Jay Silverheels Bio, Career, Wife, Son, Death

Publish date: 2024-05-05

Jay Silverheels died about four decades ago now, but because of the name he made for himself, he is still talked about a lot. What was his career like, who was his wife, and who is his popular son trying to keep his legacy? And what caused his death?

In this article, we are going to take you into the life and career of the man who made his name as Tonto in Lone Ranger, a popular series back in the day.

We will let you in on all that there is to know about the once-popular Canadian actor and Lacrosse legend.

What have you heard about him?

This article will give you more information about who he was.

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Jay Silverheels Biography

Jay was born on May 26, 1912.

He was alive, he would have been 110 years old now, but after dying from a stroke in 1980, Jay Silverheels lived for 67 years.

Harold Jay Smith gave birth to Silverheels in Canada, on the Six Nations of the Grand River, close to Hagersville, Ontario.

He was a maternal Mohawk and a paternal Seneca and the grandson of Mohawk Chief A. G. Smith and Mary Wedge.

He was one of the 11 children of Captain Alexander George Edwin Smith, MC, Cayuga, and his wife Mabel Phoebe Dockstater.

His father participated in the Somme and Ypres wars during World War I, where he was wounded and awarded a decoration.

In order to prepare Polish-American recruits for the Blue Army’s duty in France, he later worked as an adjutant in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Career Highlights

He was a superb performer who appeared in numerous movies and television shows.

He was a well-known athlete who excelled at lacrosse.

His acting career has contributed significantly to his popularity.

When Jay Silverheels was playing box lacrosse on a touring team in Los Angeles in 1937, Joe E. Brown was impressed by his athleticism.

Brown prompted him to do a screen test, which started his acting career.

The Lone Ranger (1949–1957) was the show that made Jay a well-known actor.

After The Lone Ranger was no longer on television, Silverheels’ caricature as a Native American persisted.

He played a Native American firefighter attempting to put out a forest fire in the Rescue 8 episode “Leap of Life,” which starred Jim Davis and fellow Canadian Lang Jeffries, on January 6, 1960.

Is Jay Silverheels married; who is his wife?

Jay Silverheels Wife

Jay Silverheels married Mary Diroma in 1945, and they were together until his death in 1980.

Prior to marrying Mary Diroma, Jay Silverheels was married to Bobbi Smith; this union ended in divorce in 1943.

So, like many current celebs, Jay Silverheels went through a divorce.

Jay Silverheels’ two marriages produced six children before his death in 1980.

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Popular Son

Of his six children, one of them has decided to keep the legacy of the man.

Who is Jay Silverheels son?

Let’s find out more about him.

His popular son is known as Jay Silverheels Jr.

He made the decision to continue his father’s legacy, and he has been establishing himself as one of the greatest.

It will be interesting to see if he can match his father’s accomplishments.

Actually, there isn’t a lot of information accessible on Jay Silverheels’ son.

The birthdate of Jay Silverheels Jr. is May 15, 1961.

He was born in Los Angeles, California, in the United States.

Death of Jay Silverheels

After many years of influence, Jay died in 1980.

His stroke, which left him disabled for four years before he passed away, was the cause of his demise.

Due to the stroke he had four years earlier, Silverheels passed away on March 5, 1980, in Calabasas, California. He was 67.

His remains were returned to the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario after being cremated at Chapel of the Pines Crematory.

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