Red Wing (born Lilian Margaret St. Cyr; February 13, 1873 or 1884March 13, 1974) was an American actress of the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. She and her husband

James Young Deer James Young Deer (April 1, 1876 – April 6, 1946), also known as J. Younger Johnson or Jim Young Deer, was actually born James Young Johnson in Washington, D.C. Although he was identified in the early Hollywood trade paper Moving Picture World as ...

have been dubbed by some as one of the first Native American Hollywood "power couple(s)" along with Mona Darkfeather and her actor/director husband

Frank E. Montgomery Frank E. Montgomery (June 14, 1870 – July 18, 1944) was an early American silent film director and actor. Biography Montgomery acted in 28 films but is most acclaimed as a silent film director in which he is credited with directing 82 fi ...

. St. Cyr was born on the

Winnebago Reservation The Winnebago Reservation of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska is located in Thurston County, Nebraska, United States. The tribal council offices are located in the town of Winnebago. The villages of Emerson, south of First Street, as well as Thu ...

in Nebraska.

Early life

Lilian attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, which enrolled students from a variety of Native American tribes. She moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a domestic servant for Kansas Senator

Chester I. Long Chester Isaiah Long (October 12, 1860July 1, 1934) was a United States representative and Senator from Kansas. Born in Greenwood Township, Pennsylvania, he moved with his parents to Daviess County, Missouri, in 1865 and to Paola, Kansas, in 18 ...

and his wife. There she met and married James Younger Johnson, nicknamed James Young Deer, on April 9, 1906. Young Deer was of mixed

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

, African-American and Delaware Indian ancestry (according to St. Cyr) and a member of the Nanticoke tribe. A native of Washington, D.C., Young Deer served in the US Navy during the Spanish–American War.

Personal life and early roles

After they married the couple performed a Western act in various venues around New York City and Philadelphia. In 1908, St. Cyr appeared in the Kalem Company's ''

The White Squaw ''The White Squaw'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring David Brian, May Wynn and William Bishop. Plot A Swedish settler ( David Brian) starts a war when he tries to drive Dakotas off their Wyoming reservation ...

'', followed in May 1909 by Lubin's ''The Falling Arrow.'' In the summer of 1909 they worked as technical advisers and extras for ''The Mended Lute'' and ''Indian Runner's Romance'' both directed by

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...

. St. Cyr also appeared in the Vitagraph Studios' ''Red Wing's Gratitude'' that Fall as the character "Princess Red Wing". Concurrently, they worked for Bison films (

New York Motion Picture Company The New York Motion Picture Company was a film production and distribution company from 1909 until 1914. It changed names to New York Picture Corporation in 1912. It released films through several different brand names, including 101 Bison, Kay- ...

), which relocated from New York City to Edendale in the fall of 1909.

Film

St. Cyr is best known for her feature role in '' The Squaw Man'' (1914) by producer/director Cecil B. DeMille and co-director Oscar Apfel, released in 1914. The movie starred Dustin Farnum and Monroe Salisbury. DeMille's first choice had actually been Mona Darkfeather, but she was under contract with the Kalem Company and had to turn down the offer. Her appearance in the film was actually preceded by Jesse Cornplanter's lead in the feature film ''Hiawatha'', released in 1913, a year before ''The Squaw Man''. After that last movie St. Cyr had a role with cowboy star Tom Mix in ''

In the Days of the Thundering Herd ''In the Days of the Thundering Herd'' is a 1914 silent film western directed jointly by Colin Campbell and Francis J. Grandon. It was produced by the Selig Polyscope Company and distributed by General Film Company. This film stars Tom Mix ...

'' (1914) and another one in ''Fighting Bob'' (1915). The 1916 version of '' Ramona,'' about Native Americans and Spanish colonists in early California, featured St. Cyr in a small role as Ramona's mother. From 1908 to 1921, St. Cyr performed in more than 35 short Western films. She retired from acting in the 1920s and returned to New York City to settle. She was buried in the Roman Catholic St. Augustine Cemetery in Thurston County, Nebraska, near the

Popular culture

" Red Wing," a popular song of 1907 by Kerry Mills and

Thurland Chattaway Thurland Chattaway (April 8, 1872 – November 12, 1947) was an American composer of popular music, active from approximately 1898 to 1912. He is best known for writing the words to the popular 1907 hit " Red Wing" with Kerry Mills. Other son ...

, was said to be have been performed by her and was associated with her. However, film historians question this.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Wing 19th-century births 1974 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Nebraska American silent film actresses Native American actresses People from Thurston County, Nebraska Carlisle Indian Industrial School alumni 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans