(born Espera Oscar de Corti April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) He was an American actor born in Louisiana. Going by the name of Iron Eyes Cody, he portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films. In 1996, his 100 percent Italian ancestry was confirmed by his half-sister.
Cody was born Espera Oscar de Corti on April 3, 1904, in Kaplan in Vermilion Parish, in southwestern Louisiana, a second son of Antonio de Corti and his wife, Francesca Salpietra, immigrants from Sicily. He had two brothers, Joseph William and Frank Henry, and a sister Victoria. His parents had a local grocery store in Gueydan, Louisiana, where he grew up. His father left the family and moved to Texas, where he anglicized his name as 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 shortened their surname to Corti. The brothers moved to California as young men, where they began acting in movies. At that time, they changed their surname to Cody. Joseph W. and Frank Henry Cody worked as extras, then moved on to other work. Frank was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 1949. The boys' father, Tony Corti, died in Texas in 1924.
In 1936, Cody married Bertha Parker, a Native American woman. She was active in archaeological excavations during the late 1920s and early 1930s; she became an Assistant in Archaeology at the Southwest Museum, serving in that role from 1931–1941. The couple adopted two children of Native American descent, said to be of Dakota-Maricopaancestry. Bertha Cody died in 1978.
Son Arthur Cody served in the United States Marine Corps, seeing combat during the Vietnam War. He died in 1996. Son Robert "Tree" Cody is a musician specializing in Native American flute. He was interviewed about his father's film career in the 2009 documentary Reel Injun, which explores the portrayal of Native Americans by Hollywood filmmakers.
In 1992, Iron Eyes Cody married Wendy Foote. They divorced the following year.
Cody died on January 4, 1999 at the age of ninety-four. He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He was survived by his adopted son, Robert.
Cody died on January 4, 1999 at the age of ninety-four. He was buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. He was survived by his adopted son, Robert.
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