Jack Omohundro was born in Palmyra, Virginia, on 26th July, 1846. During the American Civil War he worked for the Confederate Army as a scout. He served under Major General John Buchanan and it is claimed that he was employed as a spy during the Shenandoah campaign.

After the war Omohundro worked as a school teacher in Florida before moving to Texas where he became a cowboy. Later he was employed as a scout at Fort McPherson. It was during this time he met Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok. In 1872 Omohundro and Cody worked as scouts on an expedition to Nebraska that was led by Lieutenant Bainbridge Reynolds. The 4th Earl of Dunraven also employed Omohundro as a scout and guide.

In 1873 Omohundro joined Cody in Chicago to appear in the play The Scouts of the Prairie. Son afterwards he married Giuseppina Morlacchi, who played a leading role in the play. The couple then formed their own theatre company and appeared in plays all over America. He was particularly successful in New York in 1877-78. One of his most popular plays was The Trapper's Daughter.

Jack Omohundro died in Leadville on 28th June, 1880.