Iron Eyes Cody

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Iron Eyes Cody (left) shown with his frequent co-star Roy Rogers

Iron Eyes Cody as the "Crying Indian"

Iron Eyes Cody (April 3, 1907 – January 4, 1999) was an actor born in Kaplan, Louisiana. He was born Espera De Corti, the son of Sicilian immigrants Francesca Salpietra and Antonio De Corti. He was not born a Native American, but he claimed to be part Cherokee and part Cree. Cody and his wife Bertha Parker adopted children that were Native American. Cody began his acting career at the age of 12 and continued to work until the time of his death. In 1996, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported his Sicilian heritage, but Cody denied it.

He appeared in more than 200 films including A Man Called Horse (1970) and Ernest Goes to Camp in 1987. However, he's most famous for his "Crying Indian" role in the Keep America Beautiful public service announcement in the early 1970's, an ecology commercial in which he sheds a tear after some trash is thrown from a speeding car and lands at his feet..

On his passing in 1999, Iron Eyes Cody was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. He is survived by his adopted son, the Native American flautist Robert "Tree" Cody.

The issue of Iron Eyes Cody's ancestry was featured as a minor plot device in a 2002 episode of The Sopranos. In that episode, members of the Mafia threaten to expose Cody's Sicilian ancestry in order to embarrass Native American activists.

[edit] The "Crying Indian" in popular culture

He was parodied in The Simpsons when Homer literally "trashed" Springfield, and an Episode of Futurama when Zapp dropped a can on the ground.
The "Crying Indian" announcement was also parodied in a 2001 E*TRADE Super Bowl ad, rueing the passing of such dot-com icons as the Pets.com sock puppet.
He was referenced during the end credits of Wayne's World 2, when the "naked Indian" was cleaning up after Waynestock.
He has also been referenced in stand up routines by Dave Chappelle.
He was featured on The Word segment of the Colbert Report.
In an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Apache Chief parodies the "Crying Indian," after Birdman throws a disposable cup out of his car window.
In Bob and George, Megaman and Tomahawkman parody the "Crying Indian."
He is referenced in the lyrics of the Eels song "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues".