JAY "TONTO" SILVERHEELS - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH - HFSID 294045

JAY SILVERHEELS
Rare! Black and white up-close youthful photograph of the actor, shown wearing a suit and tie
Photograph Signed: "Jay Silverheels" , B/w, 8x10. Actor Jay Silverheels (1912-1980), born on the Six Nations Reservation in Ontario, Canada to a Mohawk chief, is best known for playing Tonto, the Lone Ranger's faithful Indian companion, on one of television's most popular westerns (1949-1957). A former star athlete, Silverheels went to Hollywood as a stuntman in 1938, usually playing stereotypical roles as an Indian in a number of feature films before first teaming up with Clayton Moore in 1949 in the feature film, The Cowboy and the Indians. Later that year, he was cast as Moore's sidekick in the TV series, and he would appear as Tonto in two feature films: The Lone Ranger (1955) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). Following the series, Silverheels appeared in several feature films, including Alias Jesse James (1959), True Grit (1969) and The Man Who Love Cat Dancing (1973), and he made numerous appearances on the small screen, appearing primarily in Westerns, but also guest starring on such series as Love, American Style (1972) and Cannon (1973). Silverheels' health began to fail in the late 1970s, and he died of a stroke in 1980. Signature beaded but legible. Corners heavily creased. Filing holes at left edge. Lightly toned around edges. Surface creases seen head on. Otherwise, fine condition.