Chief Dan George, a multitalented individual, was born Geswanouth Slahoot, later anglicized as 'Dan Slaholt', in present-day North Vancouver on the Burrard Indian Reserve Nº. 3. As the son of a tribal chief, he held a unique status, being the only Aboriginal actor in Canadian history to earn the right to use the title "Chief". He served as the leader of the Squamish First Nation of Burrard Inlet from 1951 to 1963 and retained the honorary title after his term ended.
Born with the name Geswanouth Slahoot, his last name was changed to George when he was just five years old, after he entered a mission boarding school where the use of his native language was discouraged. This change had a significant impact on his life, as he was forced to adapt to a new identity.
Before pursuing a career in acting, Chief Dan George worked in various roles, including as a longshoreman, logger, bus driver, and itinerant musician. He spent most of his early life working as a longshoreman, construction worker, and school-bus driver. It wasn't until he auditioned for the role of Ol' Antoine on Cariboo Country (1960),a CBC series, that he made his screen debut at the age of 65. He went on to play the same part in Smith! (1969),a Disney adaptation of one of the show's episodes based on "Breaking Smith's Quarterhorse", a novella by Paul St. Pierre, starring Glenn Ford.
His breakthrough role came when he played "Old Lodge Skins" in Little Big Man (1970),which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1970. He continued to appear in films and established himself as a skilled stage actor. Chief Dan George passed away in 1981, at the age of 82, on the same Indian reserve where he was born in North Vancouver.
