Acting
Chief Yowlachie
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
The Virginian
Series · 1962
Yellowstone Kelly
Film · 1959
The FBI Story
Film · 1959
The Spirit of St. Louis
Film · 1957
Hollywood or Bust
Film · 1956
Buffalo Bill Jr.
Series · 1955
Rose Marie
Film · 1954
Gunfighters of the Northwest
Film · 1954
Stories of the Century
Series · 1954
The Half-Breed
Film · 1952
Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory
Film · 1952
Son of Geronimo
Film · 1952
The Pathfinder
Film · 1952
The Painted Hills
Film · 1951
Warpath
Film · 1951
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
Film · 1950
Kill the Umpire
Film · 1950
Winchester '73
Film · 1950
A Ticket to Tomahawk
Film · 1950
Cherokee Uprising
Film · 1950
Annie Get Your Gun
Film · 1950
Mrs. Mike
Film · 1949
The Cowboy and the Indians
Film · 1949
El Paso
Film · 1949
Canadian Pacific
Film · 1949
My Friend Irma
Film · 1949
The Lone Ranger
Series · 1949
Red River
Film · 1948
The Paleface
Film · 1948
The Gallant Legion
Film · 1948
Yellow Sky
Film · 1948
You Gotta Stay Happy
Film · 1948
The Senator Was Indiscreet
Film · 1947
The Hucksters
Film · 1947
Bowery Buckaroos
Film · 1947
The Prairie
Film · 1947
Wild West
Film · 1946
The Strange Woman
Film · 1946
Canyon Passage
Film · 1946
Frontier Fury
Film · 1943
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Film · 1942
Dawn on the Great Divide
Film · 1942
This Woman Is Mine
Film · 1941
White Eagle
Film · 1941
Winners of the West
Film · 1940
North West Mounted Police
Film · 1940
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Film · 1940
The Girl of the Golden West
Film · 1930
The Santa Fe Trail
Film · 1930
Way Out West
Film · 1930
The Invaders
Film · 1929
Hawk of the Hills
Film · 1929
Tiger Rose
Film · 1929
The Glorious Trail
Film · 1928
The Red Raiders
Film · 1927
With Sitting Bull at the Spirit Lake Massacre
Film · 1927
Ella Cinders
Film · 1926
War Paint
Film · 1926
Forlorn River
Film · 1926
Moran of the Mounted
Film · 1926
Kentucky Days
Film · 1923