Jay Silverheels: Tonto from the Hit Television Show The Lone Ranger

Best known for playing Tonto on The Lone Ranger, Jay Silverheels was born Harold J. Smith, June 26, 1912, on the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada. As a young man he was known for his boxing and lacrosse playing skills. In 1938 he placed second in the middleweight division at the Golden Gloves tournament. He was also a member of the Canada National Lacrosse team.

While playing with the national lacrosse team, he had a chance to visit Hollywood. It was here that he was noticed by actor Joe E. Brown.

In the late 1930s he appeared in low-budget films, (using the name Harold or Harry Smith) which didn't pay much so he supplemented his income by working as a busboy and waiter.

In the late 1940s Jay landed bigger parts in better movies and was is such films as Captain from Castille with Tyrone Power, Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart, Broken Arrow with James Stewart, War Arrow with Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, and Noah Beery, Jr., Walk the Proud Land with Audie Murphy and Anne Bancroft, Alias Jesse James with Bob Hope, and Indian Paint with Johnny Crawford.

His best known role was playing Tonto on the TV series The Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger. the show was a hit that ran from 1949 to 1957. Jay was also in two Lone Ranger films, The Lone Ranger, which was filmed in 1957 and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold, filmed in 1958.

After the Lone Ranger series was canceled, Silverheels found it difficult to find acting roles; producers could only see him as Tonto. He worked as a salesman in between the few acting jobs he did get.

He began to write poetry based on his growing up on the Six Nations Indian Reserve. He also appeared numerous times on television to read his poetry.

In the 1960s he and his friends founded the Indian Actors Workshop in Echo Park, California. The Workshop helped Native Americans hone their acting skills. This organization is still going strong today and has helped many Native Americans land acting roles in television and film.

Silverheels rode a pinto pony, Scout, in the Lone Ranger shows. He was also an avid horseman outside the studio and he breed, raised, and raced horses. Once a reporter asked him if he had ever thought of racing Scout. Jay laughed and said, "Heck, I could outrun Scout!"

Silverheels was married in 1945 and had two sons and one daughter.

In 1993 he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

March 5, 1980, Jay died as the result of a stroke in California. He was cremated and his ashes were sent to his native country, Canada, where they were scattered.