Buffalo Bill
Sign in to saveAmerican frontiersman and showman (1846–1917)
AI overview
Buffalo Bill was a famous American frontiersman and showman from the late 1800s who became one of the most recognizable figures of the Old West era. He matters historically because he embodied and popularized the mythology of the American frontier through his Wild West shows and exploits, shaping how Americans understood their own western heritage.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 1846
- Died
- 1917
- Works
- 63
Top works
- The great West
- Story of the wild West
- The State of Wyoming
- The phantom spy
- Fancy Frank of Colorado
via Open Library + Wikidata
Film & TV
Writing · Le Claire, Iowa Territory, USA
Known for
- American Experience — Self1988
- Paris 1900 — Self (archive footage)1948
- Buffalo Bill and Chief Iron Tail Swap Yarns in the Sign Language1919
- The Adventures of Buffalo Bill — Himself - William F. Cody1917
- Ford Animated Weekly — Buffalo Bill1916
- The Indian Wars — Self (as William F. Cody)1914
- The Life of Buffalo Bill — Self1912
- Buffalo Bill's Wild West and Pawnee Bill's Far East
Article
William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody began performing at the age of 23. He performed in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Europe.
He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in his father's hometown in modern-day Mississauga, Ontario, before the family returned to the Midwest and settled in the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill started working at the age of 11, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at age 15. During the American Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars. While he was initially awarded the Medal of Honor in 1872 for his actions in the Indian Wars, he was among 911 recipients to have the award rescinded in 1917. Congress reinstated the medals for Cody and four other civilian scouts in 1989.
Gallery (12)
Connections
Categories
1846 births1880s in Nebraska1917 deaths19th-century American male actors19th-century American male writers19th-century United States Army personnelAmerican FreemasonsAmerican huntersAmerican Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of HonorAmerican male stage actorsAmerican people of Canadian descentAmerican people of Jersey descent