Dehl Berti Explained

Dehl Berti
Birth Name:Dehl Berti
Birth Date:17 January 1921
Birth Place:Pueblo, Colorado, US
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, US
Resting Place:Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles
Yearsactive:1953–1991
Spouse:Francis Cummins Collins (m. 1944–1962)
Children:3

Dehl Berti (January 17, 1921 – November 26, 1991) was an American actor who self-identified as being of Chiricahua Apache descent[1] [2] and often appeared in Westerns. One of his more recognized roles was as John Taylor on the 1988–1991 CBS western television series, Paradise, starring Lee Horsley as the reformed gunfighter Ethan Allen Cord.

A native of Pueblo, Colorado he married Francis Cummins Collins in 1944.

Berti appeared in guest-starring roles on many television programs from the 1950s through the 1980s, primarily in westerns such as Bonanza, Bat Masterson and Gunsmoke, but in other roles as well. In 1960, Berti appeared as Joe Maybe on Cheyenne in the episode titled "The Long Rope." In 1963, he played the Indian, Little Buffalo, in the episode "The Day of the Flying Dutchman" on ABC's western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, starring child actor Kurt Russell. In 1982, he costarred as One Feather on the short-lived NBC drama series Born to the Wind.

Berti's final appearance was on a 1990 episode of the sitcom, Saved by the Bell. Since 1982, Berti can be heard as the voice of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in The American Adventure at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida.

Berti died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, on November 26, 1991, at the age of 70. He is interred there at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Work

His films include: Laguna Heat (1987); Bullies (1986); Invasion USA (1985); Second Thoughts (1983); Wolfen (1981); The Last of the Mohicans (1977); Scott Free (1976); The Shaman's Last Raid, Sweet Hostage, and Seven Alone (1975); Ritual of Evil (1969); Under Fire, Undersea Girl, Apache Warrior, and Hell Bound (1957); and The Toughest Man Alive (1955). He also appeared in an episode of Universal's 1980's CBS-TV series Simon and Simon entitled "Ancient Echoes" (1987).

Partial filmography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dehl Berti; Chiricahua Apache Portrayed Indians in Westerns. 7 December 1991. Los Angeles Times.
  2. Sandy Greer. 1990. "Native Americans Still Battling Stereotyping". Broadcast Weekly. April 21, 1990. accessed at https://www.angelfire.com/ny3/buckstop/greggarticles/gregg7.html