 |
| By ABC Television (eBayfrontback) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Best known as "Tonto" on television's The Lone Ranger (1949 - 1957), Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk Indian, was born as Harold J. Smith on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, on May 26, 1912. When he died in 1980, his ashes would be scattered over the reservation.
Jay was an actor. He was also a boxer, lacrosse player, stunt man, horse breeder and horse racer (in the later part of his life, he drove in harness races), and a prankster. His co-stars remember his sense of humor—it was one of the things that endeared him to many of them.
Both men who played the Lone Ranger on TV, Clayton Moore and John Hart, forged friendships with Jay Silverheels that lasted long after the Lone Ranger's last ride across the silver screen. "What a pleasure to work with such an intelligent, talented man," Hart remarked when remembering Jay.
Moore dedicated an entire chapter of his book (I Was That Masked Man) to him, and echoes Hart's praises: "He was a genuine, gentle man." Moore also remembers how he and Jay made fun of the way Tonto was supposed to talk, with grunts and broken English. Jay would ask Clayton something like, "Are you going to lunch with us, Clay?" and Clayton would reply. "Yeah, me do!"
Although he could have become frustrated with the way his character was devalued, Jay saw past it and found humor in the situation.
I have a personal story about Tonto's vocabulary, too. I first started watching the Lone Ranger when I was around thirteen years old, and I always thought of Tonto as being a graceful, strong character. I never really noticed the broken English. It wasn't until after I read about, and looked for, how poorly Tonto was represented by the film industry that I could see it.
I think Jay's true person shown through the role of "sidekick." (Something to keep in mind is that most kiddie western sidekicks were made to look a lot dumber than Tonto was!)
In the late 1960s, Jay started an acting school for Indians—improving Native Americans' place in film was really important to him; acting was his passion.
He was apparently married twice, and apparently had six children. His second wife, Mary DeRoma, was an Italian woman; they married in 1954 and remained together until his death. They had three daughters and a son together. Jay's family accepted the Golden Boot Award on his behalf in 1990 when Clayton Moore presented it to them.
Jay's son by his first marriage, Steve Silverheels, converted from being a drug addict to a Christian, and eventually became a minister. He reports that his father became a Christian not long before he passed away. It seems only fitting that the man who represented so much good throughout his life should finish it completely fulfilled.
Sources:
http://www.lonerangerfanclub.com/jaysilverheels.html
http://people.com/archive/jay-silverheels-tonto-rides-again-this-time-in-a-sulky-vol-5-no-3/
https://americacomesalive.com/2014/11/18/jay-silverheels-played-tonto-lone-ranger/
https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/a-vision-about-to-come-true/
Hart, John — Cowboys in the Kitchen
Moore, Clayton and Thompson, Frank — I Was That Masked Man (https://www.amazon.com/I-Was-That-Masked-Man/dp/0878332162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524994421&sr=8-1&keywords=clayton+moore)