Bill Cody (actor) Bill Cody (actor) William Joseph "Bill" Cody Sr. (January 5, 1891 – January 24, 1948) was a Hollywood B-western actor of the 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s, and father to Bill Cody, Jr.. Cody, often called "the reel Bill Cody", began his acting career in the early days of film, and just happened to have the same name as "Buffalo" Bill Cody, although he was not a relation. Cody's name was what initially drew producers to him; however he soon proved to be a charismatic performer in his own right. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of William
Cody V biplane with the War Office having the option to purchase any of the prize winning machines. The American showman and aviation pioneer Samuel Cody, who had developed a system of man-carrying kites from 1901, built his first aircraft, the British Army Aeroplane No 1 at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough in 1908, making its first flight, recognised as the first powered controlled flight in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1908. He intended to enter two aircraft into the Military Trials, which were planned to start on 1 August 1912, a monoplane powered by a 120-hp (89 kW) Austro-Daimler engine