Biography
Chief Yowlachie was born in Kitsap County, Washington, and later lived with his family on the Yakima Indian Reservation. Although he was not enrolled in the Yakima Nation, his parents John W. Simmons and Lucy Riddle both had Puyallup heritage and owned allotted land on the Yakima reservation. Yowlatchie's real name was Daniel Simmons and he began his show-business career as--believe it or not--an opera singer and spent many years in that profession. In the 1920s he switched to films, and over the next 25 or so years played everything from rampaging Apache chiefs to comic-relief sidekicks. A large, round-faced man, his distinctive voice--a deep, resonant bass somewhat resembling Bluto's in the old "Popeye" cartoons--was instantly recognizable, and he had the distinction of not appearing to have aged much over his career, which is most likely attributable to the fact that he looked quite a bit younger than he actually was, so his "aging" wasn't all that noticeable. In addition to his "serious" roles, he had somewhat more light-hearted parts in several films, notably Red River (1948), where he traded quips with veteran scene-stealer Walter Brennan, and held his own quite well.
Acted in 61
1960s
- 1962
1950s
- 1959
Yellowstone Kelly
Medicine Man (uncredited)
- 1957
- 1956
Hollywood or Bust
Chief Running Water
- 1955
Buffalo Bill Jr.
TV
- 1954
Gunfighters of the Northwest
Chief Running Elk
Rose Marie
Black Eagle
- 1952
The Pathfinder
Eagle Feather
Son of Geronimo
Geronimo [ch 15]
The Half-Breed
Apache Chief (uncredited)
Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory
Chief White Cloud
- 1951
- 1950
Cherokee Uprising
Gray Eagle
Kill the Umpire
Indian (uncredited)
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
Crowbar (uncredited)
1940s
- 1949
Mrs. Mike
Atenou
My Friend Irma
Indian (uncredited)
The Cowboy and the Indians
Chief Long Arrow (uncredited)
- 1948
You Gotta Stay Happy
Native American Man (Uncredited)
The Gallant Legion
Indian Medicine Man
- 1947
The Senator Was Indiscreet
Indian
The Prairie
Matoreeh
Bowery Buckaroos
Big Chief Hi-Octane
The Hucksters
Indian (uncredited)
- 1946
Wild West
Chief Black Fox
- 1943
Frontier Fury
Captured Indian (uncredited)
- 1942
Dawn on the Great Divide
Indian
King of the Stallions
Chief Matapotan
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Chief Tomahawk (uncredited)
- 1941
This Woman Is Mine
Chief One-Eye Comcomly
White Eagle
Chief Running Deer
- 1940
Winners of the West
Chief War Eagle
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
King of the Rock People (uncredited)
1930s
- 1930
The Girl of the Golden West
Billy Jackrabbit
The Santa Fe Trail
Brown Beaver
Way Out West
Indian (uncredited)
1920s
- 1929
Tiger Rose
Indian
- 1928
The Glorious Trail
High Wolf
- 1927
With Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre
Sitting Bull
- 1926
War Paint
Iron Eyes
Forlorn River
Modoc Joe
Moran of the Mounted
Biting Wolf
Ella Cinders
Indian with Cigar (uncredited)
- 1923
Kentucky Days
Indian Scout
