John War Eagle Birth name: |
There were content and accuracy issues with the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Find A Grave, and Wikipedia records for Native American actor John War Eagle. IMDb and Find A Grave corrections were online as of early July, 2023. Details in the red highlighted box at the bottom of this webpage. |
Angela Aleiss, PhD, is author of Hollywood's Native Americans: Stories of Identity and Resistance (Praeger, 2022) and has taught at CSU Long Beach and UCLA. Her book has more on John War Eagle - he was born John Henry St. Pierre in Wagner, Charles Mix County, South Dakota in 1901 and was Yankton Sioux.
He married Harriet Pansy McBride in 1924, and they had two children, son Glen and daughter Ruby June. He spent his early adult years farming in South Dakota and in 1942 registered for the World War II draft. Soon after, he and his family moved to California where he found work portraying Native Americans in films and television using the screen name John War Eagle. His Hollywood career spanned from the 1940s - to the mid 1970s and included films and TV programs. John War Eagle has a large role (and lots of Technicolor closeups) as "Chief Red Cloud" in TOMAHAWK (Universal International, 1951) which starred Van Heflin and Preston Foster. His last was portraying a tribal elder in TALES OF THE NUNUNDAGA (1977), a Children's Novel for Television special on ABC. The death notice for John Henry St. Pierre mentions that he passed away on June 21, 1977 at a local hospital and survivors were wife Harriet and daughter June. And "Mr. St. Pierre was a member of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood, he was known as John War Eagle to the Motion Picture Industry."
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on John War Eagle: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911272/
Find A Grave notes that John H. St. Pierre (1901 - 1977) and wife Harriet (1906 - 1984) are interred at Eternal Hills Memorial Park, Oceanside, San Diego County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204134143/john-h-st_pierre Find A Grave reports that his parents are interred at Greenwood Episcopal Cemetery, Greenwood, Charles Mix County, South Dakota: Father Gilbert St Pierre (1863 - 1953): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147608573/gilbert-st_pierre Carrie Anderson St Pierre (1868 - 1909): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147608550/carrie-st_pierre May 28, 1950 Rapid City, South Dakota Journal has an article and photo of John War Eagle who was portraying 'Red Cloud' in the movie TOMAHAWK (Universal International, 1951). Includes mention of his Yankton Sioux lineage, his birth name of John St. Pierre, and his early years as a farmer: https://www.newspapers.com/article/rapid-city-journal-john-war-eagle-portra/125997921/ Getty Images has a color photo of John War Eagle and Guillermo San Juan in the ABC television Children's special 'Tales of the Nunundaga' (1977): https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/john-war-eagle-guillermo-san-juan-appearing-in-the-abc-tv-news-photo/1228735894 November 19, 1977 Greenfield, Indiana Daily Reporter paper has a large photo of John War Eagle portraying a tribal elder in 'Nunundaga' (1977) on ABC television: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-reporter-late-picture/103611347/ Wikipedia biography - John Henry St. Pierre, AKA John War Eagle, was Sioux and born in Wagner, Charles Mix County, South Dakota. Has 1991 as his death date and that is incorrect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_War_Eagle Official website of the Yankton Sioux Tribe in Wagner, Charles Mix County, South Dakota: https://www.yanktonsiouxtribe.net/ Wikipedia page on the Yankton Sioux Tribe in South Dakota: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankton_Sioux_Tribe
(From Old Corral collection) L-to-R are Robert 'Bobby' Blake (as 'Little Beaver'), Frank Lackteen, Chief Yowlachie, John War Eagle, and kneeling is Billy Cummings. Lobby card from OREGON TRAIL SCOUTS (Republic, 1947), one of the Red Ryder adventures starring Allan Lane. Above from left to right are Frank Lackteen, Chief Yowlachie and John War Eagle in a crop/blowup from the above lobby card. (From Old Corral collection) Above is another lobby card from OREGON TRAIL SCOUTS. From L-to-R are Roy Barcroft, unidentified player (possibly Pat Michaels), Martha Wentworth, John War Eagle, Chief Yowlachie, and on horseback is Frank Lackteen. John War Eagle on the left, Chief Yowlachie on right and Frank Lackteen on horseback in a crop/blowup from the above lobby card. |
Fixes, corrections, and updates to Find A Grave, Internet Movie Database (IMDb), and Wikipedia: |
Find A Grave Memorial ID 85383865 is NOT actor John War Eagle
Find A Grave's bio for Memorial ID 85383865 was completely wrong and had him misidentified as Native American actor John War Eagle.
In May - early June, 2023, I contacted Find A Grave on this erroneous biography. A corrected and updated bio on this English born bank manager and attorney went online on June 21, 2023: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85383865/john-worley-eagle |
Find A Grave Memorial ID 204134143 is actor John War Eagle
Find A Grave notes that John H. St. Pierre (1901 - 1977) and wife Harriet (1906 - 1984) are interred at Eternal Hills Memorial Park, Oceanside, San Diego County, California: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204134143/john-h-st_pierre
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Internet Movie Database
Although some of the data is incomplete or inaccurate, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has information on John War Eagle: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0911272/ |
Wikipedia correction needed
Wikipedia bio - John Henry St. Pierre, AKA John War Eagle, was Sioux and born in Wagner, Charles Mix County, South Dakota: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_War_Eagle
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