Charles Leon Soldani (June 1, 1893 – September 10, 1968) was a Native American film and television actor. He appeared – often uncredited – in dozens of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

movies and

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, usually playing an Indian warrior or chief. He went by "Chief Soldani" starting in his college days.

Early life

Soldani was born in

Ponca City, Oklahoma Ponca City () is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 24,424 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 25,387 at the tim ...

, on June 1st, 1893. His father was Anthony "Godance" Soldani, an Osage farmer, and Katherine Fronkier, a Kaw woman, both originally from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, where he played tackle on a football team and performed in staged productions. After serving in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

where he achieved second lieutenant, he worked as a car salesman and married Madeline Montgomery in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, whom he eventually divorced.

Career

After moving to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Soldani encountered success in amateur golf championships. He got his acting debut playing an Indian in '' War Paint'', a 1926 silent

directed by W.S. Van Dyke. He eventually transitioned to

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

and obtained his first credit in 1939 in '' The Pioneers'', directed by

Albert Herman Albert Herman (1887–1958) was an American actor, screenwriter and film director. Herman was a prolific director, working mainly on low-budget movies for companies such as Producers Releasing Corporation. He is sometimes credited as Al Herman. ...

. His credit as "Chief Soldani" became his nickname in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Soldani became one of the industry's go-to actors to portray Native Americans from various tribes, either in an uncredited part or in a speaking role, along with the occasional portraying of a "native" in

South Seas genre The South Seas genre is a genre spanning various expressive forms including literature, film, visual art, and entertainment that depicts the islands of the southern Pacific Ocean through an escapist narrative lens. Stories may sometimes take plac ...

productions. Starting in the late 1950s, most of Soldani's work focused on television, appearing in multiple episodes of Western television series like

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin ''The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin'' is an American children's Western television series that aired 164 episodes from October 1954 to May 1959 on the ABC television network. The show starred Lee Aaker as Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian rai ...

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

, Laramie,

Maverick Maverick or Maveric may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau T-32 M ...

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western (genre), Western, spy film, spy, and science fiction on television, science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 19 ...

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

Personal life and death

Soldani remarried in 1934 to Joice L. Gardner in

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

, whom he lived with in the Los Angeles area until his death in 1968. He was an avid billiard player and kept playing golf well into his 70s.

Selected filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soldani, Charles 1893 births 1968 deaths People from Ponca City, Oklahoma University of Notre Dame alumni American military personnel of World War I Native American male actors Native American people from Oklahoma 20th-century Native American people American people of Osage descent Kaw people Male actors from Oklahoma American male film actors 20th-century American male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Male Western (genre) film actors