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Sexy Vintage hunk Joe Lara starred as Tarzan in a made for TV movie called Tarzan in Manhattan. He then appeared in two episodes of Tarzan: The Epic Adventures, and produced all twenty-two episodes. His two most notable film roles were “Kraft” in the action thriller Warhead, and “Ponytail” in another action film, Armstrong
With a body you could gaze upon forever,Casper Van Dien played a more recent Tarzan in the 1998 film Tarzan and the Lost City. His breakthrough role came before the Tarzan film when he played “Johnny Rico” in the sci-fi film Starship Troopers. He continued the role in Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. He was also part of the all star cast of Sleepyhollow which featured Johnny Depp and Christina Ricca and just completed a made-for-TV film Turbulent Skies in the lead role of “Tom”.
Christopher Lambert is best known for his portrayal of naked, untamed, jungle stud Tarzan in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. In this 1984 film Tarzan is rescued and brought to Greystoke manor in an attempt to civilize him. Lambert looks mighty fine as the mostly nude Tarzan and seems to clean up pretty well in civilized society.
Ronald Pierce Ely, was born in Hereford TX. He was the first TV Tarzan in the series which lasted from 1966-1968. Prior to Tarzan, Ely had only small film roles and a co0starring role in the brief TV series The Aquanauts. The Tarzan series was the height of Ely’s career. After the series ended he made guest appearances on many television shows such as Ironside, Marcus Welby, M.D., The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, a retired “Superman” in The Adventures of Superboy, and Renegade. He also wrote two mystery novels; Night Shadows and East Beach.
In an interview Ely said. “Ever read the original Tarzan stories? They’re beautiful. About an educate man who returns to the environment he knows best, the jungle. There he seeks truth, honor, and man’s lost humanity to man. This Tarzan is the part I’ve been waiting for all my life.” Hmmm…very interesting
Gordon Scott was born Gordon Merill Werschkul in Portland, OR and was known for his portrayal of Tarzan in five films. They were: Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle, Tarzan and the Lost Safari, Tarzan’s Fight for Life, Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure and Tarzan the Magnificent. Unfortunately for Scott, after the Tarzan roles he never made it out of the B-movie level. Possibly his statement that “Tarzan was ideal for me because I didn’t have too much dialog” had something to do with that.
Jacques O’Mahoney was born in Chicago, IL. After moving to Los Angeles he became a stuntman doubling for actors such as Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn and John Wayne. His first on-screen acting roles were in Three Stooges films where Columbia Studios spotted his acting skilled and gave him starring roles in adventure serials. Mahoney eventually landed roles in three Tarzan films. He played villain “Coy Banton” in Tarzan the Magnificent and the main character in Tarzan Goes to India and Tarzan’s Three Challenges.
In addition to the Tarzan films, Mahoney appeared in many films and in television episodes of shows such as Wagon Train, 77 Sunset Strip, Kung Fu, and B. J. and the Bear. He was stepfather to actress Sally Field and appeared with her in the comedy film The End.
Clarence Linden Crabbe, born in Oakland, CA, was another Olympic medal winner to portray the character of “Tarzan”. He was working in an uncredited role in the film That’s My Boy when MGM tested, and rejected, him for the role of “Tarzan”. The following year he was cast as “Tarzan” in Tarzan the Fearless which was the only Tarzan film he made. He did, however, go on to star in more than one hundred movies, among them in the popular Flash Gordon serial in the lead role, Buck Rogers, several “Billy the Kid” films and 23 films as “Billy Carson”.
Buster Crabbe is the only actor to play Tarzan, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers characters who were the top three comic strip heroes of the 1930s.
Johann Peter Weissmuller was born in Freidorf, Banat, Austria-Hungry (now known as Romania). He was a sickly and, on the advice of a doctor, took up swimming. It definitely paid off because as a 6’3”, 190 pound champion swimmer he won 5 Olympic gold medals, one bronze medal, fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. He retired from swimming with an unbeaten Amateur record.
Johnny Weissmuller is considered to be the quintessential portrayer of Tarzan. He appeared in twelve Tarzan films including Tarzan the Ape Man, Tarzan and His Mate, Tarzan Finds a Son!, Tarzan’s New York Adventure, and Tarzan and the Mermaids. After leaving the role of “Tarzan” Weissmuller took on the character of “Jungle Jim’ Jungle Jim started as a newspaper comic strip and then as a radio series before becoming a film series. In all, Weissmuller starred in thirteen “Jungle Jim’ films and a season on the television series.
Johnny Weissmuller said, “I have always been vitally interested in physical condition. I have long believed that athletic competition among people and nations should replace violence and wars.” That’s a terrific idea! Too bad it will never happen
Steve Bond was born as Shlomo Goldberg in Haifa Israel. His film debut was as in the late 1960s as “Erik/Boy” in Tarzan and the Jungle Boy. He appeared in three episodes of General Hospital as “Jimmy Lee Holt” and for one season on Santa Barbara. Later, he played seductive, but evil, vampire “Tom” in the film To Die For and the sequel Son of Darkness: To Die For II. Bond posed for a nude centerfold in Playgirl Magazine in the early 1980s
Errol Leslie Flynn was born in Hobart, Tasmania, Austriala. His notorious behaviors began at an early age when he was expelled from almost every school he was enrolled in. After some failed business attempts he left for the UK, and, in his early 20s, managed to get an acting job with the Northampton repertory company at the Royal Theater. He then appeared as “Fletcher Christian” in the Australian film In The Wake of the Bounty. He immigrated to the US as a contract actor for Warner Brothers studios and became an overnight sensation when he starred in Captain Blood. He became known as the king of the swashbuckler films. Captain Blood was followed by The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Prince and the Pauper, The Adventures of Robin Hood many other films of the same genre.
Off screen Errol Flynn was known for his love of drinking, fighting, womanizing and boating which quickly took its toll on his youthful good looks, causing his career to dwindle. In his later years he was mainly case as aging alcoholics such as “Mike Campbell” in the film version of Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises and as “John Barrymore” in Too Much, Too Soon, roles that were almost mirror images of Flynn himself. He is quoted as saying, “I intend to live the first half of my life. I don’t care about the rest.” Errol Flynn was dead of a heart attack at the age of 50.