Jay Silverheels
Known for Acting · 83 credits
- Born
- 1912-05-26
- Died
- 1980-03-05
- Place of birth
- Six Nations Reservation, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
- Also known as
- Harold J. Smith · Harry Silversmith · Harry Smith
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.
Known For
TV Shows (11)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Virginian
1962
as Den'Gwatzi / Spotted Hand
Cannon
1971
Rawhide
1959
as Pawnee Joe
Daniel Boone
1964
as Sashona / Chenrogan / Latawa
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958
as Charley Red Cloud
The Lone Ranger
1949
as Tonto
The Brady Bunch
1969
as Chief Eagle Cloud
Branded
1965
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
1966
Gunslinger
1961
as Hopi Indian
Movies (72)
True Grit
1969
as Condemned Man at Hanging (uncredited)
Broken Arrow
1950
as Geronimo (uncredited)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
1948
as Indian Guide at Pier (uncredited)
Kit Carson
1940
as Indian
War Arrow
1953
as Satanta
Yellow Sky
1948
as Indian (uncredited)
Saskatchewan
1954
as Cajou
Western Union
1941
as Indian
Northern Pursuit
1943
as Indian (uncredited)
Tulsa
1949
as Creek Indian (uncredited)
Key Largo
1948
as Tom Osceola (uncredited)
Santee
1973
as John Crow
Alias Jesse James
1959
as Tonto (uncredited)
Indian Paint
1965
as Chief Hevatanu
Tahiti Nights
1944
as Lua
The Phantom
1943
as Astari Warrior (uncredited)
The Sea Hawk
1940
as Native Lookout
The Movie Orgy
1968
as Tonto (archive footage)
Red Mountain
1951
as Little Crow
The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold
1958
as Tonto
Four Guns to the Border
1954
as Yaqui
The Battle at Apache Pass
1952
as Geronimo
The Lone Ranger
1956
as Tonto
Captain from Castile
1947
as Coatl (uncredited)
Lust for Gold
1949
as Walter
The Black Dakotas
1954
as Black Buffalo
Smith!
1969
as McDonald Lasheway
One Little Indian
1973
as Jimmy Wolf
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
1973
as The Chief
Family Honeymoon
1948
as Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
1967
as Great Bear
Yankee Buccaneer
1952
as Lead Warrior
The Phynx
1970
as Tonto
Last of the Comanches
1953
as Indian (uncredited)
Drums Across the River
1954
as Taos
Walk the Proud Land
1956
as Geronimo
Singin' Spurs
1948
as Abel
The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s
2002
The Pathfinder
1952
as Chingachgook
The Legend Of The Lone Ranger
1952
as Tonto
Brave Warrior
1952
as Chief Tecumseh
Hudson's Bay
1940
as Indian (uncredited)
The Nebraskan
1953
as Spotted Bear
Return to Warbow
1958
as Indian Joe
Masterson of Kansas
1954
as Yellow Hawk
The Half-Breed
1952
as Apache (uncredited)
Lost in a Harem
1944
as Guard at Execution (uncredited)
In Pursuit of Treasure
1972
The Cowboy and the Indians
1949
as Lakohna
Cat Ballou
1971
as Indian Chief
This Woman Is Mine
1941
as Indian Marauder
The Prairie
1947
as Running Deer
Jack McCall, Desperado
1953
as Red Cloud
The Last Round-up
1947
Laramie
1949
as Running Wolf (uncredited)
Valley of the Sun
1942
as Indian (uncredited)
The Wild Blue Yonder
1951
as Benders
Fury at Furnace Creek
1948
as Little Dog (uncredited)
Sand
1949
as Indian (uncredited)
Too Many Girls
1940
as Indian
The Girl from Monterrey
1943
as Fighter Tito Flores
Trail of the Yukon
1949
as Poleon
The Vanishing American
1955
as Beeteia
The Feathered Serpent
1948
as Diego (uncredited)
I Am an American
1944
as Indian (uncredited)
Lone Ranger: Lost Episodes
2001
as Tonto
Gas House Kids Go West
1947
as Kingsley's Henchman (uncredited)
Texas John Slaughter: Geronimo's Revenge
1960
as Natchez
Perils of Nyoka
1942
as Tuareg
The Western: A Lost TV Special
1958
as Self
The Lone Ranger: Who Was That Masked Man
2013
as Tonto
A Different Drum
as Jim Swift Hands
About Jay Silverheels
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 fa… With 83 credits spanning from 1940 to 2013, Jay Silverheels has appeared in 72 films and 11 TV shows.
Fans searching for Jay Silverheels movies, Jay Silverheels filmography, or the latest projects starring Jay Silverheels can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Jay Silverheels Movies
- True Grit (1969) — as Condemned Man at Hanging (uncredited)
- Broken Arrow (1950) — as Geronimo (uncredited)
- The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) — as Indian Guide at Pier (uncredited)
- Kit Carson (1940) — as Indian
- War Arrow (1953) — as Satanta
Where to Watch Jay Silverheels Films
Most Jay Silverheels movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Jay Silverheels, check our movies catalogue and browse page.