John Todd

Who was John Todd?

John Todd was an American actor. Known for Shakespearean roles, Todd soon gained work at Detroit radio station WXYZ, as part of director James Jewell's repertory company, with roles on the various series produced by the station.

His most famous work was on The Lone Ranger. He played a local sheriff in some of the show's earliest episodes, but on the twelfth broadcast, which aired February 25, 1933, Todd first played his most famous role, the masked man's Native American companion Tonto.

Todd was a bald and stocky man of Irish descent, though he occasionally donned a wig for publicity photos. He was usually replaced by a Native American performer for public appearances. With the exception of a brief period where he was replaced by a real Native American, Todd played Tonto for almost the entire radio run, and was the only original cast member heard on the final broadcast, on September 3, 1954.

Station owner George Trendle wanted to replace Todd in the role of Tonto because he was "too old". Todd's replacement, a college educated Native American, refused to perform the "me do" and "him go" type lines as written and Todd was given back the role of Tonto.