Know For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1912-05-26 (68 years old)
Deathday
1980-03-05
Place of Birth
Six Nations Reservation, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Also known As
Harold J. Smith
Harry Silversmith
Harry Smith
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, whi...
1948
as Diego (uncredited)
1968
as Tonto (archive footage)
1960
as Natchez
1944
as Lua
1973
as The Chief
1970
as Tonto
1973
as Jimmy Wolf
1952
as Lead Warrior
1973
as John Crow
1947
as Coatl (uncredited)
1943
as Indian (uncredited)
1943
as Astari Warrior (uncredited)
1952
as Apache (uncredited)
1967
as Great Bear
1958
1956
as Tonto
1954
as Taos
1949
as Creek Indian (uncredited)
1954
as Black Buffalo
1948
as Little Dog (uncredited)
1951
as Little Crow
1954
as Cajou
1943
as Fighter Tito Flores
1965
as Chief Hevatanu
1951
as Benders
1953
as Red Cloud
1958
as Indian Joe
1955
as Beeteia
1954
as Yellow Hawk
1953
as Spotted Bear
1952
as Chingachgook
1949
as Lakohna
1954
as Yaqui
1948
as Elevator Boy (uncredited)
1950
as Geronimo (uncredited)
1952
as Chief Tecumseh
1953
as Satanta
1948
as Indian Guide at Pier (uncredited)
1949
as Indian (uncredited)
1969
as Condemned Man at Hanging (uncredited)
1952
as Geronimo
1956
as Geronimo
1952
as Tonto
1949
as Walter
1948
as Tom Osceola (uncredited)
1942
as Tuareg
1940
as Indian
1947
as Kingsley's Henchman (uncredited)
1949
as Running Wolf (uncredited)
1953
as Indian (uncredited)
1940
as Native Lookout
1940
as Indian
1949
as Poleon
1947
as Running Deer
1941
as Indian Marauder
1941
as Indian
1948
as Abel
1942
as Indian
1969
as McDonald Lasheway
1948
as Indian (uncredited)
1944
as Guard at Execution (uncredited)
1944
as Indian (uncredited)
2001
as Tonto
1959
as Tonto (uncredited)
1971
as Indian Chief
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