Roderic Redwing (born Webb Richardson; August 24, 1904 – May 29, 1971) was an American trickshooter,

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

, and actor known for his work in Western films. He was known as a top gun, knife,

tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

, whip, and drill instructor in the

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

. Though he presented himself as

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

Native American, he was actually

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

without any known Indigenous ancestry, a fact not widely revealed until after his death.

Biography

Redwing was born Webb Richardson on August 24, 1904, to Black parents in Tennessee. His father, Ulysses William Richardson (b. 1873), was an elevator man. His mother, Lillian Webb (b. 1878), was a manicurist and hairdresser. Lillian divorced her husband William in 1920. Webb moved to New York City to attend

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and pursue a career in acting; he appeared in the 1929 musical ''Malinda'' in Greenwich Village, with a cast of African American performers.

Native American persona

Webb later changed his name to Roderic "Rodd" Redwing, adopted a fictitious Native-American identity (a phenomenon sometimes now referred to as Pretendian), and reported his birthplace as New York City. Such a deception was not uncommon in early 20th-century America, where Chief Buffalo Child Long Lance (born Sylvester Clark Long) had fooled New York high society. Redwing claimed that his mother was from a

reservation in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and that his father was a stage actor. Some sources reported that he used the

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-sounding name Roderick Rajpurkaii, Jr., and said his father was a Brahmin mind reader from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Career in Hollywood

As Redwing, he was one of the top gun, knife,

, and whip instructors in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. After claiming that he began in films in

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

’s 1931 Western ''The Squaw Man'' (although no cast list shows that he acted in that movie), Redwing soon became a gun-handling coach to

Alan Ladd Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006), known as Glenn Ford, was a Canadian-born American actor. He was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of th ...

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

, and many other actors. He performed Alan Ladd's fancy gunspinning seen in the film '' Shane'' during the climatic showdown. Between 1951 and 1967, Redwing appeared in more than a dozen television programs, includin
a guest appearance
on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

celebrity quiz show, ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

''. He played the role of Mr. Brother, a

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

friend and informer of Marshal

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

's, in eight episodes of the

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults.Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

Filmography

* '' White Hunter'' (1936) - Farid (uncredited) * '' Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake'' (1942) - Native (uncredited) * '' When Johnny Comes Marching Home'' (1942) - Egyptian Clerk (uncredited) * '' Daredevils of the West'' (1943) - Indian (uncredited) * '' Frontier Fury'' (1943) - Captured Indian (uncredited) * '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944) - Javanese Orderly (uncredited) * '' Sonora Stagecoach'' (1944) - Indian (uncredited) * '' Rainbow Island'' (1944) - Queen's Guard (uncredited) * ''

Objective, Burma! ''Objective, Burma!'' is a 1945 American war film that is loosely based on the six-month raid by Merrill's Marauders in the Burma Campaign during the World War II, Second World War. Directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Errol Flynn, the film was ma ...

'' (1945) - Sgt. Chattu (uncredited) * '' Out of the Depths'' (1945) - Mike Rawhide * '' The Scarlet Horseman'' (1946) - Comanche Warrior (uncredited) * '' Singin' in the Corn'' (1946) - Indian Brave * '' Unconquered'' (1947) - Indian (uncredited) * '' The Last Round-Up'' (1947) - Louie (uncredited) * '' Intrigue'' (1947) - Spy in Editor's Office (uncredited) * '' Key Largo'' (1948) - John Osceola (uncredited) * '' Song of India'' (1949) - Kumari (uncredited) * '' We Were Strangers'' (1949) - (uncredited) * ''Riders of the Pony Express'' (1949) - Bearclaw - Henchman * '' Laramie'' (1949) - Indian Lookout (uncredited) * '' Rope of Sand'' (1949) - Oscar - Waiter (uncredited) * '' Apache Chief'' (1949) - Tewa * '' Samson and Delilah'' (1949) - Temple Spectator (uncredited) * '' Cargo to Capetown'' (1950) - Native Cab Driver (uncredited) * '' Kim'' (1950) - Creighton's Servant (uncredited) * ''

The Redhead and the Cowboy ''The Redhead and the Cowboy'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Leslie Fenton and starring Glenn Ford and Rhonda Fleming. Plot Late in the American Civil War, the New Mexico Territory is full of spies and guerrillas for both side ...

'' (1951) - Betien - Indian Guard (uncredited) * '' Little Big Horn'' (1951) - Cpl. Arika * '' Thunder in the East'' (1951) - Hassam (uncredited) * '' Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory'' (1952) - Running Deer * '' Rancho Notorious'' (1952) - Rio * '' Hellgate'' (1952) - Pima (uncredited) * '' Son of Geronimo'' (1952) - Porico, Son of Geronimo * '' The Pathfinder'' (1952) - Chief Arrowhead * '' Winning of the West'' (1953) - Pete Littlewolf (uncredited) * '' Last of the Comanches'' (1953) - Indian (uncredited) * '' Conquest of Cochise'' (1953) - Red Knife * '' Saginaw Trail'' (1953) - Huron Chief (uncredited) * '' Flight to Tangier'' (1953) - Police Orderly * ''

Creature From the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'' (1954) - Luis - Expedition Foreman (uncredited) * ''

The Naked Jungle ''The Naked Jungle'' is a 1954 American adventure film directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Charlton Heston and Eleanor Parker. Telling the story of an attack of army ants on a Brazilian cocoa plantation, it was based on the 1937 short st ...

'' (1954) - Indian (uncredited) * '' Gunfighters of the Northwest'' (1954) - Bear Tooth * '' Elephant Walk'' (1954) - Servant (uncredited) * '' Cattle Queen of Montana'' (1954) - Powhani * '' The Twinkle in God's Eye'' (1955) - Indian (uncredited) * ''

The Treasure of Pancho Villa ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1955) - Yaqui Tracker (uncredited) * ''

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

'' (1956) - Porter #1 * '' The Ten Commandments'' (1956) - Taskmaster / Hebrew at Golden Calf * '' The Mole People'' (1956) - Nazar * '' Copper Sky'' (1957) - Indian (uncredited) * ''

The Sad Sack ''The Sad Sack'' is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private Meredith Bixby ...

'' (1957) - Bartender (uncredited) * '' The Flame Barrier'' (1958) - Waumi * '' Heller in Pink Tights'' (1960) - Indian (uncredited) * ''

Flaming Star ''Flaming Star'' is a 1960 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden, and Steve Forrest, based on the book ''Flaming Lance'' (1958) by Clair Huffaker. Critics agreed that Presley gave one of his better acting performances as ...

'' (1960) - Indian Warrior * ''

One-Eyed Jacks ''One-Eyed Jacks'' is a 1961 American Western film directed by and starring Marlon Brando, his only directorial credit. Brando portrays the lead character Rio, and Karl Malden plays his partner, "Dad" Longworth. The supporting cast features Pin ...

'' (1961) * '' Sergeants 3'' (1962) - Irregular * '' 4 for Texas'' (1963) - Indian (uncredited) * '' The Virginian'' (1964 episode "The Intruders") - Black Feather's Brave * ''

Apache Uprising ''Apache Uprising'' is a 1965 American Technicolor Western (genre), Western Techniscope film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Max Lamb and Harry Sanford. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Corinne Calvet, John Russell (actor), John Russe ...

'' (1965) - Archie Whitewater * '' Johnny Reno'' (1966) - Indian Brave * '' The Shakiest Gun in the West'' (1968) - White Buffalo (uncredited) * '' Shalako'' (1968) - Chato's Father * ''

Charro! ''Charro!'' is a 1969 American Western film starring Elvis Presley, shot on location at Apacheland Movie Ranch and Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. This was Presley's only film in which he did not sing on-screen; the film featured no songs at al ...

'' (1969) - Lige * '' Red Sun'' (1971)

References

External links