Jay Silverheels

Jay Silverheels (born May 26, 1912 in Six Nations Reservation, Brantford , Ontario , † March 5, 1980 in Woodland Hills , Los Angeles , California ) was a Canadian actor and poet from the Mohawk people . In the treatise Edle Wilde - Rote Teufel , published in 1997, it is stated about him: "The most popular native actor with his own profile was Jay Silverheels (Mohawk)". He became particularly well known for his role as a loyal Indian rescuer and supporter of the Lone Ranger . In this classic television series he even had more appearances than Clayton Moore , who was temporarily replaced as "Lone Ranger".

youth

Silverheels the Mohawk close was in the area Brantford , Ontario as Harold J. Smith born. His father AGE Smith was a chief and a highly decorated veteran of the First World War . Silverheels was a versatile and successful athlete. As a young man, he left home to play lacrosse in the United States . In the United States, he also competed in boxing and wrestling.

Film career

Silverheels began his film career as an extra and stuntman . Often he was mentioned in the credits only as a “brave Indian” or simply an Indian . After all, he appeared in many B-movies as Harold Smith or Harry Smith. After a lot of stunts he was finally called “Silverheels” as an actor. This honorary name had already been given to him in lacrosse. There he had always moved so fast that some onlookers had imagined seeing silver linings when they saw his light-colored shoes. After the war he was hired for larger productions, including The Captain of Castile with Tyrone Power , Gangster in Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart , (1948), The Broken Arrow ( 1950 ) with James Stewart and The Marshal (1969).

Career in television

From 1949 to 1957 Jay Silverheels played the loyal Indian "Tonto", who saved the life of the " Lone Ranger " (after the series was also named in the USA) in the first episode and made him the mask. The Ranger's best friend could not be replaced and so Silverheels also played in the two TV films The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After playing the role of loyal Indian helper for so long, Silverheels was locked into that role. He was only offered guest appearances and finally he could no longer live from acting alone, so he also worked as a businessman. Long before Manitou's Shoe he was seen parodying the role of the noble Indian hero. Best known in this regard is his appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1969.

Since the early 1960s, Silverheels focused on managing the "Indian Actors Workshop" he co-founded. Today this workshop is firmly established.

Filmography

• 1942: Valley of the Sun
• 1947: The Unconquered
• 1947: I Can Only Give My Heart One Time (Northwest Outpost)
• 1947: Daring Men in the Saddle (The Last Round-Up)
• 1948: Mistress of the Dead City (Yellow Sky)
• 1948: Vengeance Without Mercy (Fury at Furnace Creek)
• 1948: Gangster in Key Largo (Key Largo)
• 1949–1957: The Lone Ranger (TV series)
• 1949: The Mountain of Terror (Lust for Gold)
• 1950: The Broken Arrow
• 1952: The Battle of Apachenpaß (The Battle at Apache Pass)
• 1952: The Hell of the Red Mountains
• 1952: His friend, the leather stocking (The Pathfinder)
• 1952: The Legend of the Lone Ranger (The Legend of the Lone Ranger)
• 1953: Thirsty Lips (Last of the Comanches)
• 1953: To the last bullet (The Nebraskan)
• 1953: The Last Trump (Jack Mccall Desperado)
• 1953: Conspiracy on Fort Clark (War Arrow)
• 1954: Adlerschwinge (Drums across the River)
• 1954: The Night of Vengeance (Four Guns to the Border)
• 1954: Gangsters, Gamblers, and a Sheriff (Masterson of Kansas)
• 1954: Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan)
• 1955: The Vanishing American
• 1956: The White Rider (The Lone Ranger)
• 1956: Ritt in den Tod (Walk the Proud Land)
• 1958: The hero with the mask (The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold)
• 1958: Tough Men - Tough Fists (Return to Warbow)
• 1959: One shot and 50 dead (aka Jesse James)
• 1962: Geronimo's Revenge
• 1965: Nishko, the Indian boy (Nishko)
• 1972: Santee, the loner (Santee)
• 1973: The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing
• 1973: A Camel in the Wild West (One Little Indian)

Private life

In addition to acting, he bred and trained racehorses. Silverheels was married and had three children. In 1974 he suffered a stroke. After suffering for a long time, he passed away in 1980 at the age of 67. His ashes were brought back to his homeland. His last public appearance was at the inauguration of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .

Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood

Epigones

Jay Silverheels was the first actor to establish a Native American serial hero on television. After the series had also been shown in Europe, Pierre Massimi played the role of “Chingachgook” in the very successful four-part TV series Die Lederstrumpferzählungen in a comparable way. The Karl May films with Pierre Brice as Winnetou also presented an Indian hero who visually walked in the footsteps of the real chief's son Jay Silverheels.

Web links in English

• Page in memory of Jay Silverheels
• Jay Silverheels in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• biography
• Legends of the Big Screen: Jay Silverheels
• A quiz about Jay Silverheels

literature

• Matthias Peipp and Bernhard Springer: Noble Wilde - Red Devils . Heyne Film Library, Bamberg 1997, ISBN 3-453-10862-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Matthias Peipp and Bernhard Springer: noble savage - Red Devils . Heyne, Munich 1997, ISBN 3-453-10862-0 .
2. ^ His job in Hollywood was to help his partner, "The Lone Ranger" stop the devious plots of hardened outlaws. (PDF; 1.4 MB) Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
3. ↑ Silverheels played the role during the entire period from 1949 to 1957, even when Clayton Moore was replaced one season by John Hart . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
4. ↑ His father, Major George Smith what the most decorated Native Canadian soldier in World War I. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
5. ↑ In the 1930's he played lacrosse with the Rochester, NY "Iroquois" of the North American Amateur Lacrosse Association . Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
6. ↑ He finished second in the Eastern Square finals of the Golden Gloves boxing championship in Madison Square Garden. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
7. ↑ Silverheels, an accomplished boxer, wrestler and lacrosse player, capitalized on this athletic prowess to break into the movie business, starting as a stuntman and extra . Archived from the original on November 28, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
8. ↑ He worked as a stuntman and extra before landing some bit parts in the early 1940s, almost always credited as simply "Indian" or "Indian Brave". . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
9. ↑ he was in four serials at Republic when he was still going by Harry Smith, before he changed his name . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
10. ↑ Changing his name to Jay Smith Silverheels, partly a nickname from his uncle due to his superb running style . Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 21, 2011. 
11. ↑ he became noted for the white running shoes he wore. He was so swift that his feet were streaks . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
12. ↑ In addition to starring in the Lone Ranger television series from 1949 to 1957, Silverheels appeared in the films The Lone Ranger and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
13. ↑ with his career no longer sufficient to support his family, he began working as a salesman. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
14. ↑ Silverheels as "Tonto" on Jimmy Carson's Late Night Show (film clip) . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
15. ^ Silverheels was a spokesperson for Indian actors and founded the Indian Actors Workshop in 1963. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
16. ^ He founded the Indian Actors' Workshop in 1966 with Will Sampson and offered free classes for Native Americans . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
17. ^ He formed the Indian Actors Workshop in Echo Park in the late 1960's . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
18. ↑ He later went on to found the Indian Actors Workshop, a project to which he devoted enormous amounts of time and resources. It still operates today. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
19. ^ In the 70's he became a harness racing driver and bred horses. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
20. ↑ married, wife's name: Mary; children: Marilyn, Pamela, Karen, Jay Anthony . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
21. ↑ Jay Silverheels suffered a stroke in 1974 and passed away on March 5, 1980 after several years of ill health . Retrieved November 21, 2011.
22. ↑ Jay Silverheels . Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved February 23, 2008. 
23. ↑ Silverheels made his last public appearance when a star bearing his name was embedded in the sidewalk in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. . Retrieved November 21, 2011.