Jay Silverheels
At a glance:
- Series: Magill's Choice: American Indian Biographies, Revised Edition
- Categories: Arts
- Subcategories: Native Americans, American Indians, Acting, Actors, Films, Movies, Motion Pictures
- Curriculum: American History 1901-1950, American History 1951-present, American Indian History, Canadian History
Article abstract: The foremost Indian actor of his era, Jay Silverheels helped other Indians become actors and worked to improve Indian images in Hollywood films.
Born Harry (Harold Jay) Smith on the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Canada, Silverheels became the most famous Indian actor in Hollywood between 1940 and 1970. He was one of ten children. His father, a farmer, was the most decorated Canadian Indian who fought in World War I. Silverheels was a superior athlete, participating in several sports, and he quit school when he was seventeen to play professional...
[The entire page is 399 words long]
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