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Jay Silverheels Biography (c. 1918-1980)

Original name, Harold J. Smith; born c. 1918 (some sources say 1919), at SixNations Indian Reservation, Ontario, Canada; died of complications from pneumonia, March 5, 1980, in Woodland Hills, CA; son of A. G. E. Smith (a Canadianmilitary officer); married, wife's name, Mary; children: Marilyn, Pamela, Karen, Jay Anthony. Ethnicity: Mohawk.

Nationality

Canadian

Gender

Male

Birth Details

c. 1918

Six Nations Indian Reservation, Ontario, Canada

Death Details

March 5, 1980

Woodland Hills, California, United States

Famous Works

• Credits; Film Appearances
• Too Many Girls, RKO Radio Pictures, 1940.
• Valley of the Sun, RKO Radio Pictures, 1942.
• Good Morning, Judge, Universal, 1943.
• Northern Pursuit, Warner Bros., 1943.
• Spearman, Song of the Sarong, Universal, 1945.
• Singin' in the Corn (also known as Give and Take), Columbia, 1946.
• Coatl, Captain from Castile, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1947.
• Sam Luther, The Last Round-up, Columbia, 1947.
• Indian scout, Northwest Outpost (also known as End of the Rainbow), Republic, 1947.
• Indian, Unconquered, Paramount, 1947.
• Elevator boy, Family Honeymoon, Universal, 1948.
• Diego, The Feathered Serpent, Monogram, 1948.
• Little Dog, Fury at Furnace Creek, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1948.
• John Osceola, Key Largo, Warner Bros., 1948.
• Running Deer, The Prairie, Screen Guild, 1948.
• Indian, Yellow Sky, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1948.
• Lakohna, The Cowboy and the Indians, Columbia, 1949.
• Running Wolf, Laramie, Columbia, 1949.
• Walter, Lust for Gold (also known as For Those Who Dare), Columbia, 1949.
• Sand (also known as Will James's Sand), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1949.
• Poleon, Trail of the Yukon, Monogram, 1949.
• Goklia, Broken Arrow, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1950.
• Little Crow, Red Mountain, Paramount, 1951.
• Geronimo, The Battle at Apache Pass, Universal, 1952.
• Chief Tecumseh, Brave Warrior, Columbia, 1952.
• Last of the Comanches (also known as The Sabre and the Arrow), Columbia,1952.
• Chingachgook, The Pathfinder, Columbia, 1952.
• Joe Arrow, The Story of Will Rogers, Warner Bros., 1952.
• Benders, The Wild Blue Yonder (also known as Thunder across the Pacific),Republic, 1952.
• Lead warrior, Yankee Buccaneer, Universal, 1952.
• Red Cloud, Jack McCall, Desperado, Columbia, 1953.
• Spotted Bear, The Nebraskan, Columbia, 1953.
• Satanta, War Arrow, Universal, 1953.
• Black Buffalo, The Black Dakotas, Columbia, 1954.
• Taos, Drums across the River, Universal, 1954.
• Yaqui, Four Guns to the Border, Universal, 1954.
• Yellow Hawk, Masterson of Kansas, Columbia, 1954.
• Cajou, Saskatchewan (also known as O'Rourke of the Royal Mounted), Universal, 1954.
• Tonto, The Lone Ranger, Warner Bros., 1955.
• Beeteia, The Vanishing American, Republic, 1955.
• Geronimo, Walk the Proud Land, Universal, 1956.
• Indian Joe, Return to Warbow, Columbia, 1958.
• Tonto, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, United Artists, 1958.
• Tonto, Alias Jesse James, United Artists, 1959.
• Tonto, Justice of the West, United Artists, 1961.
• Chief Hevatanu, Indian Paint, Eagle American/Crown, 1965.
• McDonald Lasheway, Smith!, Buena Vista, 1969.
• The Phynx, Warner Bros., 1970.
• The chief, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1973.
• Jimmy Wolfe, One Little Indian, Buena Vista, 1973.
• John Crow, Santee, Crown, 1973.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Series
• Tonto, The Lone Ranger, ABC, 1949-57.
• Great Bear, Pistols 'n' Petticoats, CBS, 1966-67.
• Credits; Television Appearances; Pilots
• Indian chief, Cat Ballou, NBC, 1971.

Further Reference

Books:

• Native North American Almanac, edited by Duane Champagne, Gale Research(Detroit, MI), 1994, pp. 770, 1160.
• Notable Native Americans, Gale, 1995, pp. 398-99.

• New York Times, March 6, 1980.
• Time, March 17, 1980, p. 65.