John Henry St Pierre, a.k.a. John War Eagle (8 June 1901 – 7 February 1991) was a Yankton Sioux film and television actor. He was born September 24, 1901, in Wagner, Charles Mix, South Dakota.^[2] He is Dakota of the Sioux people and was raised on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota.^[3][4][5] He is often confused with a John War Eagle born 1902 in the U.K.

Career

Between 1932 and 1977 — sometimes credited as Chief John War Eagle, Chief John Eagle or John Wareagle — he appeared in twenty-eight films, mostly in uncredited roles, and twenty-six television productions.^[1]

His roles include appearing as Red Cloud in the historical western-drama film Tomahawk (1951) starring Van Heflin, a role he reprised in 1953 in historical western-drama film The Great Sioux Uprising starring Jeff Chandler. He also played Chief Sitting Bull in the Disney family adventure western-drama film Tonka (1958), the story of a young Sioux boy, played by Sal Mineo on the brink of adulthood who tries to tame a wild stallion to prove his courage and strength.

War Eagle also appeared as Wolf's Brother in the Disney western-drama film Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956) and in “The Jeremy Dow Story” (S4E14) as revengeful “Chief Iron Hand” in the TV Western Wagon Train (1960).