Chief Yowlachie
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- August 15, 1891
- Died
- March 7, 1966
- Birthplace
- Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, USA
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.
Filmography
Yellowstone Kelly 1959
as Medicine Man (uncredited)
The FBI Story 1959
as Harry Willowtree (uncredited)
The Spirit of St. Louis 1957
as Indian (uncredited)
Hollywood or Bust 1956
as Chief Running Water
Gunfighters of the Northwest 1954
as Chief Running Elk
Rose Marie 1954
as Black Eagle
The Pathfinder 1952
as Eagle Feather
Son of Geronimo 1952
as Geronimo [ch 15]
The Half-Breed 1952
as Apache Chief (uncredited)
Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory 1952
as Chief White Cloud
Warpath 1951
as Chief
The Painted Hills 1951
as Bald Eagle
Cherokee Uprising 1950
as Gray Eagle
Winchester '73 1950
as Indian at Rifle Shoot (uncredited)
A Ticket to Tomahawk 1950
as Pawnee
Annie Get Your Gun 1950
as Little Horse (uncredited)
Kill the Umpire 1950
as Indian (uncredited)
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town 1950
as Crowbar (uncredited)
Mrs. Mike 1949
as Atenou
My Friend Irma 1949
as Indian (uncredited)
The Cowboy and the Indians 1949
as Chief Long Arrow (uncredited)
Canadian Pacific 1949
as Indian Chief (uncredited)
El Paso 1949
Actor
Yellow Sky 1948
as Colorado (uncredited)
The Paleface 1948
as Chief Yellow Feather
You Gotta Stay Happy 1948
as Native American Man (Uncredited)
Red River 1948
as Quo
The Gallant Legion 1948
as Indian Medicine Man
The Senator Was Indiscreet 1947
as Indian
The Prairie 1947
as Matoreeh
Bowery Buckaroos 1947
as Big Chief Hi-Octane
The Hucksters 1947
as Indian (uncredited)
Wild West 1946
as Chief Black Fox
The Strange Woman 1946
as Guide (uncredited)
Canyon Passage 1946
as Indian Spokesman (uncredited)
Frontier Fury 1943
as Captured Indian (uncredited)
Dawn on the Great Divide 1942
as Indian
King of the Stallions 1942
as Chief Matapotan
Ride 'Em Cowboy 1942
as Chief Tomahawk (uncredited)
This Woman Is Mine 1941
as Chief One-Eye Comcomly
White Eagle 1941
as Chief Running Deer
North West Mounted Police 1940
as Indian
Winners of the West 1940
as Chief War Eagle
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe 1940
as King of the Rock People (uncredited)
The Girl of the Golden West 1930
as Billy Jackrabbit
The Santa Fe Trail 1930
as Brown Beaver
Way Out West 1930
as Indian (uncredited)
Tiger Rose 1929
as Indian
- The Invaders
The Invaders 1929
Actor
Hawk of the Hills 1929
as Chief White Wolf
The Glorious Trail 1928
as High Wolf
The Red Raiders 1927
as Lone Wolf
With Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre 1927
as Sitting Bull
War Paint 1926
as Iron Eyes
Forlorn River 1926
as Modoc Joe
Moran of the Mounted 1926
as Biting Wolf
Ella Cinders 1926
as Indian with Cigar (uncredited)
Kentucky Days 1923
as Indian Scout
Credits from TMDB.