Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: Harold J. Smith , Harry Silversmith , Harry Smith

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Six Nations Reservation, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 56

TV Involvements: 6


Most Famous Work

Biography

Jay Silverheels was born on a reservation in Canada to a Mohawk chief. He was a star lacrosse player and a boxer before he entered films as a stuntman in 1938. He worked in a number of films though the 1940s before he gained some notice as the Osceola brother in Humphrey Bogart's film Key Largo (1948). Most of his roles consisted of bit parts as "Indian." In 1949, he would work in a movie called The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) with another "B movie" actor named Clayton Moore. It was later that same year that Jay would be hired to play the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, in the television series "The Lone Ranger" (1949). This role, while still playing the "Indian," would bring Jay the fame that his motion picture career never did. As Tonto, on his horse Scout, Jay could show up where the Ranger could not and some of the time he would be shot at or beat up for his trouble. Jay would play Tonto in all the episodes except for those that he missed when he had his heart attack. In those episodes, he was replaced by the Ranger's nephew, Dan. However, Clayton Moore would miss the third season when he was replaced by John Hart. Jay would reprise the role of Tonto in two big-screen color movies with Moore, The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After the series ended in 1957, Jay could not escape the typecasting of Tonto. He would continue to appear in an occasional film and television show, but he would become a spokesman to improve the portrayal of Indians on TV.

Most Famous Work

Wanted: Dead or Alive
Average
7

Wanted: Dead or Alive

(1958) Charley Red Cloud
Rawhide
Average
7

Rawhide

(1959) Pawnee Joe
Daniel Boone
Average
7

Daniel Boone

(1964) Latawa
The Lone Ranger
Average
7

The Lone Ranger

(1949) Tonto
True Grit
Average
7

True Grit

(1969) Condemned Man at Hanging (uncredited)
Broken Arrow
Average
7

Broken Arrow

(1950) Geronimo
Key Largo
Average
7

Key Largo

(1948) Tom Osceola (uncredited)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Average
8

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

(1948) Indian Guide at Pier (uncredited)

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2001 Tonto
1973 John Crow
The Chief
Jimmy Wolf
1971 N/A
Indian Chief
1970 Tonto
1969 N/A
Condemned Man at Hanging (uncredited)
McDonald Lasheway
1968 Tonto (archive footage)
1967 Great Bear
1966 N/A
1965 Chief Hevatanu
N/A
1964 Sashona
Chenrogan
Latawa
1960 Natchez
1959 Tonto (uncredited)
Pawnee Joe
1958 Charley Red Cloud
Tonto
Indian Joe
1956 Geronimo
Tonto
1955 Beeteia
1954 Yellow Hawk
Yaqui
Black Buffalo
Taos
Cajou
1953 Satanta
Spotted Bear
Red Cloud
Indian (uncredited)
1952 Chingachgook
Lead Warrior
Chief Tecumseh
Geronimo
Apache (uncredited)
Tonto
1951 Benders
Little Crow
1950 Geronimo
1949 Tonto
Lakohna
Indian (uncredited)
Poleon
Walter
Running Wolf (uncredited)
Creek Indian (uncredited)
Tonto
1948 Indian (uncredited)
Diego (uncredited)
Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Abel
Tom Osceola (uncredited)
Little Dog (uncredited)
Indian Guide at Pier (uncredited)
1947 Coatl (uncredited)
Running Deer
Kingsley's Henchman (uncredited)
1944 Lua (uncredited)
Indian (uncredited)
Guard at Execution (uncredited)
1943 Astari Warrior (uncredited)
Indian (uncredited)
Fighter Tito Flores
1942 Tuareg
Indian
1941 Indian Marauder
Indian
1940 Indian
Indian
Native Lookout
N/A
Tonto
Year Character Movie/Tv

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