
Chief John Big Tree
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.
49 acting credits
Acting · 49

Stagecoach
1939

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
1949

North West Mounted Police
1940

Western Union
1941

Lost Horizon
1937

Drums Along the Mohawk
1939

The Big Trail
1930

Destry Rides Again
1939

The Iron Horse
1925

Mantrap
1926

The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935

Devil's Doorway
1950

Brigham Young
1940

Maid of Salem
1937

Too Many Girls
1940

Prairie Thunder
1937

Hudson's Bay
1940

Susannah of the Mounties
1939

The Girl of the Golden West
1938

The Oregon Trail
1939

The Bold Caballero
1936

Las Vegas Nights
1941

Sioux Blood
1929

The Last of the Mohicans
1932

The Huntress
1923

Custer's Last Stand
1936

The Adventures of Frank Merriwell
1936

King of the Arena
1933

The Telegraph Trail
1933

The Red Rider
1925

The Singing Vagabond
1935

Hills of Old Wyoming
1937

The Golden West
1932

Winners Of The Wilderness
1927

The Frontiersman
1927
Maintain the Right
1940

The Spirit of '76
1917

Wheels of Destiny
1934

Red Fork Range
1931

A Fight For Love
1919

The Overland Telegraph
1929

Painted Ponies
1927

The Primitive Lover
1922

The Desert's Toll
1926

The Frontier Trail
1926

Spoilers of the West
1927

The Avenging Arrow
1921
Wyoming
1928
The Cactus Blossom
1915