Aside from Jay Silverheels, who played the Lone Ranger's "faithful Indian companion" Tonto,the most famous Native American of modern times might well be Iron Eyes Cody. Ironically, Cody wasn't a Native American at all, but was born Espera DeCorti, the child of immigrants to the United States from Sicily.
Oh well. At least he looked like an American Indian. His life provided living proof of the importance of image in contemporary America. (I seem, therefore I am.)
Cody was born in Louisiana in 1904 and later moved with his family to Hollywood, where the family name was shortened to Corti, then was further Americanized to Cody.
Cody got into acting in the silent movie era and eventually made appearances in at least 100, perhaps as many as 200 movies--until 1987. He also appeared on numerous TV westerns, but his celebrity came from his 1970s public service commercial for the Keep America Beautiful campaign.
In this powerful ad, he was shown, wearing Indian garb, of course, gazing sadly at a polluted river. As the camera zoomed in on his face, a tear rolled down his cheek as he contemplated what man was doing to the environment.
Although his own Indian heritage was invented, Cody married a Native American woman and adopted two Native American children.
Cody lived into his early 90s and died in 1999. Whatever one thinks about his less than forthright claims about his heritage, he really lived the part.
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