Tonto is a fictional character, the Native American companion or sidekick of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and television series and other presentations of the characters' adventures righting wrongs in 19th century western America.In Spanish, tonto translates as moron or fool . So in the Spanish dubbed version, the character is called Toro (bull).Tonto made his first appearance on the 11th episode of the radio show, which originated on the Detroit, Michigan, radio station WXYZ. Though he became well known as the Lone Ranger's friend, Tonto was originally created just so the Lone Ranger would have someone with whom to talk. Throughout the radio run (which spanned 21 years), with only a few exceptions, Tonto was played by American actor John Todd.The character was portrayed on television (arguably the most well-remembered version today) by Jay Silverheels. This was the highest-rated television program on the ABC network in the early 1950s and its first true hit. Michael Horse portrayed Tonto in the 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger. The most recent portrayal was by Johnny Depp in the 2013 Disney film The Lone Ranger. Show less «