Tim McCoy Biography

Fast Facts

• Was an expert of Native American sign language and received the name "High Eagle" from the Arapaho tribe of the Wind River reservation
• Served in the U․S․ Army during World War I and became the Adjutant General of Wyoming after the war, and returned to the Army for World War II
• Got his start in the film industry when he assisted with the recruitment of Native Americans for the Western film "The Covered Wagon" in 1922
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "The Thundering Herd" in 1925
• Spent his early years working as a ranch hand in Lander, Wyoming, learning Native American sign language and customs
• Toured with the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1935 and later started his own wild west show called "Col․ Tim McCoy's Wild West and Rough Riders of the World․"
• Was a writer and producer on the TV series "Wild West" in 1950
• Best known for his role as "Texas" Grant in "Texas Cyclone" and as Tim Clark in "Two-Fisted Law․"
• Wrote a variety of short stories and poems about the West, cowboys, and Native Americans, as well as an autobiography in 1977 called "Tim McCoy Remembers the West․"
• Was a technical advisor on films like "The Covered Wagon," "The Thundering Herd," and "The Vanishing American․"