William "Good Lance" Eagle Shirt was a Native American actor, performer, and screenwriter who was born and raised on the Great Plains of South Dakota.[1][2] He appeared in a string of Hollywood films in the 1910s and is credited with co-writing two of them.[3]

William Eagle Shirt
Born
William Eagle Shirt

1873
Died1967
Texas
Other namesGood Lance
Occupation(s)Actor, screenwriter

Biography

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William and his family — all Oglala Sioux — were forced to settle on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where he met and married a woman named Mattie; the pair had a daughter named Bessie. After performing in Wild West shows, he began appearing in silent films. At some point, he remarried a woman named Emma; the pair divorced in 1942 with no children.[4]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Only Indian Tailor". The Evening Herald. 28 Jun 1916. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  2. ^ "Princess Wenona and Chief Eagle Shirt on horseback / Lillian Frances Smith - Gilcrease Museum". collections.gilcrease.org. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  3. ^ Bricklin, Julia (2017-04-27). America's Best Female Sharpshooter: The Rise and Fall of Lillian Frances Smith. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-5800-6.
  4. ^ "Divorce". Rapid City Journal. 2 May 1942. Retrieved 2021-03-29.