William Frederick Cody
7 min read
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1,364
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Published
10
Film credits
9
Books
1
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Buffalo Bill Cody staged his first Wild West Show in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1883, creating a touring spectacle that traveled the US and Europe. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872 for scouting for the US Army. Before show business, he worked as a Pony Express rider in 1860 and a Civil War soldier. He appeared in early films including Buffalo Bill 1894 and died in Denver in 1917.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Buffalo Bill Cody — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Buffalo Bill Cody by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Buffalo Bill Cody — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
By age 14 William Frederick Cody had worked as a trapper, bullwhacker, and Pony Express rider in 1860. He was born on February 26, 1846 in Scott County, Iowa, to Isaac Cody and Mary Ann Bonsell Laycock. These experiences shaped his frontier identity and later his showmanship.
Cody staged his first Wild West Show in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1883, a live exhibition that toured the US and Europe, featuring Annie Oakley and reenactments of Indian battles. He produced and appeared in films including Fighting with Buffalo Bill 1926 and Buffalo Bill 1894. His show made him an international celebrity and defined the Western entertainment genre.
Buffalo Bill married Louise Maude Frederici on March 6, 1866, and they remained together until his death in 1917. He had four siblings: Helen Cody, Mary Cody Decker, Julia Cody Goodman, and Eliza Cody Myers. He adopted a son named Ranger Bill Miller. Despite his fame, he died nearly broke.
Cody founded the town of Cody, Wyoming, in 1896. He was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1958 and into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2012. His likeness appeared on US postage stamps in 1888 and 1994. He is remembered as the archetypal Western showman who brought the frontier to the world.
The complete filmography of Buffalo Bill Cody — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Buffalo Bill Cody — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Buffalo Bill Cody's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
Little-known facts about Buffalo Bill Cody — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He founded Cody, Wyoming, in 1896.
Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872 for his role as a scout for the United States Army from 1868 to 1872.
Pictured on a 15-cent US definitive postage stamp in the Great Americans series issued June 6, 1988.
Staged his first Wild West Show in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1883.
He was one of twenty figures honored on a set of 29-cent US commemorative stamps celebrating Legends of the West, issued October 18, 1994.
Before show business, he had been a trapper, bullwhacker, Colorado Fifty-Niner, Pony Express rider in 1860, wagonmaster, stagecoach driver, Civil War soldier, and hotel manager.
By the time he died, he was almost broke.
He was a distant relative of both Richard Nixon and Al Gore through his mother Mary Ann Bonsell Laycock.
Supported Indian and women’s rights and was a conservationist.
His adopted son was Ranger Bill Miller.
Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1958.
First cousin five times removed of Dawn Cody.
Mentioned in an Allan Sherman song entitled Oh Boy as Buffalo Bill.
Inducted into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2012.
Once worked as a rider for the Pony Express mail service.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Buffalo Bill Cody.
Celebrities similar to Buffalo Bill Cody — same craft, ranked by reach.
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