Chief Thundercloud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chief Thundercloud
Victor Daniels as Chief Whitecloud in Renegade Girl (1946)
Born	Victor Daniels (1899-04-12)April 12, 1899 Santa Cruz County, Arizona Territory, U.S.
Died	December 1, 1955(1955-12-01) (aged 56) Ventura, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1935–1955
Spouse(s)	Mildred Ann Turner (1925 - ?) Frances Courtright (1933 - 1955 [his death])

Victor Daniels (born April 12, 1899 – died December 1, 1955) was an American actor. He was known by his stage name, Chief Thundercloud. He often played Native American characters in Western movies. He is especially famous for being the first actor to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger's Native American friend, on screen.

About His Life

Information about Victor Daniels' early life is a bit unclear. He often said he was born in the Oklahoma Territory. However, his official Social Security application lists his birth date as April 12, 1899. It says he was born in Santa Cruz County, in the Arizona Territory. His parents were listed as Jesus Daniels and Tomaca Daniels.

Chief Thundercloud's Social Security application from 1937.

Daniels claimed to be from the Cherokee tribe. However, his name does not appear on the official tribal lists from that time. He had a sister named Anita, who was born in Arizona in 1911. Her birth certificate also listed similar parents.

Victor Daniels married Mildred Turner in 1925 in Los Angeles. At that time, he used the name "Victor Vasquez." They had two sons, Victor Junior and Norman. Later, Daniels divorced Mildred and married Frances Courtright in 1933.

Some old movie biographies claimed he came from "Muskogee aristocracy." This idea of "royalty" doesn't really fit with Native American cultures. His death certificate listed his father as Joseph Mahawa.

Daniels said he grew up on a ranch in Arizona. He also claimed to have attended the University of Arizona. He said he was good at school and sports like football and boxing. But there are no records showing he was ever a student there.

His Acting Career

Before becoming an actor, Victor Daniels worked many different jobs. He was a cowboy on ranches, a miner, a rodeo performer, and a tour guide. He then moved to Hollywood to try acting. He started as a stuntman, doing dangerous scenes for other actors. Later, he became a character actor, playing specific types of roles. The name "Chief" was just a stage name invented by Hollywood.

He played the main role in the movie Geronimo (1939). He also played Tonto in two movie series about the Lone Ranger: The Lone Ranger (1938) and The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939).

Throughout the 1940s, Daniels continued to act. He often played Native American characters, keeping his "Chief Thundercloud" image. In many films, he played a character who was against the main hero. For example, in "Young Buffalo Bill" (1940), he played Akuna, a Native American chief who caused trouble. In Renegade Girl (1946), he was the main bad guy, Chief Whitecloud.

Sometimes, Daniels appeared in films without being listed in the credits. This happened in movies like Gun Smoke (1936) and parts of the series Custer's Last Stand (1936).

He also made a few appearances on early television. He was on The Gene Autry Show in 1950. In 1954, he appeared in an episode of Death Valley Days. One of his last roles was in 1955, playing the Apache leader Geronimo in the TV show Buffalo Bill, Jr..

Later Years and Passing

Victor Daniels faced some legal issues related to his business dealings in 1951. He was told to pay back money to people he had sold parts of films to. In his final years, he performed in live shows with other Western actors. These shows took place at the Corriganville Movie Ranch in California.

Victor Daniels passed away on December 1, 1955, at the age of 56. He had surgery for stomach cancer in Ventura County, California. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. His very last movie role was in the John Wayne film The Searchers (1956), which was released after he died.

His Legacy as Tonto

A poster for the 13th episode of The Lone Ranger serial.

After working as a stuntman and in small roles, Daniels became well-known for playing Tonto. This was in the movie series The Lone Ranger (1938). This role became his most famous and important contribution to film. In the same year, he had a small role in Flaming Frontiers, a movie series about murder. The next year, he played Tonto again in The Lone Ranger Rides Again.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Chief Thundercloud para niños