Jay Silverheels
A short film on Harry Smith AKA Jay Silverheels AKA Tonto, the first native actor to star in a network TV weekly series which played on 163 television stations.
The Man Beside the Mask
Before Johnny Depp stepped into the role of Tonto, Ontario born Mohawk actor Jay Silverheels was remembered at the Tonto, the faithful ‘Injun sidekick’, in the 1950s TV series “The Lone Ranger”. Aside from his Pidgin English dialect, he became a pioneer for a generation of Aboriginal viewers – the only First Nations actor on the airwaves of the era.
The Man Beside the Mask
Before Johnny Depp stepped into the role of Tonto, Ontario born Mohawk actor Jay Silverheels was remembered at the Tonto, the faithful ‘Injun sidekick’, in the 1950s TV series “The Lone Ranger”. Aside from his Pidgin English dialect, he became a pioneer for a generation of Aboriginal viewers – the only First Nations actor on the airwaves of the era.