Iron Eyes Cody (1904-1999) was born Espera Oscar di Corti in Kaplan or Gueydon, Louisiana. He was an American actor of Sicilian descent who worked at a time when an actor's talent was measured by their ability to play a role other than the one they were born to play.
di Corti's star was born through a role that existed somewhere between himself as a human being and an industry quick to typecast. After years of living in Hollywood, it is alleged that he came to believe he was an Indigenous American, claiming membership in a number of different tribes.
My introduction to the work of Espera Oscar di Corti came on Saturday mornings, when I would sit before the TV and watch cartoons. Not just cartoons, but those somewhat grown up PSAs -- the best-known being the pro-smoking Radio Free Europe PSA and the one that opened with thunderous kettle drums and a militaristic snare: Keep America Beautiful.
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