James Young Deer

James Young Deer (April 1, 1876 – April 6, 1946), also known as J. Younger Johnson or Jim Young Deer, was born James Young Johnson in Washington, D.C. Although he was identified in the early Hollywood trade paper Moving Picture World as of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, his ancestry is of the Nanticoke Indian Association of Delaware.

He became an early film actor, director, writer, and producer. Together with his wife and partner Lillian St. Cyr, (Winnebago), the couple were labeled an "influential force" in the production of one-reel Westerns during the first part of the silent film era. Their films, along with several others of the silent era, were notable for portraying Native Americans in a positive light.

Questions were raised about Young Deer's purported Winnebago background when film historians were unable to verify much about his origins. He was not listed on the Winnebago tribal rolls in the early 20th century.

Early life Young Deer was born in the "Old Southwest" District of Washington, D.C. to George Durham Johnson and Emma Margaret Young. Census records indicated both his parents were classified as "mulatto," usually meaning mixed-race African American/European American. He would have been classified the same way. Young Deer (i.e., James Johnson) entered the U.S. Navy on October 8, 1898, for three years during the Spanish–American War, but he was apparently disillusioned with the Navy's "great prejudices."

Marriage and family After meeting Lillian St. Cyr, who was living and working in Washington, D.C. for a Kansas senator, Young Deer and she married on April 9, 1906. She became an actress of the silent film era, known later by her stage name of Red Wing. Born on the Winnebago Reservation near Omaha, she was a citizen of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska through her parents Mitchell St. Cyr and Julia Decora. St. Cyr was best known for her lead role in 1914's The Squaw Man.

Career Young Deer began acting in 1909 in New York City in several one-reel Westerns that year. Among the film companies for which he worked were Kalem, Lubin, Vitagraph, and Biograph. He worked at one of the first independent film companies, the New York Motion Picture Company, under the Bison trademark. In these early years, American Indians were "generally portrayed in a positive way," and directors often hired Native Americans as actors. Movie historian William K. Everson wrote, "uring this period the Indian became accepted as a symbol of integrity, stoicism, and reliability ..." The combined talent of Young Deer and St. Cyr was due to several factors. She was educated at the Carlisle Indian School and had some knowledge of Winnebago and general elements of Indian culture. During the early 1900s, the film industry was adaptable and experimental.

Later years Young Deer encountered legal troubles in California in 1913, when a 15-year-old girl alleged he assaulted her. Young Deer went overseas, working first in Great Britain. In 1914 he worked in London, shooting thrillers for British and Colonial Films that included The Queen of the London Counterfeiters and The Black Cross Gang. A few writers have said that during World War I, he created documentaries in France. This assertion has not been substantiated. His film preceded Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) by about a century.

Films

Director

Lieutenant Daring RN and the Water Rats (1924) The Stranger (1920/I) (as James Youngdeer) Who Laughs Last (1920) The Savage (1913) The Unwilling Bride (1912) The Squaw Man's Sweetheart (1912) Red Deer's Devotion (1911) The Yaqui Girl (1910) Cowboy Justice (1910) An Indian's Gratitude (1910) A Cheyenne Brave (1910) The Red Girl and the Child (1910) Under Both Flags (1910) White Fawn's Devotion: A Play Acted by a Tribe of Red Indians in America (1910) (uncredited) Red Wing's Gratitude (1909) For Her Sale; or, Two Sailors and a Girl (1909) The Falling Arrow (1909)

Actor

The Man of Courage (1922) .... Aquila Under Handicap (1917) (as James Youngdeer) .... Lonesome Pete Against Heavy Odds (1914) The Unwilling Bride (1912) Little Dove's Romance (1911) Red Deer's Devotion (1911) Young Deer's Return (1910) .... Young Deer The Red Girl and the Child (1910) The Indian and the Cowgirl (1910) The Cowboy and the Schoolmarm (1910) Young Deer's Gratitude (1910) .... Young Deer The Ten of Spades; or, A Western Raffle (1910) Young Deer's Bravery (1909) .... Young Deer Red Wing's Gratitude (1909) The Mended Lute (1909) .... Indian The True Heart of an Indian (1909) ... aka A True Indian's Heart (USA)

Writer Lieutenant Daring RN and the Water Rats (1924) (writer) Neck and Noose (1919) (story) (as Jim Youngdeer) White Fawn's Devotion: A Play Acted by a Tribe of Red Indians in America (1910) (uncredited)