Jay Silverheels

Actor

About

Also Known As

Harold J Smith, Harry "Silverheels" Smith, Silverheels Smith

Birth Place

Brantford, Ontario, CA

Born

May 26, 1912

Died

March 05, 1980

Cause of Death

Complications From Pneumonia

Biography

Son of a Mohawk chief who entered film in the late 1940s, and made his mark as Tonto in both the TV series and film versions of "The Lone Ranger."...

Filmography

Smith! (1969)

Director indian actors workshop

One Little Indian (1973)

Jimmy Wolf

The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973)

Photos & Videos

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Masterson Of Kansas (1954) -- (Movie Clip) No Peace In Dodge City

Masterson Of Kansas (1954) -- (Movie Clip) The Laws Of The White Man

Notes

Posthumously inducted into the First Americans in the Arts Hall of Honor in 1998

Biography

Son of a Mohawk chief who entered film in the late 1940s, and made his mark as Tonto in both the TV series and film versions of "The Lone Ranger."

Filmography

Life Events

Videos

Masterson Of Kansas (1954) -- (Movie Clip) No Peace In Dodge City Dense and informative (not-credited) narration from the story and screenplay by the prolific Douglas Heyes, introducing George Montgomery in the title role (Donald Murphy as pal Virgil Earp) and James Griffith locked-in as Doc Holliday, provoked by Gregg Martell, in the Columbia Technicolor Wester Masterson Of Kansas, 1954, directed by William Castle.

Masterson Of Kansas (1954) -- (Movie Clip) The Laws Of The White Man More rapid plot progress, George Montgomery as the title-role sheriff of Dodge City confronts Jay Silverheels as neighboring chief Yellow Hawk, reluctant to hand over falsely-accused rancher and “Peacemaker” Merrick (John Maxwell), whose schoolteacher daughter Amy (Nancy Gates) offers support in jail, early in Masterson Of Kansas, 1954.

Broken Arrow (1950) -- (Movie Clip) I Am Cochise Having spent a month learning Apache language and customs, and a big riding-in sequence from director Delmer Daves, Arizona scout Jeffords (James Stewart), having decided on his own to negotiate with Cochise (Jeff Chandler) to permit mail service, meets the imposing chief, in Broken Arrow, 1950.

Broken Arrow (1950) -- (Movie Clip) This White Man Is My Friend James Stewart as scout and ex-soldier Jeffords narrates, having rescued an injured Arizona Apache teen (Robert Foster Dover), when badder guys, led by his father (J.W. Cody) and Goklia (Jay Silverheels, later “Geronimo”) turn up, early in Delmer Daves’ revisionist Western Broken Arrow, 1950.

Alias Jesse James (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Bret Maverick, Etc. Irritating citizen Queasley (Will Wright), Bob Hope and bride Rhonda Fleming, in a shootout cameo sequence, first James Garner in Maverick mode, then Ward Bond, James Arness, Roy Rogers, Fess Parker, Gary Cooper, Jay Silverheels and Bing Crosby, near the end of Alias Jesse James, 1959.

Lone Ranger, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) It Was A Hard Land Apparently Gerald Mohr (though not credited) on the narration, opening producer Jack Wrather's debut after buying out the radio and TV franchise, introducing Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, with Technicolor action from Kanab, Utah, in the first big screen production of The Lone Ranger, 1956.

Lone Ranger, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) The Lone Ranger's Horse! The well-meaning governor (Charles Meredith) has been secreted to a church where he's surprised to meet an old prospector, who turns out to be the title character (Clayton Moore) in cagey thespian mode, loyal Tonto (Jay Silverheels) at the ready, in the first movie version of The Lone Ranger, 1956.

Lone Ranger, The (1956) -- (Movie Clip) White Man Talk With Two Tongues Investigating ranchers' claims of Indian raids on livestock, Clayton Moore (title character) and Jay Silverheels (as "Tonto") visit the accused chief Red Hawk (Frank de Kova) and his second (Michael Ansara), in the first movie based on the hit TV series, The Lone Ranger, 1956.

Key Largo (1948) -- (Movie Clip) My First Sweetheart With news of a hurricane coming, Nora (Lauren Bacall) and Frank (Humphrey Bogart), the visiting commanding officer of her deceased husband, tie down a boat, exhibiting excellent nautical skills, Indian actors Jay Silverheels and Rodric Redwing featured, in John Huston's Key Largo, 1948.

Walk the Proud Land - (Original Trailer) A government agent (Audie Murphy) tries to treat the Apaches with respect in Walk the Proud Land (1956).

Nebraskan, The - (Black-and-white Trailer) A frontier scout tries to make peace between settlers and the Sioux in The Nebraskan (1953).

Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, The - (Original Trailer) A vengeful outlaw (Burt Reynolds) protects a woman from his gang in The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing (1973).

Captain from Castile - (Black & White Trailer) The invasion of Mexico by Cortez, as seen by a young Spanish officer fleeing the Inquisition in Captain from Castile (1948).

Key Largo -- (Original Trailer) A returning veteran (Humphrey Bogart) tangles with a ruthless gangster (Edward G. Robinson) during a hurricane in Key Largo (1948). It co-stars Lauren Bacall and was directed by John Huston.

Bibliography

Notes

Posthumously inducted into the First Americans in the Arts Hall of Honor in 1998

About

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Bibliography

Notes

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