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Chief Yowlachie
Acting
Biography
Chief Yowlachie was born in Kitsap County, Washington, and later lived with his family on the Yakima Indian Reservation. Although he was not enrolled in the Yakima Nation, his parents John W. Simmons and Lucy Riddle both had Puyallup heritage and owned allotted land on the Yakima reservation. Yowlatchie's real name was Daniel Simmons and he began his show-business career as--believe it or not--an opera singer and spent many years in that profession. In the 1920s he switched to films, and over the next 25 or so years played everything from rampaging Apache chiefs to comic-relief sidekicks. A large, round-faced man, his distinctive voice--a deep, resonant bass somewhat resembling Bluto's in th…
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Chief Yowlachie was born in Kitsap County, Washington, and later lived with his family on the Yakima Indian Reservation. Although he was not enrolled in the Yakima Nation, his parents John W. Simmons and Lucy Riddle both had Puyallup heritage and owned allotted land on the Yakima reservation. Yowlatchie's real name was Daniel Simmons and he began his show-business career as--believe it or not--an opera singer and spent many years in that profession. In the 1920s he switched to films, and over the next 25 or so years played everything from rampaging Apache chiefs to comic-relief sidekicks. A large, round-faced man, his distinctive voice--a deep, resonant bass somewhat resembling Bluto's in the old "Popeye" cartoons--was instantly recognizable, and he had the distinction of not appearing to have aged much over his career, which is most likely attributable to the fact that he looked quite a bit younger than he actually was, so his "aging" wasn't all that noticeable. In addition to his "serious" roles, he had somewhat more light-hearted parts in several films, notably Red River (1948), where he traded quips with veteran scene-stealer Walter Brennan, and held his own quite well.
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BODY OF WORK
Chief Yowlachie's Filmography
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Yellowstone Kelly
as Medicine Man (uncredited)
The FBI Story
as Harry Willowtree (uncredited)
The Spirit of St. Louis
as Indian (uncredited)
Hollywood or Bust
as Chief Running Water
Gunfighters of the Northwest
as Chief Running Elk
Rose Marie
as Black Eagle
The Pathfinder
as Eagle Feather
Son of Geronimo
as Geronimo [ch 15]
The Half-Breed
as Apache Chief (uncredited)
Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory
as Chief White Cloud
Warpath
as Chief
The Painted Hills
as Bald Eagle
Cherokee Uprising
as Gray Eagle
Winchester '73
as Indian at Rifle Shoot (uncredited)
A Ticket to Tomahawk
as Pawnee
Annie Get Your Gun
as Little Horse (uncredited)
Kill the Umpire
as Indian (uncredited)
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
as Crowbar (uncredited)
Mrs. Mike
as Atenou
My Friend Irma
as Indian (uncredited)
The Cowboy and the Indians
as Chief Long Arrow (uncredited)
Canadian Pacific
as Indian Chief (uncredited)
El Paso
Yellow Sky
as Colorado (uncredited)
The Paleface
as Chief Yellow Feather
You Gotta Stay Happy
as Native American Man (Uncredited)
Red River
as Quo
The Gallant Legion
as Indian Medicine Man
The Senator Was Indiscreet
as Indian
The Prairie
as Matoreeh
Bowery Buckaroos
as Big Chief Hi-Octane
The Hucksters
as Indian (uncredited)
Wild West
as Chief Black Fox
The Strange Woman
as Guide (uncredited)
Canyon Passage
as Indian Spokesman (uncredited)
Frontier Fury
as Captured Indian (uncredited)
Dawn on the Great Divide
as Indian
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Chief Tomahawk (uncredited)
This Woman Is Mine
as Chief One-Eye Comcomly
White Eagle
as Chief Running Deer
North West Mounted Police
as Indian
Winners of the West
as Chief War Eagle
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
as King of the Rock People (uncredited)
The Girl of the Golden West
as Billy Jackrabbit
The Santa Fe Trail
as Brown Beaver
Way Out West
as Indian (uncredited)
Tiger Rose
as Indian
No Poster
The Invaders
Hawk of the Hills
as Chief White Wolf
The Glorious Trail
as High Wolf
The Red Raiders
as Lone Wolf
With Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre
as Sitting Bull
War Paint
as Iron Eyes
Forlorn River
as Modoc Joe
Moran of the Mounted
as Biting Wolf
Ella Cinders
as Indian with Cigar (uncredited)
Kentucky Days
as Indian Scout