crying Indian" role in the "Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is a U.S. based nonprofit organization founded in 1953. It is the largest community improvement organization in the United States, with approximately 589 affiliate organizations and more than 1,000 community organizations that participate in their programs.Keep America...
" Public Service Announcement (PSA) in the early 1970s. The environmental commercial showed Cody as an Indian, shedding a tear after people throw trash from a speeding car and it lands at his feet. The announcer, William Conrad
William Conrad
William Conrad was an American actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio, film and television....
, says: "People start pollution; people can stop it."
The Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
song "Lakota," from the 1988 album, Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm is the thirteenth album by Joni Mitchell, released in 1988. It was her third for Geffen Records. The album features various duets with guest artists such as Peter Gabriel on "My Secret Place", Willie Nelson on "Cool Water", Don Henley on "Snakes and Ladders", Billy Idol...
, features Cody's chanting. He made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the 1990 film Spirit of '76
Spirit of '76 (1990 film)
The Spirit of '76 is a 1990 comedy film that spoofs American culture of the mid-1970s. It stars David Cassidy, Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner, Olivia d'Abo, and the rock groups Redd Kross and Devo. The movie was initially released October 12, 1990...
.
In an episode of the TV series, The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, titled "Christopher" (2002), Ralph Cifaretto (Joseph Pantoliano) threatens to expose Cody's Sicilian ancestry as leverage against anti-Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
protests by an Indian group. He is told that "it's like knowing that James Caan
James Caan
James Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado...
isn't Italian" (referring to his role as an Italian American in The Godfather film).
Marriage and family
Cody married Bertha Parker, an American Indian woman, in 1936. They adopted several Indian children, including two brothers who were DakotaDakota
- Ethnology and linguistics :* Sioux sub-tribes:**Eastern Dakota**Western Dakota* Dakota language, either of two regional varieties of the Sioux language- Geography :United States*North Dakota, a state*South Dakota, a state* Dakota, Illinois, a village...
-Maricopa
Maricopa
The Maricopa or Piipaash, are a Native American tribe, who live in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Gila River Indian Community along with the Pima, a tribe with whom the Maricopa have long held a positive relationship...
. They divorced in 1978.
In 1992 he married Wendy Foote. They divorced in 1993.
Honors
In 1995, the Hollywood American Indian community honored Cody for his contributions to the representation of Indian life.In 1996, the New Orleans Times-Picayune
New Orleans Times-Picayune
The Times-Picayune is a daily newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.-History:Established as The Picayune in 1837 by Francis Lumsden and George Wilkins Kendall, the paper's initial price was one picayune—a Spanish coin equivalent to 6¼¢ .Under Eliza Jane Nicholson, who inherited the...
reported his Sicilian heritage, but Cody denied it. He lived all his adult life claiming he was American Indian and supported related causes.
Cody died in 1999, aged 94; he was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
. He was survived by his adopted son, Robert "Tree" Cody, who has become known as a performer on the Native American flute
Native American flute
The Native American flute has achieved some measure of fame for its distinctive sound, used in a variety of New Age and world music recordings. The instrument was originally very personal; its music was played without accompaniment in courtship, healing, meditation, and spiritual rituals. Now it...
. Robert is of Dakota
Dakota
- Ethnology and linguistics :* Sioux sub-tribes:**Eastern Dakota**Western Dakota* Dakota language, either of two regional varieties of the Sioux language- Geography :United States*North Dakota, a state*South Dakota, a state* Dakota, Illinois, a village...
-Maricopa
Maricopa
The Maricopa or Piipaash, are a Native American tribe, who live in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and Gila River Indian Community along with the Pima, a tribe with whom the Maricopa have long held a positive relationship...
ancestry.
Filmography
| Film | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | ||
| 1919 | Back to God's Country | Indian | Uncredited Role | ||
| 1930 | The Big Trail The Big Trail The Big Trail is a lavish early widescreen movie shot on location across the American West starring John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh.... |
Indian | Uncredited Role | ||
| 1931 | Fighting Caravans Fighting Caravans Fighting Caravans is a lavish 1931 western film starring Gary Cooper and Lili Damita. The movie was directed by Otto Brower and David Burton. Although the film is billed as being based on the novel of the same name by Zane Grey, the stories have little in common. The film was actually written by... |
Indian After Firewater | Uncredited Role | ||
| Oklahoma Jim | War Eagle | ||||
| 1947 | The Senator Was Indiscreet | Indian | |||
| 1948 | Indian Agent | Wovoka | |||
| 1949 | Massacre River | Chief Yellowstone | |||
| 1958 | Gun Fever | 1st Indian Chief | |||
| 1966 | Nevada Smith Nevada Smith Nevada Smith is a 1966 American Western film starring Steve McQueen and made by Embassy Pictures and Solar Productions, in association with and released by Paramount Pictures. The movie was produced and directed by Henry Hathaway with Joseph E... |
Taka-Ta | Uncredited Role | ||
| 1970 | El Condor | Santana, Apache Chief | |||
| Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County is a Western comedy film released in April 1970 for Universal Pictures and directed by Anton Leader. The film stars Dan Blocker, Nanette Fabray, Jim Backus, Mickey Rooney, and Jack Elam.... |
Crazy Foot | ||||
| A Man Called Horse | Medicine Man | ||||
| 1977 | Grayeagle Grayeagle Grayeagle is a 1977 western adventure film, written by Brad White, Charles B. Pierce and Michael O. Sajbel, starring Ben Johnson, Iron Eyes Cody, and Lana Wood. The film was directed by director Charles B. Pierce and is rated PG in the USA. The music was composed by Jaime Mendoza-Nava... |
Standing Bear | |||
| 1987 | Ernest Goes to Camp Ernest Goes to Camp Ernest Goes to Camp is a 1987 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the second film to feature the character of Ernest P... |
Old Indian 'Chief St. Cloud' | |||
| Television | |||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | ||
| 1953 | The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid (TV series) The Cisco Kid is a half-hour American Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role, The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo as the jovial sidekick, Pancho... |
Chief Big Cloud / Chief Sky Eagle | Two separate roles, Indian Uprising (1953) as Chief Sky Eagle and The Gramophone (1953) as Chief Big Cloud |
||
| 1955 | Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on... |
n/a | Episode, The Hostage (1955) | ||
| 1967 | The Fastest Guitar Alive The Fastest Guitar Alive The Fastest Guitar Alive is the soundtrack title for the 33 record album from MGM Records released in June 1967.-Track listing:All songs written by Roy Orbison and Bill DeesSide one# "Whirlwind"# "Medicine Man, Medicine Man"# "River"... |
1st Indian | |||
| 1969 | Then Came Bronson Then Came Bronson Then Came Bronson is a short-lived adventure/drama television series that aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970, and was produced by MGM Television. The series, created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, began with a movie pilot on Monday, March 24, 1969. The series was greenlit for one year and began its first... |
Chief John Carbona | Episode, Old Tigers Never Die--They Just Run Away (1969) | ||
| 1986 | The A-Team The A-Team The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by... |
Chief Watashi | Episode, Mission of Peace (1986) | ||