Tarzans through Time Tarzans through Time A Brief History of Former Ape Men by Beth Rowen Johnny Weissmuller , perhaps the silver screen's most famous Tarzan, sweeps Jane ( Maureen O'Sullivan ) off her feet. While nearly 20 beefcake actors have shed their clothes and donned loincloths to play Tarzan , none have displayed the swinging finesse, physical perfection, or animalistic qualities of the most recent ape man, Disney's animated King of Swing. Weissmuller: Archetypal Ape Man While 1999's Tarzan, voiced by Tony Goldwyn, may be the most buff and fully realized character, he is not the most memorable. Five-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Johnny Weissmuller remains the archetypal Tarzan. Weissmuller portrayed the Lord of the Jungle in 12 films, beginning with Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1932. MGM's most memorable Tarzan movies featured those pairing Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane. They appeared in six films together in the 1930s and early '40s.

The most famous of these outings is probably 1934's Tarzan and His Mate, in which Tarzan and Jane do a nude underwater dance. This controversial film marked the last Tarzan film geared for an adult audience. The subsequent installments in the Tarzan series became family fare, subject to the motion-picture industry's newly established censorship code. The films of this era were the most faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs' stories and boasted consistently high production values. Couch Potato Tarzan? Weissmuller was not the first actor to play Tarzan. In fact, the series began in 1918, with poorly cast, overweight Elmo Lincoln playing the lead in the silent Tarzan of the Apes. Enid Markey played Jane. Lincoln killed an actual lion in the film (remember, this was 1918, before the animal rights movement was born). He later appeared in two other Tarzan films, The Romance of Tarzan (1918) and The Adventures of Tarzan (1921). Olympic Arenas to TV Jungles The role of Tarzan called for strength and physical stamina, which is why several Olympic and professional athletes were hired to play the part.

Gold-medalist swimmer Buster Crabbe , best known for his portrayal of Flash Gordon, took over for Weissmuller and appeared in the little-seen Tarzan the Fearless (1933). He was followed by Olympian Herman Brix, who starred in The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) and Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938). Two Olympic athletes headed the cast in the low-budget Tarzan's Revenge, decathlete Glenn Morris and backstroker/party girl Eleanor Holm . While neither had much acting talent, they looked fabulous in their loincloths. UCLA basketball star Denny Miller played the title character in 1959's Tarzan, the Ape Man. Los Angeles Rams linebacker Mike Henry put his physique and movie-star looks to good use in three Tarzan films, including Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966) and Tarzan and the Great River (1967). Modern Ape Men Mike Henry passed the torch onto another former professional football player, Ron Ely.

He only starred in two movies, 1970's Tarzan's Deadly Silence and Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion, but he did headline the NBC television series for two years, giving up the role after a series of injuries. The Tarzan series screeched to a halt in 1970, having deteriorated into contrived, kiddie fare. The 1980s saw two Tarzan films, the utterly forgettable Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981), starring Miles O'Keefe and Bo Derek, and the inspired Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), starring Christopher Lambert and Andie MacDowell . A Disney-fied Approach In bringing Edgar Rice Burroughs ' Lord of the Jungle to the big screen (there have been no fewer than 45 full-length Tarzan films), Disney had to come up with an attraction that would lure kids and their parents into theaters. The directors of Tarzan , Chris Buck and Kevin Lima, spent countless hours watching videos of skateboarding guru Tony Hawk in an attempt to create a character that would appeal to kids.

Their efforts paid off; Tarzan not only swings, he deftly surfs the lush vegetation of the African jungle as he seeks out his place in the world. The critically praised film succeeds on every level, from animation to music to style and storytelling. It's fitting that the last Tarzan film of the century emerged as one of the most ambitious, enjoyable outings of all the jungle adventures. Did you know? Actors Who’ve Played the Same Character the Most Times Actors Who’ve Played the Same Character the Most Times May 13, 2014 Published in Movie Buffs With Hugh Jackman currently negotiating to play Wolverine for a seventh and eighth time, Cinelinx takes a look at actors who’ve played the same role eight times or more. Who has played the same character most often? Come in and find out. Hugh Jackman has already played Wolverine five times--X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003) X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), and The Wolverine (2013)—as well as a cameo in X-Men:First Class (2011).

Soon we’ll be seeing him fully clawed again on the big screen in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Recently, he told Collider that he might shoot Wolverine 3 and X-Men: Apocalypse “back-to-back”, which would make a total of eight times (9 times with the cameo) that he’ll portray the Canadian mutant. You might be thinking “Wow! That’s amazing! I’ve never heard of anyone playing the same role so many times.” Well, for those who may not know it, Jackman isn’t the first guy to play the same role eight times or more. So, for the edification of curious film lovers, here’s a list of people who’ve played the same character at least eight times.

The Cast of the Harry Potter films…Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, etc.—8 times total Films: Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone (2001), HPAT The Chamber Of Secrets (2002), HPAT The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004), HPAT The Goblet Of Fire (2005), HPAT The Order Of The Phoenix (2007), HPAT The Half-Blood Prince (2009), HPAT The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), HPAT The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

Robert Englund as Freddy Kruger—8 times total in film (Plus a TV series) Films: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), ANOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), ANOES 3: Dream Warriors (1987), ANOES 4: The Dream Master (1988), ANOES 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), Freddy Vs. Jason (2003). Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock— 8 times total on film (Plus a TV series and a cartoon series) Films: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982), Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).

Christopher Lee as Dracula—10 times total Films: Dracula (1958), Dracula: Prince Of Darkness (1966), Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968), Count Dracula, (1970), Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970), One More Time (1970), Scars Of Dracula (1970), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972), The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973), Dracula And Son (1976). Bernard Lee as M in the James Bond film series—11 times total Films: Dr.

No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979) Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan—12 times total Films: Tarzan The Ape Man (1932), Tarzan And His Mate (1934), Tarzan Escapes (1936), Tarzan Finds A Son!

(1939), Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941), Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942), Tarzan Triumphs (1943), Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943), Tarzan And The Amazons (1945), Tarzan And The Leopard Woman (1946), Tarzan And The Huntress (1947), Tarzan And The Mermaids (1948). Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny in the James Bond film series—14 times total Films: Dr.

No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View To A Kill (1985) Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr.

Watson—14 times total on film (plus a radio series) Films: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942), Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943), The Spider Woman (1944), The Scarlet Claw (1944), The Pearl of Death (1944), The House of Fear (1945), The Woman in Green (1945), Pursuit to Algiers (1945), Terror by Night (1946), Dressed to Kill (1946) Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim…16 Times total Films: Jungle Jim (1948), The Lost Tribe (1949), Mark Of The Gorilla (1950), Captive Girl (1950), Jungle Jim In Pygmy Island (1950), Fury Of The Congo (1951), Jungle Manhunt (1951), Jungle Jim In The Forbidden Land

 (1952), Voodoo Tiger (1952), Savage Mutiny (1953), Valley Of The Headhunters (1953), Killer Ape (1953), Jungle Man-Eaters (1954), Cannibal Attack (1954), Jungle Moon Men (1955), Devil Goddess (1956).

Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy—16 times total Films: A Family Affair (1937), You’re Only Young Once (1937), Judge Hardy’s Children (1938), Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938), Out West with the Hardys (1938), The Hardys Ride High (1939), Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939), Judge Hardy And Son (1939), Andy Hardy Meets Debutante (1940), Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941), Life Begins For Andy Hardy (1941), The Courtship Of Andy Hardy (1942), Andy Hardy’s Double Life (1942), Andy Hardy’s Blonde Trouble (1944), Love Laughs At Andy Hardy (1946), Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958).

Desmond Llewelyn as Q in the James Bond series—17 times total Films: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View To A Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987), Licence To Kill (1989), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999). And the all-time champs… Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton as Dagwood and Blondie—28 films in total (Plus a Radio show, and Lake did TV version) MovieNews | Which actor has played the same role the most times? - entertainment.ie Home > Cinema > Movie News > Which actor has played the same role the most times?

Which actor has played the same role the most times? 2069 Share with Facebook With the imminent release of X-Men: Days Of Future Past, and with the already announced X-Men: Apocalypse and The Wolverine 2, Hugh Jackman will have played the not-so-cuddly Logan an amazing NINE times (ten if you count the dual roles of Days Of Future Past). But while none of those movies have actually come out yet, or in the case of two of them, haven’t even begun to be shot, there are other actors out there who have played the same role over and over and over again to their heart’s content. But who has played the same person the most times? Read on! A Lot Of The Cast Of Harry Potter – 8 TIMES Starting off with The Philsopher’s Stone and rounding out at The Deathly Hallows Part 2, we had Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Draco Malfoy, Hagrid, Snape, Seamus, Goyle, Neville, Fred, George, Ginny and Lily Potter pop up in all eight films, and all eight characters played by the same actors. What are the odds on some of these returning as older characters when the series gets its inevitable reboot a decade from now?

Robert Englund as Freddy Kreuger – 8 TIMES He first appeared with third degree burns way back in 1984, continued on through five direct sequels, then returned with the first proper meta-horror film with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, and was last seen getting slapped about the place by another icon in Freddy VS Jason in 2003. Was incorrectly dumped in favour of Jackie Earle Haley for the crap remake. Leonard Nimoy as Spock – 8 TIMES Having appeared in six of the original series’ spin off movies, Nimoy wouldn’t even be on this list if it weren’t for director JJ Abrams not sticking him into the 2009 reboot and Into Darkness four years later. This number could go even higher if he pops up in the next instalment, that is if they can finally nail someone down to direct it now that Abrams has popped off to another space-based franchise. Christopher Lee as Dracula – 10 TIMES Between 1958 and 1976, the legendary Lee appeared as the Count in series of movies, the quality of which can only be described as “varied”.

Yes, the original Dracula was a fantastic (and still kinda scary) old-school horror, but then it all just kinda bled out when he started appearing in cack like Dracula And Son. Yes, he gets to appear on this list, but he should’ve put a stake through it much earlier. Bernard Lee as M – 11 TIMES Given that Skyfall was essentially Bond 23, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find someone from the Bond universe on this list. Lee was the boss of more than one Bond, kicking off with the franchise in Dr. No back in 1962, and calling it a day with Moonraker in 1979. After him we had Robert Brown, Judi Dench and most recently Ralph Fiennes, and just like Bond, people will be left eternally arguing who the best M was. Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan – 12 TIMES Forgive us for this, but are we alone in thinking that most of the Tarzan movie titles were a little bit … porny?

Tarzan The Ape Man (1932), Tarzan And His Mate (1934), Tarzan Escapes (1936), Tarzan Finds A Son! (1939), Tarzan’s Secret Treasure (1941), Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942), Tarzan Triumphs (1943), Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943), Tarzan And The Amazons (1945), Tarzan And The Leopard Woman (1946), Tarzan And The Huntress (1947), Tarzan And The Mermaids (1948). Just us? Okay then, moving on… Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny – 14 TIMES Beating out Bernard Lee with even more appearances, but still not the most avid Bond actor on this list, Lois held a candle for the secret agent from Dr. No all the way to A View To A Kill in 1985. That was 23 years of a crush, so it may be time to move on with your life, dear.

After Maxwell, we had Barbara Bouchet (one movie), Pamela Salem (one movie), Caroline Bliss (two movies), the perfectly named Samantha Bond (four movies), and most recently, Naomie Harris, who accidentally shot Bond on their first time out together. Perfect! Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim – 16 TIMES No, we’ve never heard of Jungle Jim either. And yes, it’s the SAME GUY who played Tarzan all those times, once he got too old to play the loincloth’d holler-er, he threw on some khakis and basically become a clothed, able-to-talk version of Tarzan. Oh, and another thing, he made these sixteen films in just seven years. He’s like a reverse Terence Malick. Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy – 16 TIMES Did you know that Mickey Rooney was the biggest box office draw from 1939 to 1940? Wow! Spanning two decades! People are complaining lately about how poor Chris Evans has been tied up to a six picture deal, or poor Sam Jackson has got caught up in a nine picture deal.

Let them play Captain America or Nick Fury sixteen times, then we’ll see if we’ve got any sympathy. Desmond Llewyln as Q – 17 TIMES He wasn’t there at the start of the series, first arriving with From Russia With Love, and his last entry into the series was The World Is Not Enough, a very average Pierce Brosnan outing, but you can’t think of the Bond franchise without Llewyln’s Q coming to mind. He passed the torch on to John Cleese, who only hung about for one film, and recently we’ve got Ben Whishaw, who completely switches up the dynamic, while keeping the bicker-y banter in play. But Whishaw is going to have to still be playing the part in 2050 just to keep up with the legendary Llewyln.

Johnny Sheffield: Child actor who played 'Boy' to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan | The Independent Johnny Sheffield: Child actor who played 'Boy' to Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan Wednesday 20 October 2010 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Johnny Sheffield originated the role of "Boy" in the Tarzan film series, playing the role in eight of the films, all with Johnny Weissmuller, acknowledged as the greatest screen Tarzan of the many actors who played the role. Weissmuller had made three hit films for MGM, Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), Tarzan Finds a Mate (1934) and Tarzan Escapes (1936), when it was decided to give his character a son. Sheffield won the role over 300 applicants, mainly because of Weissmuller's approval. Later the curly-haired youngster starred in another jungle series as Bomba, the Jungle Boy, and though the films were low-budget "B" movies, they proved popular, particularly with young audiences.

Born Jon Matthew Sheffield Cassan in 1931 in Pasadena, California, he was a son of a British juvenile actor turned character player, Reginald Sheffield, and a Vassar College graduate who lectured on the arts. In 1938, one of Broadway's biggest hits was Paul Osborn's mixture of comedy, drama and fantasy, On Borrowed Time, which focused on the loving relationship between a seven-year old named Pud and his crusty, octogenarian grandfather. Johnny Sheffield, who had been coached by his father, won the role of Pud in the Los Angeles production, and later took over the role in New York. When his father saw an advertisement in the Hollywood Reporter asking, "Have you a Tarzan Jr in your backyard?", he arranged an interview for his son, who had a flair for athletics. "Part of the selection process was a swimming test with Weissmuller," Sheffield said. "I could not swim a stroke, but Big John liked me and said he would give me the test anyway. I'll never forget going with this undefeated Olympic swimming champion to the Hollywood Athletic Club for the test. He was a super guy, full of life and fun to be with.

He only wanted to be sure that I wasn't afraid of the water and that I was willing to try to swim." MGM had decided to give Tarzan a son because Maureen O'Sullivan, who played his mate, Jane, disliked the idea of being typecast and had insisted that she be written out of the series. The studio decided to have her die but leave behind a young son, though Tarzan's original creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote 26 novels about Tarzan and Jane, threatened to sue. When news of the plan leaked out, fans protested so vehemently that MGM decided to let Jane live, giving O'Sullivan a large raise in salary as compensation. The introduction of Boy had to be handled with finesse; the Legion of Decency would not allow Tarzan and Jane to have a child, since they were not married. Instead, Boy's parents perished when their 'plane crashed in the jungle. Their baby, the only survivor, was found and raised by the tree-house dwelling couple, who named him Boy. "Weissmuller always had time for me," Sheffield recalled, "though he could have been aloof.

He showed me how to swim so that I could hold my head up for the camera; that was important." When not filming, Sheffield would be getting to know the animals ("It was important for me to be with the lions, chimps and elephants each day"), or attending the studio school. Between Tarzan films he played small roles in other movies, including the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musical Babes in Arms (1939) and Knute Rockne, All American (1940), in which he was Rockne at the age of seven. Tarzan Finds a Son (1939) was well received, Life magazine commenting, "By the addition of a young boy to the Tarzan family, the future of the series seems assured." In Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941), Jane and Boy are kidnapped by the members of a scientific expedition who have discovered that there is gold on Tarzan's escarpment. Tarzan and his elephants come to the rescue.

In Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942), the last of the MGM series, Boy was kidnapped again, by a circus owner who wants him to appear in his show, prompting Tarzan and Jane to don conventional clothes and head for the city. Underrated, the film was not a great success, and MGM failed to renew its rights to the Tarzan character or its contract with Weissmuller. Producer Sol Lesser took the apeman, plus Weissmuller and Sheffield, to RKO (O'Sullivan refused to go). Following the State Department's request that Tarzan's adventures reflect his value for wartime propaganda. Tarzan Triumphs (1943) had its hero initially isolationist in reponse to Nazi invaders, but when Boy is kidnapped by them, he growls, "Now Tarzan make war!" Tarzan's Desert Mystery (1943) also had Nazis as its villains, with Tarzan and Boy also threatened by man-eating plants and a giant spider. Jane, whose absence had been explained by letters from England, returned to the series in Tarzan and the Amazons (1945), played by Brenda Joyce.

"With Maureen I related more to Jane as a child," Sheffield said. "I was 14 now and grown up enough to notice how attractive Brenda Joyce was. We got along swimmingly from the start. I now had Brenda Joyce to tuck me in and kiss at night. Does it get any better than that?" The lively Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946) and equally engrossing Tarzan and the Huntress (1947) were great successes, but they were to be Sheffield's last portrayals of Boy, for he had become almost as large as Weissmuller. However, he was immediately signed by Monogram Studios to star in Bomba, The Jungle Boy (1949), based on Roy Rockwood's series of children's novels about a boy who grew up in the jungle. (Bomba means "a small package" in Swahili.) "The role looked like a natural extension of my jungle career and would allow me to continue my studies at UCLA," he said. Low-budget and rapidly shot compared to the Tarzan films, they were popular with juvenile audiences, who ignored the cut-price production values and stock footage.

Sheffield starred in 11 Bomba films, directed by veteran serial maker Ford Beebe, Lord of the Jungle (1955) ending the series. Sheffield then made a pilot for a TV series, Bantu the Zebra Boy, created and directed by his father, but it failed to find a sponsor, and Sheffield retired from show business, having completed a business degree, later working in farming, real estate and construction. Married in 1959, he had three children. His wife Patti said that last Friday he fell from a ladder while pruning a palm tree. Though his injuries seemed minor, he died of a heart attack four hours later. In recent years he had written articles about his career and sold copies of Bantu the Zebra Boy on video. Asked what was the favourite of his films, he named Tarzan Finds a Son: "It was the beginning.

I got my first baby elephant, Bea, rode in my first private railroad car to location in Florida, I was introduced to my fabulous tree house home, I got my own chimps to play with, I got to feed daily, for a time, Leo the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lion, I was present when my contract was negotiated, and I personally picked up my first movie check!" Tom Vallance Jon Matthew Sheffield Cassan, actor and businessman: born Pasadena, California 11 April 1931; married 1959 (two sons, one daughter); died Chula Vista, California 15 October 2010. More about: Actors Who Have Played Tarzan | ReelRundown Actors Who Have Played Tarzan Actors Who Have Played Tarzan Updated on November 19, 2016 Joined: 2 years agoFollowers: 68Articles: 28 57 2 months ago Actors Who Wore Tarzan's Loincloth Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) and Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) in a scene from the 1941 film Tarzan's Secret Treasure.

Advertisement Edgar Rice Burroughs first introduced the world to Tarzan in a 1912 issue of The All Story Magazine. It wasn't long until Hollywood took notice of this popular literary character and decided that he should become a movie character too. The 1918 silent film Tarzan of the Apes starred Elmo Lincoln in the title role. It was a hit and Hollywood had a new hero, one that continues to enthrall movie-goers to this day. This guide to the actors who have played Tarzan is as complete as I could put together. If you know of any omissions, let me know in the comments section. Please note that all photos used on this page, if not otherwise indicated, were sourced from Amazon or eBay. Who Played Tarzan, and When Actor Advertisement Elmo Lincoln Big, barrel-chested Elmo Lincoln was the first actor to bring Tarzan to the big screen, in the 1918 silent film, Tarzan of The Apes. Edgar Rice Burroughs wasn't impressed with Lincoln and didn't want him to play the role. Rice preferred actor Stellen Windrow, who had given up acting at the outbreak of World War I.

This left the role available for Lincoln. A second film, Romance of Tarzan, was released in 1918 and also starred Lincoln. In 1921 Lincoln starred again as the famous ape man, in the 15-part movie serial The Adventures of Tarzan. Lincoln died of a heart attack in 1952. He was 63. Advertisement Gordon Griffith Griffith's got his first acting role when he was seven, playing a regular part in the four Little Billy short movies in 1914 and 1915. Mack Sennett of Keystone Studios cast Griffith in several of his slapstick comedy movies and Griffith played opposite Charlie Chaplin, playing a paperboy in Tillie's Punctured Romance. Milton Berle often took credit for playing this role, but it was Griffith's work. In 1918 he played the boy Tarzan in the silent Tarzan of the Apes. Griffith's career made the transition from silent films to talkies, but he got smaller roles. His last role was in the 1936 film Outlaws of the Range.

After that, Griffith moved into other areas of the movie industry and got his first job as assistant director at 23. He continued to work as an assistant director until 1940, and had over 20 films to his credit. Griffith produced five films between 1937 and 1956 and worked as an associate producer under Robert E. Sherwood. In 1941 he worked as a director and associate producer with Gregory Ratoff Productions. That same year he was named production manager at Columbia Studios but he eventually moved on to RKO to work as an associate producer. Griffith died of a heart attack in 1958 at age 51. Advertisement P. Dempsey Tebler Source Born in 1876, Perce Dempsey Tabler had a varied career: opera singer, businessman, founding member of Paramount Pictures, athlete, and wearer of Tarzan's loincloth. Beginning in the summer of 1920, Tabler starred in a 15-chapter movie serial, The Son of Tarzan, based on a Edgar Rice Burroughs story of the same title.

The series tells the story of Korak, son of Tarzan and Jane, who is kidnapped and taken to Africa. Gordon Griffith played the role of of Korak as a child and Kamuela C. Searle as an adult. The role was Tabler's first acting role and he did act in one more film, Spawn of the Desert in 1923. He went on to become successful in advertising. Advertisement Kamuela Cooper Searle Samuel Cooper Searle was born in Hawaii in 1890. Around 1915 he met director Cecil B. Demille on the beach at Waikiki. DeMille was so taken with Searle that he encouraged him to pursue a career in film. It has been said that Searle acted in small parts in a few early DeMille films, though he is not credited for any acting work during this time. During World War I, Searle enlisted in the U.S. Army and was wounded in France. When he was discharged, he changed his first name to Kamuela, the Hawaiian spelling of Samuel. In 1919 he appeared, uncredited, in DeMille's Male and Female.

In 1920, Searle took the role of a young Tarzan in the 15-part movie serial The Son of Tarzan. There is a myth that Searle died during the filming when an elephant slammed him to the ground. Though he was injured badly, and a double had to complete some remaining shots, Searle survived and went on to complete Fool's Paradise in 1921. After that he retired from the film industry and devoted his time to painting and sculpting. Searle died of cancer in 1924 at age 33. Gene Pollar When producers at Numa Pictures wanted to make another Tarzan film, they approached Elmo Lincoln to reprise his role, but he refused. At 28, New York City firefighter Joseph C. Pohler stood 6' 2" and weighed 215 pounds. He was the perfect choice. Pohler changed his name to Gene Pollar (some sources show his name spelled as "Polar") and earned $100 a week. The Revenge of Tarzan turned out to be a big hit and he was offered a contract with Universal.

Numa wouldn't release him from his contract, so Pollar went back to being Joseph Pohler and fighting fires in New York. He eventually retired to Florida, where he died in 1971 at the age of 79. James Pierce James Pierce was a football player at Indiana University. After graduating in 1921, he moved to Arizona where he coached football and worked as an actor on the side. Pierce moved to California and in 1924 he got his first movie role, in the film Leatherstocking. He continued to coach football, at Glendale High School, and some of the student players on his team would eventually take up acting, men like John Wayne and Robert Livingston. Pierce's career and life took a major turn when he was invited to a party given by Edgar Rice Burroughs. At the party he met Burroughs' daughter Joan. The couple fell in love and married in 1928. Also, Edgar Burroughs thought Pierce was the perfect shape and size to play Tarzan. Right there at the party he offered Pierce the lead role in Tarzan and the Golden Lion.

Pierce earned $75 a week while working on the film, which was released in 1927. While it was popular with audiences, the movie was panned by critics. It was Pierce's first and last role as the famed ape man. However, Pierce and his wife Joan were the voices of Tarzan and Jane on national radio between 1932-34. They remained married until Joan's death in 1973 and James Pierce passed away in 1983. Frank Merrill Frank Merrill held many jobs during his lifetime: gymnast, police officer, stuntman, and actor. Merrill was Elmo Lincoln's stunt double in the 1921 movie serial, The Adventures of Tarzan. In 1928 he wore the loincloth again in Tarzan the Mighty, replacing actor/stuntman Joe Bonomo. In 1929, Merrill was Tarzan in Tarzan the Tiger. While this film was mostly silent, there were a few parts that had sound and unfortunately Merrill's voice didn't make the cut for "talkies." His career was over after just two outings on the big screen. This suited Merrill fine.

He found a new career he liked better—working with children. He got a job at the Los Angeles Parks Commission as a recreation director and volunteer gymnastics instructor. Merrill passed away in 1955 at the age of 62. Johnny Weissmuller Weissmuller was a swimmer in the 1920s and considered one of the best in the world, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze for the United States during his athletic career. His success as an athlete made him somewhat famous and in 1929 he signed a contract to be a model for BVD, a men's underwear company. This brought him even greater attention and that same year he made his first movie appearance, in Glorifying the American Girl as an Adonis wearing just a fig leaf. But Weissmuller's acting career really didn't start until 1932, when he signed a contract to play the lead in Tarzan the Ape Man. The film was a huge success and Weissmuller was on his way to stardom.

He played Tarzan in 12 films before giving up his loincloth, only to assume the role of Jungle Jim in a series of films based on the comic strip character Jim Bradly. He made 13 Jungle Jim movies before retiring from the movie business. Weissmuller died of pulmonary edema in 1984 at the age of 79. Was Johnny Weissmuller the Best Tarzan? Johnny Weissmuller is the most famous Tarzan. Is he your favorite? Yes, he was the best! He was good, but not the best. I like Christopher Lambert better. Tarzan with a French accent! Miles O'Keefe's Tarzan, opposite Bo Derek's Jane, is my favorite. Travis Fimmel, Australian Tarzan, is the best. Gordon Scott Buster Crabbe Source Buster Crabbe was an Olympic medalist, swimming in the 1928 and 1932 games. His athletic skills and powerful body made him a logical choice to replace Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan, or so the studios thought.

Crabbe's first and only turn as Tarzan came in 1933 when he starred in Tarzan the Fearless. The project was meant to be a 12-chapter movie serial, but it was released instead as a feature film using just the first four parts of the serial. This was Crabbe's only outing as Tarzan, but he worked on several more movies that had a "jungle" theme: King of the Jungle (1933), Jungle Man (1941), and the 1952 serial King of the Congo. Crabbe's his real claim to fame, however, was as Flash Gordon in 1936. He died in 1983 and is buried in Green Acres Memorial Park in Scottsdale, Arizona. Herman Brix Highly sought after biography of Herman Brix who would go on to have a successful acting career as Bruce Bennett. Another Olympic medalist to play Tarzan, Herman Brix won a silver medal for the shot put track and field event in the 1928 games. In 1929, Brix came to Hollywood where Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. arranged for a screen test at Paramount Studios.

Brix was cast in a film called Touchdown but he injured his shoulder during filming. This was a bad break for Brix, because MGM had decided they wanted him to play Tarzan in a new movie. His injury prevented him from taking the role, which went to Johnny Weismuller and made him a star. Brix got another chance to play Tarzan. In 1935 he starred in The New Adventures of Tarzan, produced by a newly formed Burroughs-Tarzan, Inc. Since Burroughs had a hand in making this film, Brix's Tarzan resembled the one of the books. He was educated, cultured, and well mannered. In 1938 a second film, Tarzan and the Green Goddess, was released. Brix changed his name to Bruce Bennett when he joined Columbia Studios. He was considered a fairly competent actor and played in Sahara, Mildred Pierce, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and other films. Brix lived a full life, dying in 2007 at age 100.

Glenn Morris As a track and field athlete, Glenn Morris set a new record and won a gold medal in the decathlon in the 1936 Olympics. This success led to a lot of media attention and Morris did a short stint as an NBC radio commentator. In 1938, Morris was chosen to play Tarzan. He appeared in only one film, Tarzan's Revenge. The movie (and his acting) were panned and he never tried to expand on his acting career. Morris left Hollywood to play football for the Detroit Lions, but after just four games an injury stopped that career short. Morris would eventually give up the sporting life altogether. He was in the Navy during World War II, commanding an amphibious-assault landing craft, when the stress took its toll and he was admitted for treatment for psychological trauma, spending several months in a Navy hospital. There are those who call Morris one of the greatest athletes ever. He died of heart failure in California in 1974. Lex Barker Handsome Lex Barker was disowned by his family when he chose to become an actor.

On his own, he supported himself by working in the steel industry until 1945, when he landed a small part in the film Doll Face. A string of minor film roles followed, but his big break came in 1949 when he was cast as Tarzan in Tarzan's Magic Fountain. Barker made five more Tarzan films before leaving the role. Barker had his great success post-Tarzan in the foreign cinema. He starred in westerns, war dramas, and comedies. Barker married five times and two of those marriages were to famous actresses: Arlene Dahl (1951-52) and Lana Turner (1953-57). In 1973, just three days before his 54th birthday, Barker suffered a heart attack while out on a walk and died. He was cremated and his ashes taken to Spain by his ex-wife Carmen Cervera. Gordon Scott In 1953, while working as a lifeguard in Las Vegas, young Gordon Scott was spotted by a Hollywood agent who believed Scott had the right physique to play Tarzan. He met with producer Sy Weintraub and signed a seven year contract.

Scott replaced Lex Barker as the swinging ape man and made six Tarzan films, beginning with Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955). His later Tarzan films were Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957), Tarzan and the Trappers"(1958), Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958), Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959), and Tarzan the Magnificent (1960). Gordon was considered by many to be the best Tarzan. When Scott left the Tarzan role, he moved to Italy where he became a popular action star making "sword and sorcerer" films. He died in Baltimore in 2007 of complications from heart surgery. Denny Miller Denny Miller was playing basketball at UCLA when he was discovered by a Hollywood agent and signed to a contract with MGM Studios in 1959. He was the first blond Tarzan, appearing in the film Tarzan, the Ape Man. It was a cheap movie that included a lot of footage from previously filmed Tarzan movies. It was Miller's only venture as the ape man. After Tarzan, Miller made numerous guest appearances, usually playing a villain or jerk.

He appeared as the Gorton Fisherman on commercials for Gorton's fish sticks. Denny died at age 80 on September 9, 2014. Jock Mahoney Tarzan Goes to India publicity still In 1948, Jock Mahoney auditioned to replace Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, but the role went to Lex Barker. Fourteen years later, producer Sy Weintraub decided that he wanted a new look for the ape man and 44-year-old Jock Mahoney had it. He took over the role of Tarzan in 1962, making just two films: Tarzan Goes To India (1962) and Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963). Mahoney's health suffered from working on the films and he was released from his contract. Meanwhile, producer Weintraub decided it was time to try making a Tarzan TV series. Mike Henry Mike Henry was a line backer for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-61) and the Los Angeles Rams (1962-64) before turning his attention to acting.

He starred in three Tarzan films in the 1960s: Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966), Tarzan and the Great River (1967), and Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968). Working conditions were so horrible that Henry sued producer Sy Weintraub, claiming that his health and welfare were at risk. He was offered the role of Tarzan for the TV series, but turned it down. Another role you might remember Mike from, was as Junior in the Burt Reynolds comedy Smokey and the Bandit. Ron Ely At 6'4" tall, with a nice build, Ron Ely was the 15th Tarzan. In 1966, Ely starred in the first Tarzan television series. His Tarzan was well-educated and returned to the jungle when he got tired of living in civilization. The series ran for two years, airing a total of 57 episodes. Unfortunately, Ely sustained a variety of injuries while making the series. He was bitten by a "tame" lion. He broke his shoulder, sprained both wrists, and fractured a number of ribs. The list goes on.

Part of the problem was that Ely insisted on doing his own stunts but had no stuntman training. Four movies, made mostly from material filmed for several two-part episodes, came out in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion (1967), Tarzan and the Four O' Clock War (1968), Tarzan's Deadly Silence (1970), and Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones (1971). Look for some great guest stars in the first season: Diana Ross, former Tarzan Jock Mahoney, Nichelle Nichols, Sally Kellerman, and more. Miles O'Keefe Miles O'Keefe studied political science and psychology in college. After graduating, he took a job as a prison counselor in the Tennessee penal system and worked there for several years before trying acting. His big break came in 1981 when he played Tarzan opposite Bo Derek, as Jane, in Tarzan the Ape Man. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Bo and John Derek.

It was widely panned by critics, but while it's not the best Tarzan movie out there, it's not the worst. Bo Derek admitted that "Miles had the most beautiful body I have ever seen." That's something, coming from the woman known to millions as the "perfect 10." O'Keefe went to Europe and made "sword and sorcerer" movies, such as Ator, The Fighting Eagle, and Iron Warrior. Christopher Lambert Christopher Lambert born in New York, but raised in Geneva, Switzerland and Paris, France. He worked in a few French films and became known internationally thanks to his role in the feature film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). This film remained very true to Burrough's idea of Tarzan and received good critical praise. But Lambert's most successful international film was as Connor MacLeod,in the 1986 film Highlander, having appeared in all three sequels. Joe Lara Joe Lara had two different outings as Tarzan. In 1989, he starred in the CBS television movie, Tarzan in Manhattan. The plot followed Tarzan's journey to New York.

Lara played the ape man on his quest to find the person responsible for the his mother's death and to rescue Cheeta, who had been captured by hunters. Cheeta is being held captive by the Brightmore Foundation, which plans to conduct experiments that will allow thoughts to be transferred from one animal to another. Then in 1996, Lara starred for one season in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures. This series focused on Tarzan's younger years, after his first exposure to civilization. There were 22 episodes of this series. In 2002, Lara retired from acting to pursue a career in country music. Wolf Larson In 1985 Wolf Larson moved from Canada to Los Angeles where he was discovered by an agent who told him to take acting classes to hone his talent. Larson followed the agent's advice, but also started his own video production company, Future World Productions. In 1991 Larson was cast to star in the TV series Tarzan. The series ran until 1994, airing 75 episodes. After Tarzan, Larson made guest appearances on Simon and Simon, Dynasty, and the evening soap opera Santa Barbara.

Casper Van Dien Casper Van Dien played Johnny Rico in the 1997 movie Starship Troopers. After that, Van Dien played Tarzan in Tarzan and the Lost City (1998). The movie was a flop at the box office. It's a shame, because Van Dien is certainly nice to look at, but Tarzan and the Lost City was the last time he played Tarzan. I have never seen the movie, so I have no clue how well he did, but he certainly looked the part. :) You might remember Van Dien from Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, in which he played Brom von Brunt. Travis Fimmel Source Travis Fimmel is an Australian actor and former model who made a name for himself as a model for Calvin Klein jeans. In 2003 he landed the role of Tarzan on a series produced by the WB. This was a modern-day adaption filmed in New York City. The series didn't take off, and was canceled after only eight episodes. Fimmel went on to work in the late Patrick Swayze's series The Beast, which ended after 13 episodes because Swayze became ill.

In 2013, Fimmel played Ragnar Lothbrok on the History Channel series Vikings. Alexander Skarsgård Skarsgård got his start at age 7 when a friend of his father's gave the youngster a role in Åke and His World. When he was 13 years old, he became a star on Swedish television by starring in the television movie The Dog That Smiled. He would discover that fame made him uncomfortable and didn't work in another film for the next seven years. He finally returned to acting after he served for 18 months in the Swedish military. He went to New York City and spent six months there taking a theater course at Marymount Manhattan College. He then returned to Sweden ready to get back into acting and started to audition for roles in film and television. In 2001 he landed a role in the movie Zoolander. He moved to the US in 2004 and found roles the television movie Generation Kill in 2007 and in the series True Blood from 2008-2014.

In 2016, he will star as Tarzan/ John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke in the feature film The Legend of Tarzan. Who Played Tarzan as a Youth Actor Tarzan: The Legend Starts Here Voice of Tarzan as a teenager Tarzan in Cartoons Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle aired Saturday mornings beginning in September, 1976. Voice actor Robert Ridgely played Tarzan in all 36 episodes. This was a pretty decent series. Unfortunately, it is not available on DVD, but one episode, "Tarzan and the Colossus of Zome," is featured on the DVD Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Volume 1. Perhaps the production company, Filmation, (or whoever owns the rights to their material) can't come up with a suitable financial deal with the Burroughs estate? In 1999 a movie-length cartoon, Tarzan, came to the big screen with actor Tony Goldwyn as our favorite swinging ape man. There were two sequels that never made it to the theaters but which went directly to video release: Tarzan and Jane (2002) and Tarzan II (2005).

The Legend of Tarzan ran on ABC for 39 episodes from 2001-2003. Tarzan was voiced by actor Michael T. Weiss. Also featured were the voices of actors Olive D'Abo, Mark Harmon, Diahann Carroll, Sheena Easton, Craig Ferguson, and Frank Welker. One of the Most Popular Tarzan Spin-Offs George of the Jungle aired on Saturday mornings beginning in 1967. Created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, the duo who created The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, the cartoon series was designed as a spoof on the Tarzan legend. George was dimwitted and clumsy (Watch out for that tree!). Actor Brandon Fraser did a big-screen live-action version in 1997 and Cartoon Network ran a new series in 2007 that only lasted for one season. Tarzan Spoofs, Tarzan-Like Characters and More A great big thanks to Ookie, a reader who tipped me off about Steve Hawkes (sometimes known as Steve Sipek).

Hawkes played Tarzan in two Spanish films: Tarzan in the Golden Grotto (1969) and Tarzan and the Brown Prince (1972). When these films were dubbed into English, Tarzan's name became just "Zan." The production company didn't have enough money to pay the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate the fees to use the Tarzan title. Johnny Sheffield starred as "Boy" in the 1939 film Tarzan Finds a Son. He was never called "Tarzan" or "Tarzan, Jr.," only "Boy." Producers were under pressure from morality groups, who took exception to the fact that Tarzan and Jane were never married, so having their own child or children was a no-no. Filipino actor and comedian Joey de Leon starred in the 1989 spoof Starzan: Shouting Star of the Jungle. The Great Gonzo appeared as Tarzan, opposite Lily Tomlin's Jane, in the 1981 TV special The Muppets Go to the Movies.

In the 1965 first season episode of Gilligan's Island, Kurt Russell appeared as "Jungle Boy." Denny Miller also made an appearance on Gilligan's Island, in the third season episode "Our Vines Have Tender Apes," playing Tongo, the Ape Man. Hey, not all Tarzan-like characters have to be men. This is a world full of equal opportunity, right? Rima the Jungle Girl was a character on the 1977 All-New Super Friends Hour. Fun fact: This character first appeared in the 1904 novel Green Mansions. In the 1955 TV series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, Irish McCalla played the orphan girl who grew up in the jungle and learned to survive. In 1984, Tanya Roberts played Sheena in a big screen film and Gena Lee Nolin was Sheena in the syndicated series, Sheena, made in 2000. Bomba the Jungle Boy started out as a series of books but was made into a series of movies with Johnny Sheffield as Bomba, a Tarzan take-off.

Clint Walker (the same handsome actor who gained fame as Cheyene Bodie in the TV western Cheyenne) played a tiny, uncredited role in a Bowery Boys film, Jungle Gents (1954). Walker was 27 years old and had yet to begin work on Cheyenne. Steve Reeves starred in the pilot episode of Kimbar of the Jungle in 1949. The rest of the series was never made due to financing problems. Actors Who Played Tarzan on the Stage Ronald Adair, in the 1921 Broadway play. Does anyone know if this is the same actor who starred in the 1915 British film, The Girl Who Took the Wrong Turning?

Josh Strickland, in Disney’s 2006 Tarzan: The Musical Daniel Manche, young Tarzan in the Disney musical Alex Rutherford, young Tarzan in the Disney musical Dylan Riley Snyder, young Tarzan in the Disney musical © 2009 Glory Miller Cheetah, real star of the Tarzan movies, is dead at 80 | Daily Mail Online comments There were the occasional tantrums, of course, but, old trouper that he was, he liked to put smiles on people’s faces right up until the end. Cheetah was every inch the Hollywood star – though just how many inches depended on whether he was walking on two legs or four at the time. Now, Cheetah, who played Tarzan’s chimp companion in the classic black and white Johnny Weissmuller films of the 1930s, has peeled his last banana. The primate sanctuary in Florida where he lived has announced that he has died of kidney failure. The sanctuary says he was aged ‘roughly 80’, which would make him the world’s oldest chimp by some margin as they don’t usually live beyond 60 in captivity.

Animal lovers and film buffs are united in mourning an icon that last year was hailed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as No 1 in its Top Ten Monkeys at the Movies. King of the movies:Johnny Weissmuller, right, as Tarzan, Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane, and Cheetah the chimpanzee, in a scene from the 1932 movie Tarzan the Ape Man ‘It is with great sadness that the community has lost a dear friend and family member,’ the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbour announced on its website. According to spokesman Debbie Cobb, Cheetah – aka Mike – had been there more than half a century and spent his twilight years indulging his passions for finger painting and football. He listened to ‘non-denominational’ Christian music and entertaining visitors. Adorable when young, male chimps generally become very aggressive in adulthood. Not so the primate who, in the 1934 film Tarzan and His Mate, nursed his man-friend back to health after he was critically wounded; or who five years later, rescued a baby from a crashed plane in Tarzan Finds A Son. Cheetah lived at the sanctuary since 1960.

He was never a chimp that ‘caused a lot of problems’, Miss Cobb said. ‘He was very compassionate, very in tune to human feelings. He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day,’ she said. ‘He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day.’ Compassionate chimp: Hollywood is mourning the death of big-screen legend Cheetah, the loveable chimpanzee who played Tarzan's sidekick, seen here two weeks before his death Ron Priest, a volunteer at the sanctuary, said Cheetah stood out from the sanctuary’s 14 other chimps because of his ability to stand up with his shoulders straight, and walk like a person. The chimp, who never fathered any offspring, had another unusual habit, he added. ‘When he didn’t like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them,’ he said. ‘He could get you at 30ft with bars in between.’ Such technical precision will not surprise those who have watched Cheetah in action in what was the golden era of Tarzan films.

Hollywood has been churning out films about the jungle wild man since 1918 – the most recent, No 89, came out in 2008. But while Weissmuller was not the first screen Tarzan, he was the longest lasting and is generally regarded as the definitive one. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The Austro-Hungarian born, five-times Olympic gold medallist swimmer played Tarzan in 12 films between 1932 and 1948. His distinctive yodel-like yell has become a Tarzan trademark that subsequent films ignored at their peril. It was even played from speakers as his coffin was lowered at his funeral in 1984. Weissmuller’s acting skills were somewhat wooden, which hardly mattered given he had so little to say. But it did mean his co-stars – human or otherwise – had to pick up the dramatic slack.

Adored: The chimp was known for being compassionate and in tune with human's feelings This not only included Cheetah but Jane – played initially by Irish-born actress Maureen O’Sullivan, mother of Mia Farrow – and their adopted son, simply called ‘Boy’ and played by Johnny Sheffield. With O’Sullivan dying in 1998 and Sheffield in 2010, their chimp co-star has outlived them all. There was no major chimp character in the original Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Cheetah was introduced into the films principally for light relief. The amount of screen time he got showed that Cheetah was considered one of the main attractions. He often appeared a more versatile actor than Weissmuller. He rang a bell masterfully in Tarzan and the Amazons, got horrendously drunk on schnapps in Tarzan And The Leopard Man (‘Cheetah, what you drink?’ Tarzan demands, to which the chimp just burps), he trained a baby elephant in Tarzan’s New York Adventure and he blew on a snake charmer’s trumpet in Tarzan the Ape Man.

Perhaps his co-stars knew they were being upstaged – in a post on her Twitter account yesterday, Miss Farrow wrote: ‘Cheetah the chimp in Tarzan movies died this week at 80. ‘My mom, who played Jane, invariably referred to Cheetah as “that bastard”.’ In 1953, O’Sullivan said: ‘You have no idea what it is to be assigned to one picture after another with a certain monkey. Cheetah and I grew to loathe each other.’ Greying: The chimp was picked for his ability to walk up straight like a human But animal training for films was in its infancy back then. Some have wondered, how could one chimp be so versatile? And this is where the mystery behind Cheetah gets as thick as a jungle creeper. For there was never just one Cheetah in each film but often several chimps, each playing on their strengths as the script demanded. Over the years, no fewer than 15 chimps have been linked with the coveted role and they haven’t even always been chimps.

CJ, a thespian orangutan best known as Clyde from Clint Eastwood’s Every Which Way But Loose, played Cheetah in a 1981 remake. Even more insultingly for chimps, it was a human – six-year-old David Holt – who played the chimp in 1933’s Tarzan the Fearless. But this particular Cheetah’s claim to be the seminal Weissmuller chimp is strengthened by the fact that his only real rival for the crown – a primate with the subtly different name of Cheeta, who resides in a California primate home – has a CV which is a tissue of lies. His first owner claimed he smuggled him out of Liberia to America as a baby, and that he escaped from under his coat during a Pan Am flight to the U.S. But when author Richard Rosen was asked to write this Cheeta’s biography, he discovered Pan Am didn’t run such flights until 1939, and the story started to fall apart. Watching the old black and white Tarzan films, and comparing their ears in each, Rosen reached a startling conclusion.

There was no one chimp sidekick in any particular film but several, the choice depending on what ‘talents’ the particular scene called for. Worse for the California Cheeta, Rosen was convinced he wasn’t in any of them. Cheeta’s owners have since accepted that he may not have been in any of the Tarzan films. With his grizzled white beard, the recently departed Cheetah of Florida looked considerably older than his upstart rival for the Tarzan crown. His credentials are further strengthened by the fact his owners have made relatively modest claims about his cinematic past. The Florida sanctuary says it only knows for sure that he starred in Tarzan films between 1932 and 1934, a period that includes the first Weissmuller movie that shot him to fame. Johnny Weissmuller Dies at 79; Movie Tarzan and Olympic Gold Medalist Johnny Weissmuller Dies at 79; Movie Tarzan and Olympic Gold Medalist By ROBERT HANLEY Associated Press Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic swimming champion who went on to fame as Tarzan of the Jungle in the movies, died at his home here Friday night, according to a funeral home.

He was 79 years old. Luis Flores of the Gomez funeral home said Mr. Weissmuller's wife, Maria, had not completed funeral arrangements but that burial would probably be Sunday in Acapulco. Mr. Weissmuller had been an invalid since moving here in late 1979. He suffered a series of strokes in 1977 and had a history of heart disease. His home was a few miles from the lake where his last Tarzan film was shot. Man of Two Careers Few of the millions of Tarzan lovers who thrilled to Mr. Weissmuller swooping from tree to tree or locking in lethal combat with lions or crocodiles ever knew him as the swimming phenomenon who won five Olympic gold medals and set 67 world records in the 1920's. Sports enthusiasts then thought that the records, all set before Mr. Weissmuller was 25 years old, would endure for decades. But most of them were eclipsed by the time the casual, carefree Mr.

Weissmuller went to Hollywood and filmmakers in 1932 began molding his image as a brawny, monosyllabic friend of apes and elephants. He made close to 20 Tarzan films, the last one in 1949. In all of them he was something of a howling jungle Superman in loincloth, the benevolent protector of his African domain and the treetop home of his wife, Jane, and his son, Boy, and the vanquisher of villains, marauders and ivory hunters. The image has been perpetuated through the years on television reruns of the films and they led children and adults to approach Mr. Weissmuller for a Tarzan autograph and for yet another rendition of his elephant call or his chest-thumping victory bellow. Enjoyed the Life Playing Tarzan, he said over the years, ''was right up my alley.'' ''It was like stealing,'' he said. ''There was swimming in it, and I didn't have much to say.

How can a guy climb trees, say 'Me Tarzan, you Jane,' and make a million?'' ''The public forgives my acting because they know I was an athlete,'' he said on another occasion. ''They know I wasn't make-believe.'' As a swimmer, Mr. Weissmuller was without peer in his time. A remarkably buoyant 190-pounder, he seemed to glide across the water, his broad shoulders and heavily muscled back protruding above the surface. His six-beat crawl stroke produced the speed. The style calls for six beats of the legs for every two arm strokes, with absolute synchronization of feet and arms. His power came from a full arm pull, from the moment each hand struck the water until it emerged. From August 1921, when as a 17- year-old he broke his first world record, until he turned professional in January 1929, he set and reset world and national freestyle records for distances from 50 yards to a half mile.

Grew Up in Chicago Peter John Weissmuller was born in the southwestern Pennsylvania town of Windber on June 2, 1904, shortly before his Vienna-born parents moved to Chicago. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade, shortly before the death of his father, who had become a brewmaster. The boy learned to swim at about age 9 in the city's public pools and in Lake Michigan. As a lanky 15-year-old who outdistanced rivals in impromptu swimming races, the youth attracted the attention of Bill Bachrach, the swimming coach of the Illinois Athletic Club. A strict, formal training regimen was quickly applied. Before the 1924 Olympics in Paris, Mr. Weissmuller supplanted Duke Kahanamoku of Hawaii and Perry McGillivray as champion in the 100-yard freestyle and he beat Norman Ross at longer distances. At the Amateur Athletic Union national championships in 1923, he won the freestyle events at 50, 100, 220 and 500 yards and then captured the 150- yard backstroke, cutting six seconds off the world mark.

He captured three of his gold medals at age 20 in the 1924 Olympics, winning the 100-meter and 400-meter freestyles in Olympic record times of 59 seconds and 5:04.2, and anchoring the 800-meter freestyle relay team that produced a world record of 9:53.2. In the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, he won his fourth and fifth gold medals, in the 100-meter race and anchoring the 800-meter relay team. After turning professional, Mr. Weissmuller endorsed bathing suits for a while. Then Hollywood hired him as the screen industry's Tarzan, based on the character created in print by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Mixed Critical Reception Film critics were generally amused with his antics and impressed with the photography in the first three Weissmuller films, ''Tarzan, the Ape Man,'' in 1932; ''Tarzan and His Mate,'' in 1934, and ''Tarzan Escapes,'' in 1936.

Maureen O'Sullivan was cast as Jane Parker, the British woman who spurned her fiance in a hunt and went to live with Tarzan after her father was killed. Later Tarzan films were box-office bonanzas, but the critics wearied of the repetitive plots and Tarzan's stunted diction, and in 1949, with Mr. Weissmuller 45 years old, his girth expanding, the role was taken over by Lex Barker. Mr. Weissmuller began making new films, and later a television series, as ''Jungle Jim.'' That work lasted until the late 1950's. From 1965 until November 1973, Mr. Weissmuller lived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with Maria, his last wife, a native of Bavaria.

Earlier wives, all of whom sued for divorce, were Robbe Arnst, a musical comedy actress; Lupe Velez, the Mexican actress; Beryl Scott, the San Francisco socialite who bore his three children, John Scott, Wendy Ann and Heidi Elizabeth (who died in a car crash at the age of 19 in 1962), and Allene Gates, a golfer from Los Angeles.

Question: Who played Tarzan in films the most times
Answer: Johnny Weismuller