Victor Daniels (April 12, 1899 – December 1, 1955), known professionally as Chief Thundercloud, was an American character actor in

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. He is noted for being the first actor to play the role of

Tonto Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American (either Comanche or Potawatomi) companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and tele ...

, the

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

's Native-American companion, on the screen.

Family and education

Information available about Daniels is limited and vague. He repeatedly said he was born in the Oklahoma Territory. But his

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

application lists his birth date as April 12, 1899, and his birthplace as Santa Cruz County in the Arizona Territory. He listed his parents as Jesus Daniels and Tomaca Daniels. Victor Daniels (

Daniels claimed to be Cherokee, though he does not appear in tribal rolls of the period. He had a sister named Anita, born October 6, 1911, in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona Territory. On her birth certificate she listed similar parents with Jesus Daniel (born in Sonora) and Tomaso Acuna (born in Arizona). Thundercloud's first marriage was to 17-year-old Mildred Turner (from Missouri) on May 26, 1925, in Los Angeles. At that time, he called himself “Victor Vasquez.” Their son Victor Junior Daniels was born on May 7, 1926, and a second son, Norman Daniels, on September 5, 1927, both in Los Angeles. Thundercloud divorced Mildred and later married Frances Courtright on April 26, 1933.''The Lone Ranger Rides Again'' pressbook, vi
B-Westerns
retrieved 11 August 2007. His ''Lone Ranger'' press biography claimed he was derived from the " Muskogee aristocracy" icref name=LRpress/>—but the concept of European "royalty" and "aristocrats" is foreign to most Native American cultures. He was actually the first of nine children born to Jesus and Tomaca Daniels (as indicated on his Social Security application). The pressbook for '' The Lone Ranger Rides Again'' announced his parents as "Dark Cloud and Morning Star, aristocrats of the Muskogee tribe" ic while his death certificate lists his father as Joseph Mahawa. Raised on a ranch in Arizona, he claimed to have attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

at Tucson, where he "excelled scholastically and in athletics (football, boxing)." However, no record exists of his enrollment or attendance at the school under the name Daniels or any other name he used.Profile
b-westerns.com; accessed August 11, 2007.

Work as a character actor

Daniels worked many jobs — cowboy on cattle ranches, miner, rodeo performer, and tour guide — before he went to Hollywood to try his luck at acting. Daniels started as a stuntman. From there he graduated to character actor status. His title "Chief" was a Hollywood invention, a stage name. He had the title role in ''Geronimo'' (1939) and played

in both Republic Lone Ranger serials, ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (1938) and '' The Lone Ranger Rides Again'' (1939). Throughout the 1940s, Daniels continued to work as a character actor, maintaining the Chief Thundercloud persona. In most of the films in which he was featured, he played an antagonist opposing the white protagonist. For example, in the film "Young Buffalo Bill" (1940) he played Akuna, a renegade Native American chief who commits murder while working as a hired hand. In the film ''

Renegade Girl ''Renegade Girl'' is a 1946 American Western (genre), western film directed by William Berke and starring Ann Savage (actress), Ann Savage, Alan Curtis (American actor), Alan Curtis and Edward Brophy. It was one of a few movies made by the shor ...

'' (1946), he played the main villain, Chief Whitecloud, a vengeful antagonist with a vendetta against the protagonist's family. Although featured in a number of films, Daniels was uncredited in some films, such as '' Gun Smoke'' (1936), a film about a ranch defending itself from a flood of sheep. He also appeared in the first two parts of the serial ''

Custer's Last Stand The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

'' (1936), again uncredited. Daniels had a short appearance on early television on ''

The Gene Autry Show ''The Gene Autry Show'' is an American western/cowboy television series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950 until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint chewing gum. Overview Series star Gene Autry had a ...

'' (1950).Billy Hathorn, "Roy Bean, Temple Houston, Bill Longley, Ranald Mackenzie, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and the Texas Rangers: Depictions of West Texans in Series Television, 1955 to 1967", '' West Texas Historical Review'', Vol. 89 (2013), p. 114. Daniels appeared as Chief Thundercloud in the 1954 episode "The Saint's Portrait" of the syndicated

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'' hosted by

Stanley Andrews Stanley Andrews (born Stanley Martin Andrzejewski; August 28, 1891 – June 23, 1969) was an American actor perhaps best known as the voice of Daddy Warbucks on the radio program ''Little Orphan Annie'' and later as "The Old Ranger", the first ...

. One of his last appearances was on March 1, 1955, as the Apache Geronimo in the premiere of the syndicated

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' Buffalo Bill, Jr.''.

Legal problems and later years

According to the '' Los Angeles Daily News'', Daniels was fined $200 and sentenced to four years of probation in 1951 after he pleaded guilty to violating the Corporate Security Act. He was told to make restitution of $5,625 to his victims after he had sold them shares in films without a permit. During his final years, he worked with other western actors performing in live shows at the

Corriganville Movie Ranch __NOTOC__ Corriganville Movie Ranch was a working film studio and movie ranch for outdoor location shooting, as well as a Western-themed tourist attraction. The ranch, owned by actor and stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan, was located in the foothills ...

, now the Corriganville Regional Park, near

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...

Death

Victor Daniels died at age 56 following surgery for stomach cancer in Ventura County, California, on December 1, 1955. He was survived by his wife, Frances. He was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, near Los Angeles.''Certificate of Death'', Chief Thunder Cloud (aka Victor Daniels), State of California, County of Ventura, 1 December 1955. His last film role was in the John Wayne film ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...

'' (1956), which was released after his death.

''The Lone Ranger'' and legacy

After working for some time as a stuntman and in bit parts, it was Daniels' portrayal of the character Tonto in the serial ''

'' (1938) that was to be his legacy. This is perhaps where he gained the most recognition as a character actor." That same year, he had a small villain-like role in the first part of '' Flaming Frontiers'', a 15-part cliffhanger about murder and double cross. The following year, Thundercloud reprised his role as the Lone Ranger’s sidekick in '' The Lone Ranger Rides Again''.

Selected filmography

*''

Rustlers of Red Dog ''Rustlers of Red Dog'' is a 1935 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures based on the book ''The Great West That Was'' by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. It was a remake of the earlier, 1930 serial ''The Indians are Coming''. Plot J ...

'' (1935, serial) – Chief Grey Wolf *''

Cyclone of the Saddle ''Cyclone of the Saddle'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Elmer Clifton, starring Rex Lease, Janet Chandler, Bobby Nelson, and Yakima Canutt. Cast * Rex Lease as Andy Thomas * Janet Chandler as Sue * Bobby Nelson as Dick * Yakima ...

'' (1935) – Thundercloud *'' Wagon Trail'' (1935) – Henchman *''

Rustler's Paradise ''Rustler's Paradise'' is a 1935 American western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and starring Harry Carey, Gertrude Messinger and Edmund Cobb. It was produced by the Poverty Row studio Ajax Pictures for release as a second feature.Pitts p.17 I ...

'' (1935) – Henchman *'' Gun Smoke'' (1935) – Sheep Herder *''

Fighting Pioneers ''Fighting Pioneers'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and written by Harry L. Fraser and Charles E. Roberts. The film stars Rex Bell, Ruth Mix, Buzz Barton, Stanley Blystone, Earl Dwire and Chuck Morrison. The film w ...

'' (1935) – Eagle Feathers *''

Saddle Aces ''Saddle Aces'' is a 1935 American Western film written and directed by Harry L. Fraser. The film stars Rex Bell, Ruth Mix, Buzz Barton, Stanley Blystone, Earl Dwire and John Elliott. The film was released on June 2, 1935, by Resolute Pictures ...

'' (1935) – Canejo Rider Jose *'' The Farmer Takes a Wife'' (1935) – Indian Chief *'' The Singing Vagabond'' (1935) – Young Deer *''

'' (1936, serial) – Young Wolf *''

Silly Billies ''Silly Billies'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Fred Guiol from a screenplay by Al Boasberg and Jack Townley, based on a story by Guiol and Thomas Lennon. The film was the twentieth feature for the comedy duo of Wheeler and Woolsey ...

'' (1936) – Indian *''

For the Service ''For the Service'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Buck Jones and written by Isadore Bernstein. The film stars Buck Jones, Phillip Trent, Edward Keane, Fred Kohler, Beth Marion, Frank McGlynn, Sr. and Ben Corbett. The film was rel ...

'' (1936) – Indian Brave *''

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

'' (1936) – Pablo *'' Ride, Ranger, Ride'' (1936) – Little Wolf *''

The Plainsman ''The Plainsman'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jan ...

'' (1936) – Indian #5 with Painted Horse *''

The Bold Caballero ''The Bold Caballero'' is a 1936 American Western film written and directed by Wells Root. It is based on the character Zorro, created by Johnston McCulley. The characters Don Alejandro Vega (Don Diego's father) and Bernardo are notably absent. ...

'' (1936) – Zorro's aide *''

Riders of the Whistling Skull ''Riders of the Whistling Skull'' is a 1937 " Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie of the weird western genre starring Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and ventriloquist Max Terhune with his dummy Elmer. It was directed by Mack V. Wright, p ...

'' (1937) – High Priest *'' Wild West Days'' (1937) – Indian *''

Renfrew of the Royal Mounted ''Renfrew of the Royal Mounted'' was a popular series of boy's adventure books written by Laurie York Erskine that were later filmed and became a series on both radio and television. Canon 'Inspector Douglas Renfrew' was a former Royal Flying Cor ...

'' (1937) – Indian Henchman *''

'' (1938, serial) – Tonto *''

The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial. It was the fourth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and the studio's first Western serial. The serial was the first to be produced by Columbia personn ...

'' (1938, serial) – Chief Gray Eagle hs. 3, 14*'' Flaming Frontiers'' (1938, serial) – Thunder Cloud *'' The Law West of Tombstone'' (1938) – Chief Little Dog *'' The Lone Ranger Rides Again'' (1939, Serial) – Tonto *''

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

'' (1939) – Cherokee Indian *''

Man of Conquest ''Man of Conquest'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by George Nicholls Jr. and starring Richard Dix, Gail Patrick, and Joan Fontaine. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Score, Best Sound ( Charles L. Lootens), a ...

'' (1939) – Cherokee Indian *'' The Cat and the Canary'' (1939) – Indian Guide *'' Fighting Mad'' (1939) – Indian *'' Geronimo'' (1939) – Geronimo *'' Murder on the Yukon'' (1940) – Manti – Henchman *''

Young Buffalo Bill ''Young Buffalo Bill'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Roy Rogers and George "Gabby" Hayes. Plot The film takes place in the New Mexico Territory of the United States in the 1860s. Bill Cody and his friend ...

'' (1940) – Akuna *''

Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

'' (1940) – Kehi *''

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

'' (1940) – Lightfoot *'' North West Mounted Police'' (1940) – Wandering Spirit *''

Hi-Yo Silver ''Hi-Yo Silver'' is a 1940 American Western film, directed by William Witney and John English. It stars Lee Powell, Hi-Yo Silver, and Chief Thundercloud and was released on April 10, 1940. The film was created by condensing the fifteen chapt ...

'' (1940) – (archive footage) *'' Hudson's Bay'' (1941) – Orimha *''

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...

'' (1941) – Indian Leader *'' Pirates on Horseback'' (1941) – Flying Cloud *'' Silver Stallion'' (1941) – Freshwater *'' Shut My Big Mouth'' (1942) – Indian Interpreter *''

My Gal Sal ''My Gal Sal'' is a 1942 American musical film distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer Sally Elliot. It was based on a biographi ...

'' (1942) – Murphy *''

Lady in a Jam ''Lady in a Jam'' is a 1942 film comedy directed by Gregory La Cava and starring Irene Dunne, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, and Eugene Pallette. It was made and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film's sets were designed by the art director ...

'' (1942) – Thundercloud *''

King of the Stallions ''King of the Stallions'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Edward Finney and written by Arthur St. Claire and Sherman L. Lowe. The film stars Chief Thundercloud, Rick Vallin, Barbara Felker, Dave O'Brien, Chief Yowlachie and Sally ...

'' (1942) – Hahawi *''

Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service ...

'' (1942) – Chief Many Moons h. 13*''

The Valley of Vanishing Men ''The Valley of Vanishing Men'' is a 1942 American Western film serial. It was the 20th of 57 released by Columbia Pictures. Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, it stars Bill Elliott, Slim Summerville, and Carmen Morales. Plot In this serial, ...

'' (1942, serial) – Chief Tall Tree (ch. 9) *''

Daredevils of the West ''Daredevils of the West'' is an American Western movie serial consisting of 12 chapters, released by Republic Pictures in 1943 starring Allan Lane and Kay Aldridge. The plot involves a gang of land-grabbers who try to prevent safe passage o ...

'' (1943, serial) – Indian Chief h. 8, 9*''

The Law Rides Again ''The Law Rides Again'' is a 1943 American Western (genre), Western film, directed by Alan James and starring Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson. Cast *Ken Maynard as U.S. Marshal Ken Maynard *Hoot Gibson as U.S. Marshal Hoot Gibson *Jack La Rue a ...

'' (1943) – Thundercloud *'' The Fighting Seabees'' (1944) – Indian Seabee *'' Buffalo Bill'' (1944) – Crazy Horse *''Outlaw Trail'' (1944) – Chief *'' Sonora Stagecoach'' (1944) – Chief Thunder Cloud *'' Raiders of Ghost City'' (1944, serial) – Chief Tahona *''

Black Arrow Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971, all launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in Australia. Its final fl ...

'' (1944, serial) – Tribal Medicine Man *''

Nob Hill Nob Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States that is known for its numerous luxury hotels and historic mansions. Nob Hill has historically served as a center of San Francisco's upper class. Nob Hill is among the highes ...

'' (1945) – Indian Chief *'' The Phantom Rider'' (1946, serial) – Chief Yellow Wolf *'' Romance of the West'' (1946) – Chief Eagle Feather *''

Badman's Territory ''Badman's Territory'' is a 1946 American Western film starring Randolph Scott. It was followed by the loose sequels '' Return of the Bad Men'' (1948) and ''Best of the Badmen'' (1951). Plot Just north of Texas and west of the Oklahoma borde ...

'' (1946) – Chief Tahlequah *''

'' (1946) – Chief White Cloud *'' Unconquered'' (1947) – Chief Killbuck *''

The Prairie ''The Prairie: A Tale'' (1827) is a novel by James Fenimore Cooper, the third novel written by him featuring Natty Bumppo. His fictitious frontier hero Bumppo is never called by his name, but is instead referred to as "the trapper" or "the old ...

'' (1947) – Eagle Feather *''

The Senator Was Indiscreet ''The Senator Was Indiscreet'' is a 1947 comedy film, the only movie directed by playwright, theatrical director/producer, humorist, and drama critic George S. Kaufman. Produced by Universal Pictures it starred William Powell as a dim-witted U.S. ...

'' (1947) – Indian *'' Blazing Across the Pecos'' (1948) – Chief Bear Claw *'' Call of the Forest'' (1949) – Stormcloud *'' Mrs. Mike'' (1949) – Indian *''

The Traveling Saleswoman ''The Traveling Saleswoman'' is a 1950 American Western comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring Joan Davis, Andy Devine, Adele Jergens, Joe Sawyer, and Dean Riesner. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on February 15, 1950. ...

'' (1950) – Running Deer *''

Davy Crockett, Indian Scout ''Davy Crockett, Indian Scout'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lew Landers and starring George Montgomery and Ellen Drew. Wartime hero Johnny McKee had a small role in the film, as did Jim Thorpe. The film was shot at the Motion ...

'' (1950) – Sleeping Fox *''

Ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind mo ...

'' (1950) – Tana *''

A Ticket to Tomahawk ''A Ticket to Tomahawk'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Richard Sale and starring Dan Dailey and Anne Baxter. It was released by 20th Century Fox. Marilyn Monroe appeared in one of her earliest roles. Plot In 1876, Johnny Jameson ...

'' (1950) – Crooked Knife *'' Colt .45'' (1950) – Walking Bear *'' The Iroquois Trail'' (1950) – Ottawa Chief *''

I Killed Geronimo ''I Killed Geronimo'' is a 1950 American Western film about the Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo. Directed by John Hoffman and starring James Ellison, Virginia Herrick, and Chief Thundercloud in the role of Geronimo, the film has been describ ...

'' (1950) – Geronimo *''

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

'' (1950) – Indian *''

Last of the Buccaneers ''Last of the Buccaneers'' is a 1950 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Lew Landers and starring Paul Henreid as Jean Lafitte. Plot Swashbuckler about the adventures of pirate Jean Lafitte after he helped save New Orleans from a Br ...

'' (1950) – Indian Leader on Galveston Island *'' Santa Fe'' (1951) – Chief Longfeather *'' Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory'' (1952) – Black Hawk *''

The Half-Breed ''The Half-Breed'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Stuart Gilmore and written by Harold Shumate, Richard Wormser and Charles Hoffman. The film stars Robert Young, Janis Carter, Jack Buetel, Barton MacLane, Reed Hadley and Porter ...

'' (1952) – Apache *''

'' (1956) – Comanche Chief

References

External links

*
Chief Thundercloud at B-WesternsChief Thundercloud at What-a-Character
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thundercloud, Chief 1890s births 1955 deaths People from Muskogee, Oklahoma Male Western (genre) film actors Male film serial actors University of Arizona alumni Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent 20th-century American male actors American people of Mexican descent American people who self-identify as being of Muscogee descent