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.
Acted in 81
2010s
- 2013
The Lone Ranger: Who Was That Masked Man
Tonto
2000s
- 2002
The Ultimate Collection Starring Johnny Carson - The Best of the 60s and 70s
Movie
- 2001
Lone Ranger: Lost Episodes
Tonto
1970s
- 1973
Santee
John Crow
The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
The Chief
One Little Indian
Jimmy Wolf
- 1972
In Pursuit of Treasure
Movie
- 1971
Cat Ballou
Indian Chief
- 1970
The Phynx
Tonto
1960s
- 1969
Smith!
McDonald Lasheway
- 1968
The Movie Orgy
Tonto (archive footage)
- 1967
Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Great Bear
- 1966
- 1965
Indian Paint
Chief Hevatanu
- 1964
- 1962
- 1961
Gunslinger
Hopi Indian · 1 episode
- 1960
Texas John Slaughter: Geronimo's Revenge
Natchez
1950s
- 1959
- 1958
The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold
Tonto
Return to Warbow
Indian Joe
- 1956
Walk the Proud Land
Geronimo
- 1955
The Vanishing American
Beeteia
- 1954
Masterson of Kansas
Yellow Hawk
Four Guns to the Border
Yaqui
The Black Dakotas
Black Buffalo
Drums Across the River
Taos
Saskatchewan
Cajou
- 1953
The Nebraskan
Spotted Bear
Jack McCall, Desperado
Red Cloud
Last of the Comanches
Indian (uncredited)
- 1952
The Pathfinder
Chingachgook
The Battle at Apache Pass
Geronimo
The Half-Breed
Apache (uncredited)
The Legend Of The Lone Ranger
Tonto
- 1951
The Wild Blue Yonder
Benders
Red Mountain
Little Crow
- 1950
1940s
- 1949
The Cowboy and the Indians
Lakohna
Sand
Indian (uncredited)
Trail of the Yukon
Poleon
Lust for Gold
Walter
Laramie
Running Wolf (uncredited)
- 1948
The Feathered Serpent
Diego (uncredited)
Family Honeymoon
Elevator Boy (uncredited)
Singin' Spurs
Abel
- 1947
Captain from Castile
Coatl (uncredited)
The Prairie
Running Deer
The Last Round-up
Movie
Gas House Kids Go West
Kingsley's Henchman (uncredited)
- 1944
Tahiti Nights
Lua
Lost in a Harem
Guard at Execution (uncredited)
- 1943
The Phantom
Astari Warrior (uncredited)
Northern Pursuit
Indian (uncredited)
The Girl from Monterrey
Fighter Tito Flores
- 1942
Perils of Nyoka
Tuareg
Valley of the Sun
Indian (uncredited)
- 1941
This Woman Is Mine
Indian Marauder
- 1940
Hudson's Bay
Indian (uncredited)
Too Many Girls
Indian (uncredited)
No release date
A Different Drum
Jim Swift Hands
Appearances2
1950s
- 1958
The Western: A Lost TV Special
Self
- 1955
The Lone Ranger Story
Self - Tonto