Iron Eyes Cody American actor Date of Birth: 03.04.1904 Country: USA

1. Biography of Iron Eyes Cody
2. Embracing Native American Identity
3. Acting Career
4. The Crying Indian
5. Legacy
6. Recognition and Controversy
7. Death and Legacy

Biography of Iron Eyes Cody

Iron Eyes Cody was an American actor who gained recognition for his portrayal of Native Americans in Hollywood films. It was only towards the end of his life that the public learned about his Italian heritage. Iron Eyes Cody was born as Espera Oscar de Corti on April 3, 1904, in Kaplan, Louisiana. He was the son of Sicilian immigrants Antonio de Corti and Francesca Salpietra. His parents owned a grocery store in Gueydan, Louisiana, where Iron Eyes grew up.

Embracing Native American Identity

During his childhood, several Italian Americans, including Iron Eyes, were lynched by the Anglo-American community due to racial hostility towards Italians. Iron Eyes decided to "become" a Native American, as he had similar features to the indigenous people. He later changed his name to Tony Cody and lived his life both on and off the screen, concealing his true heritage for a long time.

Acting Career

Iron Eyes' acting career began at the age of 12 and continued until his death. He appeared in over 200 films, including the melodrama "The Big Trail" (1930) with John Wayne, Sidney Salkow's western "Sitting Bull" (1954), the adventure drama "A Man Called Horse" (1970) with Richard Harris, and the family comedy "Ernest Goes to Camp" (1987) directed by John R. Cherry III. In 1953, Iron Eyes played the role of Sheriff Big Cloud in Duncan Renaldo's television series "The Cisco Kid".

The Crying Indian

However, Iron Eyes is best known for his portrayal of the "Crying Indian" in a public service campaign for the environmental organization "Keep America Beautiful" in the early 1970s. In the environmental commercial, Iron Eyes sheds tears as garbage flies at his feet from a speeding car. The memorable line, "People started pollution; people can stop it," is spoken by narrator William Conrad.

Legacy

Iron Eyes' singing can be heard in the song "Lakota" by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell, included in her 1988 album "Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm". He also had a cameo role in Lucas Reiner's sci-fi comedy "Spirit of '76" alongside Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald V. Casale. In the episode "Christopher" (2002) of the drama series "The Sopranos," Iron Eyes' character, portrayed by Joseph Pantoliano, threatens to reveal Iron Eyes' supposed Sicilian heritage as part of a plot against anti-Columbus protesters. However, the scheme fails when James Caan, who played Santino 'Sonny' Corleone, declares that Iron Eyes is not Italian.

Recognition and Controversy

In 1995, Iron Eyes was honored by the Native American community in Hollywood for his contributions to the lives of Native Americans in the United States. A year later, a reporter from the New Orleans newspaper "Times-Picayune" revealed that there were Sicilians in Iron Eyes' lineage, but the actor denied it. Throughout his conscious life, Iron Eyes assured everyone that he was Native American. He was married to a woman named Bertha, who was actually a Native American, and they adopted several children together.

Death and Legacy

Iron Eyes Cody passed away at the age of 94 on January 4, 1999, and was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He left behind one adopted son, Robert 'Tree' Cody, an American Indian flutist. Writer and television host Thomas King based one of his characters in the novel "Green Grass, Running Water" on the image of Iron Eyes Cody.