Basil F. Heath

Basil F. Heath, better known as Chief White Eagle, (March 18, 1917 - January 24, 2011) was a Canadian-born American Mohawk actor, stuntman and television personality whose career spanned several decades beginning with the 1940 film, Northwest Passage. He was sometimes credited as Chief Sky Eagle. Chief White Eagle also appeared in television programming in the Chicago, Illinois, area.

Additionally, Chief White Eagle was a senior Mohawk tribal chief in both Canada and the United States.

Biography

Chief White Eagle was born Basil F. Heath on March 18, 1917, on the Iroquois Indian Grand River Reservation in Ontario, Canada. A member of the Mohawk people, he was the son of Andrew Cleve and Amelia (née De Amorim) Heath. Heath attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. After moving to the United States, Heath served as a liaison officer for the United States Office of War Information during World War II, as well as a volunteer member of the United States Army’s 101st Airborne Division during the war.

Chief White Eagle began his career as a welder and iron worker in skyscraper construction in Chicago and other cities. He then became a stuntman before transitioning to on-screen film roles. An example of his stunts included being suspended only by his hair from an airplane in flight, billed as having "the world's strongest head of hair," a stunt which was filmed and shown in a British Pathé News newsreel in 1926. His first film role came in the 1940 movie, Northwest Passage, which starred Spencer Tracy. He appeared in more than thirty films throughout his career, including Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Niagara. Chief White Eagle noted that his characters had been killed in films seven times by actor John Wayne.

Chief White Eagle also hosted Totem Club on WTTW during the 1960s, including a segment called "Indian Stories with Chief White Eagle". The show was one of the first children's programs to debut on WTTW, a PBS affiliate based out of Chicago. Chief White Eagle also hosted a Native American radio show, appeared in television and radio commercials and appeared as a guest on television series, Wagon Train. He was known for his appearances in which he wore his headdress.

Chief White Eagle married his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath, on June 29, 1977 in Grand River Reservation in Canada. He resided in Tinley Park, Illinois, from 1975 until 1990. Chief White Eagle and his family then moved to Rochester, Indiana, where he lived for the rest of his life.

In 1996, Chief White Eagle reflected on his acting career and the role of Native Americans in western films saying, "The Indians were always the losers...For years, the movie industry portrayed the Indians in a derogatory manner. Happily, today, Indian films are more credible."

Chief White Eagle died at Woodlawn Hospital in Rochester, Indiana, at 2:35 a.m. on January 24, 2011, at the age of 93. He was survived by his wife, Roberta “Bobbi Bear” Heath; daughter, Eunice Madeline Heath Collard; his adopted son, Kenneth "Lone Eagle" Heath; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lauraine Heath, and his two sisters, Sylvia Schroeder and Valerie Peterson.

Filmography

• End of the Trail - Chief Grey Beard (1932)
• Stagecoach - Indian Chief (uncredited) (1939)
• Northwest Passage - Indian Man (uncredited) (1940)
• Last of the Redmen - Indian (uncredited) (1947)
• Red River - Indian Chief (uncredited) (1948)
• She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - Chief Sky Eagle (1949)
• How the West Was Won - Arapajo Chief (uncredited) (1962)
• McLintock! - Running Buffalo (uncredited) (1963)

External links

• Chief White Eagle at IMDb