Chief John Big Tree
Born: 1877-06-02
• Buffalo, New York, USA
Chief John Big Tree was born on June 2, 1877 in Buffalo, New York, as Isaac Johnny John. He was an actor, known for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) and Devil's Doorway (1950). He died on July 6, 1967 in Onondaga Indian Reservation, New York.
One of three men who posed for artist James Fraser for the profile which became the famous "Indian head nickel" or "buffalo nickel" minted 1913-1938. The other two were Chief Two Moons (of the Cheyenne) and Chief Iron Tail (of the Lakota Sioux). The image was reused for a special commemorative $50 gold piece in 2006--the USA's first 24k (pure gold) coin.
Big Tree was a member of the Seneca Nation.
Filmography
Devil's Doorway
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Las Vegas Nights
Western Union
Hudson's Bay
North West Mounted Police
Too Many Girls
Brigham Young
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Maintain the Right
Destry Rides Again
Drums Along the Mohawk
The Oregon Trail
Susannah of the Mounties
Stagecoach
The Girl of the Golden West
Prairie Thunder
Hills of Old Wyoming
Lost Horizon
Maid of Salem
The Bold Caballero
The Adventures of Frank Merriwell
Custer's Last Stand
The Singing Vagabond
The Farmer Takes a Wife
Wheels of Destiny
King of the Arena
The Telegraph Trail
The Golden West
The Last of the Mohicans
Red Fork Range
The Big Trail
Sioux Blood
The Overland Telegraph
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Wyoming
Spoilers of the West
Painted Ponies
The Frontiersman
Winners Of The Wilderness
The Desert's Toll
Mantrap
The Frontier Trail
The Iron Horse
The Red Rider
The Huntress
The Primitive Lover
The Avenging Arrow
A Fight For Love
The Spirit of '76
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The Cactus Blossom