Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

Iron Eyes Cody was born Espera or "Oscar" DeCorti, the son of two first-generation immigrants from Italy. In 1924 he moved to California, changed his name from "DeCorti" to "Corti" to Cody, and started working as an actor, presenting himself as a Native American. He married an Indian woman, Bertha Parker, and together they adopted two Indian sons, Robert and Arthur. Iron Eyes Cody lived and worked as an Indian for all his adult life; he labored for decades to promote Native American causes, and was honored by Hollywood's Native American community in 1995 as a "non-Native" for his contribution to film.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Susan C Mitchell

Spouse (2)

Wendy Foote (1992 - 1993) ( divorced) Bertha 'Birdie' Parker (1936 - 1978) ( her death) ( 3 children)

Trivia (9)



He was the man who played the Indian that sheds a single tear for a blighted American environment in "Keep America Beautiful" ads that ran from 1971 into the 1980s. The commercial is briefly spoofed in Wayne's World 2 (1993).



Cody's Native American heritage was challenged on May 26, 1996, in the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Louisiana, USA) newspaper by reporter Angela Aleiss who revealed that he was in fact of Italian ancestry. Cody denied his Louisiana origins.

Following his death, he was interred with his wife Bertha "Birdie" Parker at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.



His daughter allegedly died in a childhood hunting accident.



Was actually of Italian ancestry.





Brother of J.W. Cody , Frank Cody and Victoria Cody. His mother remarried Alton Abshire and had five more children.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6655 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 20, 1983.



He was posthumously awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California on January 15, 1999.



Iron Eyes Cody passed away on January 4, 1999, three months away from what would have been his 92nd birthday on April 3.

