Jay Silverheels

Jay Silverheels

actor

Jay Silverheels was born on May 26, 1912 in Canada. Jay Silverheels's big-screen debut came with Make a Wish directed by Kurt Neumann in 1937, strarring Indian Guide (uncredited). Jay Silverheels is known for True Grit directed by Henry Hathaway, John Wayne stars as Rooster Cogburn and Glen Campbell as 'La Boeuf'. The most recent award Jay Silverheels achieved is Golden Boot Awards. The upcoming new movie Jay Silverheels plays is The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing which will be released on Oct 31, 1973.

Jay Silverheels was born on Canada's Six Nation's Reserve and was one of 10 children. 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 through the 1940s before gaining notice as the Osceola brother in a Humphrey Bogart film Key Largo (1948). Most of Silverheels' roles consisted of bit parts as an Indian character. In 1949, he worked in the movie The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) with another "B movie" actor Clayton Moore. Later that year, Silverheels was hired to play the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, in the TV series The Lone Ranger (1949) series, which brought him the fame that his motion picture career never did.Silverheels recreated the role of Tonto in two big-screen color movies with Moore,Le justicier solitaire (1956) and Le justicier masqué (1958). After the TV series ended in 1957, Silverheels could not escape the typecasting of Tonto. He would continue to appear in an occasional film and television show but became a spokesperson to improve the portrayal of Indians in the media.

  • Birthday

    May 26, 1912
  • Place of Birth

    Six Nations Reservation, Brantford, Ontario, Canada

Known For

Awards

2 wins & 0 nominations

Golden Boot Awards
1990
Winner - In Memoriam Award
Walk of Fame
1979
Television
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies
TV Shows