Biography
Victor Daniels was honorarily titled "Chief" and identified as Cherokee, though his background remains unclear. His social security application lists his birthdate as April 12, 1899, and his birthplace as Arizona. Thundercloud was the oldest of nine children born to Jesus and Tomaca Daniels, according to his social security records. However, on his 1925 marriage certificate to Mildred Turner, he gave his name as "Victor Vazquez."
Raised on an Arizona ranch, he claimed to have attended the University of Arizona at Tucson, but the Registrar's office found no record of his enrollment. Before entering films as a stuntman in 1929, he worked on cattle ranches and rodeos, and held jobs as a mining foreman, boxer, and guide.
By 1935, Hollywood had given him the stage name "Chief Thundercloud," and he began taking on acting roles, often uncredited. Over the next twenty years, he portrayed tough, stern characters in numerous B-westerns such as Cyclone of the Saddle (1935), Ramona (1936), The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938), Young Buffalo Bill (1940), North West Mounted Police (1940), The Law Rides Again (1943), Romance of the West (1946), Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950), and Santa Fe (1951). He frequently received credit for playing tribal members and chiefs, often cast more as villains than heroes.
Chief Thundercloud is best remembered for originating the role of the loyal sidekick "Tonto" in the serial The Lone Ranger (1938) and its sequel The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939). He also starred in the title role of Paramount Pictures' Geronimo! (1939). On television, he appeared in shows such as Death Valley Days, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, My Little Margie, and Buffalo Bill, Jr.
After an uncredited role as a chief in the classic western The Searchers (1956), he passed away at age 56 following surgery for stomach cancer in Ventura County, California, on November 30, 1955. Twice married, he was survived by his second wife, Frances—a former singer—and their two children. He was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Los Angeles area.
He should not be confused with Chief Thunder Cloud (1856–1916), a Blackfoot tribe member and Army scout who later performed with P.T. Barnum and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
