Chief John Big Tree (born Isaac Johnny John, June 2, 1877 – July 6, 1967) was a member of the

Seneca Nation The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western New Y ...

and an actor who appeared in 59 films between 1915 and 1950. He was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

and died in Onondaga Indian Reservation,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. His interment was also there. 1935 Indian Head Buffalo Nickel

Big Tree claimed to be one of three Native American chiefs whose profiles were composited to make the portrait featured on the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...

of the United States'

Indian Head nickel The Buffalo nickel or Indian Head nickel is a copper-nickel five-cent piece that was struck by the United States Mint from 1913 to 1938. It was designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. As part of a drive to beautify the coinage, five denominat ...

, designed by sculptor James Earle Fraser. The other two chiefs were

Iron Tail Iron Tail (Oglala Lakota: Siŋté Máza in Standard Lakota Orthography; 1842 – May 29, 1916) was an Oglala Lakota Chief and a star performer with Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Iron Tail was one of the most famous Native American celebrities of the ...

and

Two Moons Two Moons (1847–1917), or ''Ishaynishus'' (Cheyenne language, Cheyenne: ''Éše'he Ôhnéšesêstse''), was one of the Cheyenne chiefs who took part in the Battle of the Little Bighorn and other battles against the United States Army. Life Two ...

. Big Tree claimed that his profile was used to create that portion of the portrait from the top of the forehead to the upper lip. JEFEndOfTheTrail

Big Tree also claimed to be the sole model for Fraser's most recognized work, the doleful '' End of the Trail''. Both of these claims are broadly disputed, and Fraser identified other models. He also appeared on the March 1964 cover of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine, in a pose commemorating the Indian Head nickel.

Partial filmography

* '' The Spirit of '76'' (1917,

Lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

) as Gowah * '' A Fight for Love'' (1919, Lost film) as Swift Deer * ''

The Avenging Arrow ''The Avenging Arrow'' is a 1921 American silent Western film serial directed by William J. Bowman and W. S. Van Dyke. Its 15 episodes are now considered to be lost. Episodes Fifteen episodes of ''The Avenging Arrow'' were released weekly f ...

'' (1921, Lost film) as Madoo * ''

The Primitive Lover ''The Primitive Lover'' is a 1922 American silent drama film produced by and starring Constance Talmadge and distributed by Associated First National (later First National Pictures). Sidney A. Franklin served as the director of the movie and Fran ...

'' (1922) as Chief Johnny Bluebottle * '' The Huntress'' (1923) as Otebaya * '' The Iron Horse'' (1924) as Cheyenne Chief (uncredited) * ''

The Red Rider ''The Red Rider'' is a 1934 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures and starring Buck Jones. It has 15 chapters based on the short story "The Redhead from Sun Dog" by W. C. Tuttle, and is a remake of Buck Jones' earlier 1931 film '' ...

'' (1925) as Indian Chief * '' Ranson's Folly'' (1926) as Chief Standing Bear * ''

The Frontier Trail ''The Frontier Trail'' is a lost 1926 American silent Western film directed by Scott R. Dunlap and starring Harry Carey. Plot Cast * Harry Carey - Jim Cardigan * Mabel Julienne Scott - Dolly Mainard * Ernest Hilliard - Captain Blackwell * ...

'' (1926) as Chief Gray Wolf * '' Mantrap'' (1926) as Indian (uncredited) * '' The Desert's Toll'' (1926) as Red Eagle * ''The Outlaw Breaker'' (1926) as Indian (uncredited) * ''

Winners of the Wilderness ''Winners of the Wilderness'' is a 1927 American silent war drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starring Tim McCoy and Joan Crawford. In this costume drama, set during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Rene Contrecouer (Crawford), t ...

'' (1927) as Chief Pontiac * ''

The Frontiersman ''The Frontiersman'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Reginald Barker and written by Tom Miranda and Gordon Rigby. The film stars Tim McCoy, Claire Windsor, Tom O'Brien, Russell Simpson, Lillian Leighton and Louise Lorraine ...

'' (1927) as Grey Eagle * '' Painted Ponies'' (1927) * ''

Spoilers of the West ''Spoilers of the West'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by W. S. Van Dyke, written by Joseph Farnham, Madeleine Ruthven, and Ross B. Wills, and starring Tim McCoy, Marjorie Daw, William Fairbanks, Charles Thurston and Chief J ...

'' (1927) as Chief Red Cloud * ''

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

'' (1928) as An Indian * '' The Overland Telegraph'' (1929) as Medicine Man * ''

Sioux Blood ''Sioux Blood'' is a 1929 American silent Western film directed by John Waters. It stars Western action star Tim McCoy. A print is preserved at the George Eastman House in New York. Cast * Tim McCoy as Flood * Robert Frazer as Lone Eagle * E ...

'' (1929) as Crazy Wolf * ''

The Big Trail ''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh. In 2006, the United States Library of ...

'' (1930) as Indian (uncredited) * ''

Red Fork Range ''Red Fork Range'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by Alan James and starring Hal Taliaferro, Ruth Mix and Al Ferguson. Main cast * Hal Taliaferro as Wally Hamilton * Ruth Mix as Ruth Farell * Al Ferguson as Black Bard * ...

'' (1931) as Chief Barking Fox * '' Fighting Caravans'' (1931) as Indian Chief in Opening Credits (uncredited) * ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinde ...

'' (1932, Serial) as Huron Warrior (uncredited) * '' The Golden West'' (1932) as Indian (uncredited) * ''

The Telegraph Trail ''The Telegraph Trail'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western (genre), Western film directed by Tenny Wright and starring John Wayne and Frank McHugh. The film also starred stuntman Yakima Canutt as Indian Chief High Wolf, Marceline Day as the he ...

'' (1933) as Indian Chief (uncredited) * ''

King of the Arena ''King of the Arena'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film written and directed by Alan James. The film stars Ken Maynard, Lucile Browne, John St. Polis, Bob Kortman, Michael Visaroff and James A. Marcus. The film was released on June 1, ...

'' (1933) as Circus Indian (uncredited) * ''

Massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

'' (1934) as Indian Judge (uncredited) * ''

Wheels of Destiny ''Wheels of Destiny'' is a 1934 American Western film directed by Alan James and written by Nate Gatzert. The film stars Ken Maynard, Dorothy Dix, Philo McCullough, Frank Rice, Jay Wilsey, Edward Coxen, Fred Sale Jr. and Fred MacKaye. The film ...

'' (1934) as Chief War Eagle * ''

The Cat's-Paw ''The Cat's-Paw'' (1934) is a comedy film starring Harold Lloyd and directed by Sam Taylor. It was Lloyd's seventh and final collaboration with Taylor and the fourth of his seven starring roles in sound. ''The Cat’s Paw'', a novel by Clarence ...

'' (1934) as Chinese Guards (uncredited) * '' Wake Up and Dream'' (1934) as 1st Indian (uncredited) * ''

The Miracle Rider ''The Miracle Rider'' is a 1935 American Western film serial directed by B. Reeves Eason and Armand Schaefer for Mascot. It stars silent movie cowboy star Tom Mix in his last major film role. Plot summary Zaroff ( Charles Middleton), a rancher ...

'' (1935, Serial) as Old Indian h. 1(uncredited) * ''

The Farmer Takes a Wife ''The Farmer Takes a Wife'' is a 1934 play by Frank B. Elser and Marc Connelly based on the 1929 novel '' Rome Haul'' by Walter D. Edmonds. It was well-received upon its opening night on Broadway on October 30, 1934, at the 46th Street Theatre ...

'' (1935) as Indian (uncredited) * '' The Singing Vagabond'' (1935) as Chief White Eagle (uncredited) * ''

Custer's Last Stand The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nort ...

'' (1936, Serial) as Medicine Man h. 9* ''

The Adventures of Frank Merriwell ''The Adventures of Frank Merriwell'' first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30 pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs as Frank Merriwell. Harl ...

'' (1936, Serial) as Indian John (uncredited) * ''

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

'' (1936) as Wyandotte Warrior (uncredited) * ''

The Bold Caballero ''The Bold Caballero'' is a 1936 American Western film written and directed by Wells Root. It is based on the character Zorro, created by Johnston McCulley. The characters Don Alejandro Vega (Don Diego's father) and Bernardo are notably absent. ...

'' (1936) as Tavern Indian (uncredited) * ''

Maid of Salem ''Maid of Salem'' is a 1937 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. Plot It tells the story of a young girl in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, who has an affair with an adventurer. ...

'' (1937) as Indian (uncredited) * ''

Lost Horizon ''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called ''Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...

'' (1937) as Porter (uncredited) * ''

Hills of Old Wyoming ''Hills of Old Wyoming'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Nate Watt and written by Maurice Geraghty, the 10th film of the 66 Hopalong Cassidy movies. The film stars William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Morris Ankrum, Russell Hayden, ...

'' (1937) (with Hopalong Cassidy) as Chief Big Tree * ''

The Painted Stallion ''The Painted Stallion'' is a 1937 American Western film serial from Republic Pictures. It was the sixth Republic serial of the sixty-six made by that company. Western serials such as this made up a third of the serials from Republic, a studio t ...

'' (1937, Serial) as Commanche Chief (uncredited) * ''

Prairie Thunder ''Prairie Thunder'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and written by Ed Earl Repp. The film stars Dick Foran, Janet Shaw, Frank Orth, Wilfred Lucas, Albert J. Smith and Yakima Canutt. The film was released by Warner ...

'' (1937) as Indian (uncredited) * '' The Girl of the Golden West'' (1938) as Indian Chief in Prologue (uncredited) * '' Flaming Frontiers'' (1938, Serial) as Arapaho Chief

hs. 12-13 HS or Hs can stand for: Businesses and brands * HS Produkt, a Croatian firearms manufacturer * ''Helsingin Sanomat'', a newspaper in Finland * Hawker Siddeley, aircraft manufacturing group * Henschel & Son, in aircraft prefixes; e.g., Hs 117 * H ...

(uncredited) * ''

Hawk of the Wilderness ''Hawk of the Wilderness'' (1938) is a Republic movie serial based on the ''Kioga'' adventure novels written by pulp writer William L. Chester (1907-1971). Kioga was a Tarzanesque white child raised on a lost island in the Arctic Circle, somewh ...

'' (1938, Serial) as Medicine Man (uncredited) * ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

'' (1939) as Apache Scout (uncredited) * ''

Susannah of the Mounties ''Susannah of the Mounties'' is a children's novel by Canadian author Muriel Denison, first published in 1936. In the book 9-year-old Susannah is sent to Regina, Saskatchewan to spend the summer with her uncle who is a Mountie. There are several ...

'' (1939) as Chief (uncredited) * '' The Oregon Trail'' (1939, Serial) as Spotted Elk (uncredited) * ''

Drums Along the Mohawk ''Drums Along the Mohawk'' is a 1939 American historical drama western film based upon a 1936 novel of the same name by American author Walter D. Edmonds. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by John Ford. Henry Fonda and Clau ...

'' (1939) as Blue Back * ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'' (1939) as Indian in Saloon (uncredited) * ''

Heroes of the Saddle ''Heroes of the Saddle'' is a 1940 American Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by William Witney. Cast * Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke * Raymond Hatton as Rusty Joslin * Duncan Renaldo as Renaldo * Patsy Parsons as Peggy Bell ...

'' (1940) as Rodeo Indian (uncredited) * ''

Pioneers of the West ''Pioneers of the West'' is a 1940 American Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by Lester Orlebeck. Cast * Robert Livingston as Stony Brooke * Raymond Hatton as Rusty Joslin * Duncan Renaldo as Renaldo * Noah Beery as Judge Platt ...

'' (1940) as Indian Chief (uncredited) * ''

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...

'' (1940) as Big Elk * '' Too Many Girls'' (1940) as Chief (uncredited) * '' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) as Blue Owl (uncredited) * '' Hudson's Bay'' (1941) as Chief * ''

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

'' (1941) as Chief Spotted Horse * ''

Las Vegas Nights ''Las Vegas Nights'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Ernest Pagano, Harry Clork and Eddie Welch. The film stars Phil Regan, Bert Wheeler, Constance Moore, Virginia Dale, Lillian Cornell, Betty Brewer and H ...

'' (1941) as Indian (uncredited) * '' Unconquered'' (1947) as Indian (uncredited) * ''

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ''She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'' is a 1949 American Technicolor Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. It is the second film in Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy", along with '' Fort Apache'' (1948) and ''Rio Grande'' (1950). With a budg ...

'' (1949) as Chief Pony That Walks * ''

Devil's Doorway ''Devil's Doorway'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Taylor as an Indian who returns home from the American Civil War a hero awarded the Medal of Honor. However, his hopes for a peaceful life are sha ...

'' (1950) as Thundercloud

References

External links

* *
Rogue River War of 1855-1856
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Tree, John 1877 births 1967 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Michigan First Nations male actors People from Onondaga County, New York Burials in New York (state) Male actors from Buffalo, New York