Jay Silverheels a condemned criminal about to be executed. He played a substantial role as John Crow in "Santee" (1973), starring Glenn Ford. One of his last roles was a wise white-haired chief in "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" (1973). Jay Silverheels achieved his greatest fame as Tonto on "The Lone Ranger". The fictional story line maintains that a small group of Texas Rangers were massacred, with only a "lone" survivor. The Lone Ranger and Tonto then ride throughout the West to assist those challenged by the lawless element. Their expenses and bullets are provided through a silver mine owned by
Jay Silverheels of the Golden Gloves tournament. Silverheels was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a veteran player in 1997. While playing in Los Angeles on a touring box lacrosse team in 1937, Silverheels impressed Joe E. Brown, with his Brown encouraged him to do a screen test, which led to his acting career. Silverheels began working in motion pictures as an extra and stunt man in 1937. He was billed variously as Harold Smith and Harry Smith, and appeared in low-budget features, westerns, and serials. He adopted his screen name from the nickname he had as a lacrosse