2. Iron Eyes Cody
The name Iron Eyes Cody might not mean a lot to you if you werent alive in America in the 80s when a Public Service Announcement showing an old Native American shedding a tear at the sight of litter destroying his homeland was broadcast, but thats okay: the name doesnt mean much anyway. Iron Eyes began working as an actor in the 1930s as Tony Cody but quickly cashed in on his Native American heritage by changing his name to Iron Eyes after he found great success in westerns. He starred in over 200 films alongside John Wayne, Joseph Cotton and Richard Harris, and even played famous characters like Crazy Horse, but heres the thing: he wasnt actually Native American. Cody started out life as Espera Oscar de Corti, an Italian-American born in Louisiana to Sicilian immigrants, and changed his name to Tony Corti then Cody after moving to Hollywood. He successfully impersonated being Native American for his entire career, and even received awards and accolades for his contributions to the representation of the people even when his true heritage came to light.