Chief Tahachee (born 4 March 1904 in James Mill, Arkansas - died June 9, 1978 in San Gabriel, California) was an American-born Old Settler Cherokee Indian who was a stage and film actor, expert horseman, circus and wild west performer, contortionist and firewalker. March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... James Mill James Mill (April 6, 1773 - June 23, 1836), historian and philosopher, was born at Northwater Bridge, in the parish of Logie-Pert, Forfarshire, the son of James Mill, a shoemaker. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 137 732 km² 385 km 420 km 2. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... San Gabriel (the Spanish name of the Archangel Gabriel) could mean one of several places: San Gabriel, Ecuador San Gabriel, Durango, Mexico San Gabriel, Guanajuato, Mexico San Gabriel, Jalisco, Mexico San Gabriel, California, USA San Gabriel Chilac, Puebla, Mexico San Gabriel Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico San Gabriel Valley, California, USA This... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Alternate meanings: Cherokee (disambiguation) The Cherokee are a people native to North America who first inhabited what is now the eastern and southeastern United States before most were forcefully moved to the Ozark Plateau. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The Big Top of Billy Smarts Circus Cambridge 2004. ... Great Basin region, typical American West The Western United States has played a significant role in history and fiction. ... Contortionist performing Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is an unusual form of acrobatic display which involves the bending of the human body into positions that would be impossible for most people to achieve. ... Fire-walking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot coals. ...

Chief Tahachee's stage and film career spanned the 1920s to the 1960s. His first film credit was on a silent film, The Last of the Mohicans, in 1920. The Chief was 16 years old at the time, although he told the casting director he was 21. The 1920s were a decade sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

Through his friends, silent film actors Ben Turpin (a relative of his first wife) and Ramon Navarro, Chief Tahachee obtained the roles of a henchman in A Small Town Idol, and Gaucho Don Ruiz in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, both produced in 1921. Ben Turpin (1869-1940) Ben Turpin (1869-1940) Ben Turpin (center) with two Mack Sennett Studios bathing beauties Ben Turpin (September 19, 1869 - July 1, 1940) was a comedian, best remembered for his work in silent films. ... Woodcut by Albrecht Dürer The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Though Chief Tahachee was in motion pictures starting in the 1920s, his career did not take off until his chance meeting with film director Rollin S. Sturgeon, who cast Chief Tahachee in a bit part as a cowboy in North of the Rio Grande in 1922, a film starring Jack Holt and BeBe Daniels. This part was given to him by chance, as the Chief was picked from a crowd of fans, extras, actors and directors loitering around the film location in Northern California (Bishop and Lone Pine) where North of the Rio Grande was being shot. Mr. Sturgeon groomed Chief Tahachee and from that point, parts were easier to come by as a result of the Chief's new friendship. Mr. Sturgeon is also credited with convincing the young Cherokee actor to add Chief to his name for publicity purposes, which Tahachee did reluctantly. The Chief was eventually given the honorary title of Chief to recognize his activism and support of many American Indian causes. When he was asked about his title, the Chief used to tell people, "Didn't you know everyone is a Chief in Hollywood? It's a land of make believe!" 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jack Holt Jack Holt (actor) (May 31, 1888 - January 18, 1951) U.S. motion picture actor. ...

Unlike many of his counterparts (Chief Yowlatchie and Chief John Big Tree), Chief Tahachee did not limit himself to American Indian roles during his 40-year career. His friend and fellow American Indian actor Charles Stevens (grandson of Geronimo) taught him not to typecast himself, and as a result of this advice Chief Tahachee portrayed every form and manner of American Indian. But he also portrayed gangsters, thugs, henchman, cowboys, Mexicans, Anglos, Hindus, soldiers, policemen, sheriffs, deputies, townsman, barflys, Mongols, sailors, and even Chinese. Chief Tahachee would not turn down a role, no matter how insignificant it seemed. American Indian can refer to: Native Americans in the United States; Any of the indigenous peoples of the Americas; the First Nations of Canada; American Indians, as defined by the U.S. Census. ... Geronimo Geronimo (Chiricahua Goyaałé One Who Yawns; often spelled Goyathlay in English), (June 16, 1829–February 17, 1909) was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who long warred against the encroachment of settlers of European descent on tribal lands. ...

Chief Tahachee appeared in over 400 films including A-westerns, B-westerns, film noir (which was the Chief's favorite genre), drama, and historical sagas. He is most recognized for his roles in The Alamo (1960), Elmer Gantry (1960), Some Like it Hot (1959), Forty Guns (1957), Walk the Proud Land (1956), and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). This still from The Big Combo (1955) demonstrates the visual style of film noir at its most extreme. ... Typically, The Alamo refers to the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, in direct reference to a building refered to as the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Elmer Gantry is a 1927 novel by Sinclair Lewis as well as a 1960 film which tells the story of a con man who teams up with a female evangelist to sell religion to small-town America. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Some Like It Hot is a 1959 comedy film cowritten and directed by Billy Wilder. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are mentioned in the Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that they will ride during the Apocalypse. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Chief Tahachee's close friends, actors and various associates in the film industry were Carl "Cherokee" Matthews, Bill Hazlett, Jay Silverheels, Chief Yowlatchie, Nipo T. Strongheart, Chief John Big Tree, Owen "Jack" Randall, Buck Jones, Charles Stevens and Charles Brunner (also known as Chief Rolling Cloud). Chief Tahachee also authored four books, the most successful being Poems of Dreams. Jay Silverheels (June 26, 1912 – March 5, 1980) was a Canadian actor. ... Buck Jones (born Charles Gebhart, December 4, 1889, Vincennes, Indiana; d. ...

He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in San Dimas, California. San Dimas is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. ...

External links

• Chief Tahachee at the Internet Movie Database