Suggestion: Favorite Portrayal of Tarzan (Live Action Only)
Which actor who played the adult Tarzan do you like the best in the role (live action only)?
Note: Adult Tarzans only. No Tarzan as a child or infant is included.
Discuss this list here: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000088/flat/223085769
Note: Adult Tarzans only. No Tarzan as a child or infant is included.
Discuss this list here: http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000088/flat/223085769
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- He was the first Tarzan. A former Arkansas peace officer, Elmo Linkenhelt worked in D.W. Griffith's "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" (1912). In a fight scene his shirt was partially torn off, displaying his powerful chest. Griffith noticed, called him over, and told him "That's quite a chest you have there". Griffith changed the name to Elmo Lincoln and featured him in several of his films. He got the role in "Tarzan of the Apes" when, a few days after production began, World War I broke out an the man originally contracted to play Tarzan (Stellan Windrow), a Naval Reserve officer, was recalled to active duty. The film was a box office smash, one of the first to earn over a million dollars. It's sequel, "Romance of Tarzan" just broke even. He did three successful serials and a feature for Universal Film Manufacturing before returning in "The Adventures of Tarzan" in 1921, his last Apeman performance. His final silent performance was in a cheap Rayart serial "King of the Jungle" (1927) after which he moved to Mexico and invested in mining. He came back to play a number of bit parts and appeared briefly in the Seal Brothers Circus as "The Original Tarzan in Person". In 1949 he had a part as a fisherman in "Tarzan's Magic Fountain". Just before his death he had a bit part in "Carrie" which starred one of his heroes, Lawrence Olivier.Tarzan of the Apes (1918 silent) and two other silent films
- When he was 28 years old Numa Pictures offered New York City fireman Joseph Pohler the role of Tarzan on account of his physique: six feet two-and-a-half inches, two hundred fifteen pounds. He got a new name, Gene Pollar, and $100 per week plus expenses. When "The Revenge of Tarzan" turned out to be surprisingly successful, Universal offered him a two-year contract at $350 a week, but Numa wouldn't release him. Disappointed, he ended his acting career and returned to his job as a fireman.The Revenge of Tarzan (1920 silent)
- By the time he did "The Son of Tarzan", at age 41, the Tennessee athlete had four seasons of light opera, had produced films, starred in several of Thomas H. Ince's Triangle productions, co-starred with William S. Hart in "Captive God", and had helped found Paramount Studios. He was balding and so wore a not-very-convincing ill-fitting, shabby wig for the part of Tarzan. His career did not rekindle, as he had hoped, so he went into advertising in San Francisco and made a fortune. He died there in retirement.The Son of Tarzan (1920 silent)
- He had been an all-American center for Indiana University when he graduated in 1921. He coached football for two years in Arizona and tried amateur acting. He won the lead in Leatherstocking (1924), and stayed to coach at Glendale (California) High School. His teams included future film stars John Wayne, Robert Livingston and Jack Randall (Livingston's brother, who would later be known as cowboy star Jack Randall). During a party at Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzana ranch, Burroughs convinced Pierce to play Tarzan. Taking the role (which paid $75 a week) required Pierce to back out of the aviator part already offered him in Wings (1927) (it went to Gary Cooper). Though popular with audiences, the Tarzan film was panned by the critics. He and his wife played the Apeman and Jane on the radio through 364 15-minute episodes of a serial that played in every U.S. state, South America and Western Europe from 1932 to 1934. He quit this to play King Thun the Lion Man in Universal's Flash Gordon (1936) and was featured in Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) for Republic. During World War II he helped form the National Airmen's Reserve, the foundation for the later Air National Guard.Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927 silent)
- Actor
- Stunts
Frank Merrill won 58 National, Southern California and Los Angeles championships in gymnastics (Roman rings, high bars and rope climbing). He was national gymnastics champion from 1916 to 1918. Prior to his roles as the fifth Tarzan, he worked as a stuntman, doubling for Elmo Lincoln in the 1921 "Adventures of Tarzan". His first starring role was in "Perils of the Jungle" for Weiss Brother Artclass Productions. The director of that movie offered him the job of Tarzan when the man who already had the job (Joe Bonono, already billed as "the greatest of all Tarzans") fractured his leg and broke his contract. Merrill invented the vine-swinging techniques used in later Tarzan films and the Tarzan yell, played on a record accompanying a "semi-sound" version of this second Tarzan movie. His voice was thought unsuitable for talkies, so he retired from movies to work with children, as Park Commissioner and recreation director for the city of Los Angeles. On retirement in 1963, following a serious operation, he donated his services to the YMCA as a gym instructor.Tarzan the Mighty (1928 Silent) and one other silent film- Actor
- Music Department
Johnny Weissmuller was born as Peter Johann Weißmüller in Freidorf, today a district of the city of Timisoara in Romania, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Weissmuller would later claim to have been born in Windber, Pennsylvania, probably to ensure his eligibility to compete as part of the US Olympic team. Weissmüller was one of two boys born to Petrus Weissmuller, a miner, and his wife Elisabeth Kersch, who were both Banat Swabians, an ethnic German population in Southeast Europe. A sickly child, he took up swimming on the advice of a doctor. He grew to be a 6' 3", 190-pound champion athlete - undefeated winner of five Olympic gold medals, 67 world and 52 national titles, holder of every freestyle record from 100 yards to the half-mile. In his first picture, Glorifying the American Girl (1929), he appeared as an Adonis clad only in a fig leaf. After great success with a jungle movie, MGM head Louis B. Mayer, via Irving Thalberg, optioned two of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan stories. Cyril Hume, working on the adaptation of Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), noticed Weissmuller swimming in the pool at his hotel and suggested him for the part of Tarzan. Weissmuller was under contract to BVD to model underwear and swimsuits; MGM got him released by agreeing to pose many of its female stars in BVD swimsuits. The studio billed him as "the only man in Hollywood who's natural in the flesh and can act without clothes". The film was an immediate box-office and critical hit. Seeing that he was wildly popular with girls, the studio told him to divorce his wife and paid her $10,000 to agree to it. After 1942, however, MGM had used up its options; it dropped the Tarzan series and Weissmuller, too. He then moved to RKO and made six more Tarzans. After that he made 13 Jungle Jim (1948) programmers for Columbia. He retired from movies to run a private business in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Twelve movies from 1932 to 1948, starting with Tarzan the Ape Man- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Buster Crabbe graduated from the University of Southern California. In 1931, while working on That's My Boy (1932) for Columbia Pictures, he was tested by MGM for Tarzan and rejected. Paramount Pictures put him in King of the Jungle (1933) as Kaspa, the Lion Man (after a book of that title but clearly a copy of the Tarzan stories). Publicity for this film emphasized his having won the 1932 Olympic 400-meter freestyle swimming championship and suggested a rivalry with Johnny Weissmuller. Producer Sol Lesser wanted Crabbe for an independent Tarzan the Fearless (1933), though he first had to get James Pierce to waive rights to the part already promised to him by his father-in-law, Edgar Rice Burroughs. The film was released as both a feature and a serial; most houses showed only the first serial episode, which critics panned as a badly organized feature. Just prior to the film's release, Crabbe married his college sweetheart and gave himself one year to either make it as an actor or start law school at USC. Paramount put him in a number of Zane Grey westerns, then Universal Pictures gave him the lead in very successful sci-fi serials (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers) from 1936 to 1940. In 1940, he began a string of Billy the Kid westerns for low-budget (very low-budget) studio PRC. After World War II, he devoted much of his time to his swimming pool corporation and operation of a boys' camp in New York. In 1950, he made the serials Pirates of the High Seas (1950) and King of the Congo (1952). In addition, he was very active on television in the 1950s. In 1953, he hosted a local show in New York City that featured his serials. He played the title role in the adventure series Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion (1955). During television's "Golden Age", he had several "meaty" lead roles on such weekly anthology series as "Kraft Theater" ("Million Dollar Rookie") and "Philco Television Playhouse" ("Cowboy for Chris") He later returned to western features to play Wyatt Earp in Badman's Country (1958) and gave a stellar performance. Buster Crabbe died at age 75 of a heart attack on April 23, 1983.Tarzan the Fearless (1933) (made as a serial and edited into a film)- Herman Brix was a star shot-putter in the 1928 Olympics. After losing the lead in MGM's Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) due to a shoulder injury, he was contracted by Ashton Dearholt for his independent production of The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935), a serial and the only Tarzan film between the silents and the 1960s to present the character accurately, as a sophisticated, educated English nobleman who preferred living in the jungle and was able to speak directly with animals in their own language. He subsequently found himself typecast and confined to starring roles in other serials and character and even bit parts in poverty row features and two-reeler comedies. After starring in the Republic Pictures serial Hawk of the Wilderness (1938) as the Tarzan-like Kioga, he dropped out of films for a few years, took acting lessons, and changed his name to Bruce Bennett. He made many movies after that, gaining fame as a leading man in many Warners products. In 1960, he retired from acting and went into business, becoming sales manager of a major vending machine company, making only occasional TV guest appearances. A reclusive man, he eschewed interviews, although he did appear at one Burroughs-oriented convention in the 1970s and discussed some of his experiences during the making of his Tarzan serial. In 2001, he allowed himself to be interviewed for a slender biography by a Mike Chapman, and held signings at local bookstores, enjoying his "rediscovery" by the general public in the few years remaining before his death.(a.k.a. Herman Brix) Played Tarzan in two series edited into films in 1935 and 1938, the first being The New Adventures of Tarzan.
- Glenn Morris was the fourth Olympic athlete to play Tarzan. He was the 1936 decathlon champion and won the Sullivan Award (outstanding amateur athlete of the year) over the more famous Olympian Jesse Owens. Sol Lesser cast Morris for an independent Tarzan, filmed on Twentieth Century-Fox back lots. The reviews were so thoroughly bad that Morris never made another movie. He went into the insurance business in Los Angeles. He enlisted in the Navy after Pearl Harbor, was wounded in combat from which he spent much time in San Francisco's Navy Hospital.Tarzan's Revenge (1938)
- Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. was a direct descendant of the founder of Rhode Island, Roger Williams, and of Sir William Henry Crichlow, historical Governor-General of Barbados. Barker attended the Fessenden School and Phillips-Exeter Academy, where he excelled in football and track. He went to Princeton, but left to become an actor. A year later he was spotted while working in summer stock theatre, and received a contract offer from 20th Century Fox. World War II intervened; he enlisted as an infantry private, and rose to the rank of major.
Although later signed by Fox and then Warner Bros, he was too tall for supporting parts and too unknown for leads. Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949) (RKO) provided his first starring role. After five Tarzan films, he went into other adventure films. After 16 non-Tarzan films, mostly westerns, he went to Europe in 1957 (he spoke French, Spanish, Italian, and German). He went on to make more than 50 more films worldwide: Brazil, Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia, Italy, Lebanon, France, as well as the USA. He became very popular in Germany owing to his roles as "Old Shatterhand", "Kara Ben Nemsi", and "Dr. Karl Sternau", in films based on books written by Karl May, a popular German writer of adventure literature. Barker won Germany's Bambi Award as Best Foreign Actor of 1966.Five movies from 1949 to 1953, starting with Tarzan's Magic Fountain - Physical Education major Gordon Weschkul left the University of Oregon after one term. He became an infantry drill instructor (rifle, pistol and bayonet; judo and hand-to-hand combat; close order drill), then a military policeman. After his honorable discharge in 1947, he was a fireman, cowboy, and farm machinery salesman. In 1953, a Las Vegas lifeguard, he was spotted by a pair of Hollywood agents who introduced him and his 19-inch biceps to Sol Lesser, who had already conducted 200 tests in search of a new Tarzan. The producer gave him a seven-year contract and a new last name. His three MGM Tarzans were run-of-the mill, but his two for Sy Weintraub, through Paramount, marked a rebirth of the Tarzan character. The movies were well received. Weintraub was looking for a leaner, more thoughtful Tarzan so Scott moved on to a number of Italian strong-man spectaculars and spaghetti westerns, becoming a sensation in Europe.Six Movies from 1955 to 1960, starting with Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
- Denny Miller was born in Bloomington, Indiana, where his father, Ben Miller, was a physical=education instructor at Indiana University. He and his brother Kent began playing basketball almost from the days they were born. The Miller family left Bloomington when Denny was in fourth grade. He and Kent played basketball in Silver Spring, Maryland and Baldwin, New York before the family moved to Los Angeles where, at University High School, Denny and Kent came to the attention of coach John Wooden. They were given full-ride scholarships to UCLA. The Miller brothers played together at UCLA for one year, and their father joined the faculty of UCLA. In his senior year, while working as a furniture mover to pay for school, Denny was discovered on Sunset Boulevard by a talent agent, who signed him with MGM. His first role was a bit part in Some Came Running (1958), which was filmed in Madison, Indiana. Denny said, "I was the only one who came running. I came running to tell Dean Martin that somebody was in town to shoot him!" He became the first blond Tarzan in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)), a low-budget quickie that lifted most of its footage from earlier Johnny Weissmuller movies. MGM had him under contract for 20 months; in that time he worked 8 weeks as "Tarzan". After that he did guest spots on a number of TV series, finally becoming a regular on Wagon Train (1957) as Duke Shannon (his name was then Scott Miller). In 1965-66 he starred (as Denny again) with Juliet Prowse in Mona McCluskey (1965).Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)
- Actor
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Mahoney is of French and Irish extraction, with some Cherokee. At the University of Iowa, he was outstanding in swimming, basketball and football. When World War II broke out, he enlisted as a Marine fighter pilot and instructor. In Hollywood, he was a noted stunt man, doubling for Errol Flynn, John Wayne, and Gregory Peck. Gene Autry signed him for the lead in his 78-episode The Range Rider (1951) TV series. He tested to replace Johnny Weissmuller, as Tarzan but lost out to Lex Barker. In 1960, he played the heavy in Gordon Scott's Tarzan the Magnificent (1960), and his part there led Sy Weintraub to hire him as Scott's replacement. In his two Tarzan movies, he did all his own stunts. In Tarzan's Three Challenges (1963), he continued working in spite of dysentery, dengue fever and pneumonia. By this time, Weintraub was looking for a younger Tarzan, envisioning a future TV series. By mutual agreement, his contract with Mahoney was dissolved. After a couple of years regaining his strength and weight, Jock returned to making action films.Two movies from 1962 to 1963, starting with Tarzan Goes To India- Actor
- Additional Crew
Michael Dennis Henry was born August 15th, 1936. He was an athletic professional football player at the time he entered the movies. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1958-61) and the Los Angeles Rams (1962-64). During part of that time (1961-64) he was under contract with Warner Brothers and played a variety of bit parts (TV's Surfside 6 (1960), Hawaiian Eye (1959), Cheyenne (1955) & the movie, Spencer's Mountain (1963)). He earned the role of Tarzan when series producer, Sy Weintraub began looking for a "younger Burt Lancaster" type, anticipating not only more Tarzan movies but a TV series as well. Weintraub was a Rams fan and had seen a TV documentary about them called Men from the Boys, produced by and featuring Mike Henry. Mike only made three Tarzan movies. He suffered animal bites, food poisoning, infections, and impossible work schedules in Mexico and especially Brazil. He wound up suing Weintraub for "maltreatment, abuse, and working conditions detrimental to my health and welfare." Just before his second Tarzan release in 1967 he was signed as Sgt. Kowalski in John Wayne's The Green Berets (1968). He made more movies, including the part of "Junior", as a naive son of Jackie Gleason, with the role of Buford T. Justice! in the Smokey and the Bandit (1977) movie set there were three.Three movies from 1966 to 1968, starting with Tarzan and the Valley of Gold- Actor
- Director
The 15th screen Tarzan (if you don't count Gordon Griffith) was to have played a Tarzan impersonator in a projected Mike Henry television show, which never materialized. He had been tested fourteen months earlier when Henry got the part. Prior to Tarzan, Ron had numerous parts in movies and television, including the copilot in South Pacific (1958) and had co-starred in TV's brief series "Malibu Run" (The Aquanauts (1960)). He played the title role in the TV series Tarzan (1966), and in two movies made from that series in 1970. He refused to use a stunt double in his vine-swinging or animal fights and was often injured. It has been noted that Ron's physical appearance and dialogue were much more like those of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character than could be said for any other Tarzan. In addition to occasional parts in TV series and movies, several made in Germany, Ron hosted the "Miss America" pageant on television 1979-81, replacing Bert Parks.Played Tarzan in a 1960's television series titled Tarzan from 1966 to 1968- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Born in Eastern Europe, Steve Hawkes (aka Hucks) emigrated to America as a teenager to pursue an acting career, citing Johnny Weissmuller as a childhood influence. He played a Tarzan-type character in a series of Spanish-language movies. In Spain his character was referred to as "Tarzan", but when they were released in English-language territories they directly avoided mentioning the Tarzan name, instead referring to Hawkes' character as "Zan" (as in Tarzan in the Golden Grotto (1969). In 1972 he played the lead in the much-loved exploitation movie Blood Freak (1972),in which he turns into a monster turkey.
In the early '70s he was badly burned in an on-set accident, putting an end to his acting career. Now completely retired, he runs an animal sanctuary out of Florida.Two films from 1969 to 1972, starting with Tarzan in the Golden Grotto- Attended the Air Force Academy Prep School after high school. He quit and switched over to Mississippi State to play football, but was forced to quit when he broke his hand. He then transferred to the University of the South, and graduated with a B.A. in psychology. He worked a year as a counselor at the Tennessee State Prison, then traveled around a bit before being asked to appear as an extra in a TV movie. He moved to Los Angeles in 1980, and sent in his picture to the makers of Tarzan the Ape Man (1981). The rest is history.Tarzan the Ape Man (1981) Note: the Bo Derek film
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Though born in Great Neck, Long Island, Christopher Lambert's family left the US when he was only two years old. His father was a United Nations diplomat assigned to Switzerland and, as a result, Chris was educated at private boarding schools in Geneva. Inspired through his having appeared in a play at age 12, he went to the Paris Conservatoire where he remained for two years. After a few small parts in French films, beginning in 1980, he successfully competed for the title role in Warner Bros. Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984). His co-stars included Ian Holm, James Fox and Ralph Richardson (in his final film performance). The movie was popular with Tarzan buffs for remaining faithful (in the first half at least) to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original story. Two years later Lambert brought to the screen Gregory Widens' legendary Connor MacLeod, the immortal Highlander (1986), born in the Highlands of Scotland in 1518 and carrying over into the futuristic Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) and Highlander: The Final Dimension (1994). In recent years he has become a producer while continuing to act in mostly action/adventure films.Greystoke; the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)- Hemant Birje was born on 19 August 1965 in Belgaum, Mysore State, India. He is an actor, known for Adventures of Tarzan (1985), Tarzan's Daughter (2002) and Veerana (1988).Adventures of Tarzan (1985)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Wolf Larson was born on 22 December 1959 in West Berlin, West Germany. He is an actor and writer, known for Tarzán (1991), Just Can't Get Enough (2002) and Code Name: Eternity (2000). He has been married to Carolyn J Larson since 30 March 1998.Television series Tarzan from 1991 to 1994- Actor
- Producer
Joe Lara was born in San Diego, California. He was cast to play "Tarzan" in "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" in the early 1990s. He worked in many countries, including South Africa, Bulgaria, and Russia. He co starred in many film to video projects that were filmed in Bulgaria, Russia, and Africa. He was the longtime partner and fiancé of actress Natasha Pavlovich. They had a child together.Tarzan in Manhattan (1988 made for television movie) and in the television series Tarzan; the Epic Adventures (1996 to 2000)- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Casper Van Dien's breakthrough role was as the lead in Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi film Starship Troopers (1997). Still one of the most talked about films of 1997 that has one of the largest cult followings in film history. He was also in Tim Burton's critically acclaimed film Sleepy Hollow (1999), as Brom Van Brunt. He was the 20th Tarzan and the only one to ever film in Africa and ride an African elephant in the Warner Bros. film Tarzan and the Lost City (1998).
Other film credits include The Pact (2012), which was well received at Sundance. Casper played a down and out alcoholic detective opposite Caity Lotz. A Post Apocalyptic survivor in Beyond The Wave (2015) shot entirely in China. Starring opposite Sean Maher as part of a two man crew on a mission to the end of the universe in the much anticipated independent film ISRA 88 (2016) .
Television credits include "Monk" (2008) Playing a Navy Doctor for the season finale, and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1994).
Casper has tackled the web recently playing Johnny Cage in the insanely popular Machinima web-series "Mortal Kombat Legacy" seasons 2 and 3. He won best actor for his comedic chops in the series. He stars as "Hawk Guy" in the upcoming Avengers spoof "Interns of F.I.E.L.D." produced by Screen Junkies. You can also check him out as the hunky bartender in the popular series "Conman" starring Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion. He played the perfect version of himself in the comedy series "Crunchtime".
His most recent victory has been behind the camera as a Director. He has directed three films in which he also starred in. His second film Patient Killer won best film and best director awards and was bought and aired on Lifetime.Tarzan and the Lost City (1998)- Actor
- Producer
Travis Fimmel was born near Echuca, Victoria, Australia, to Jennie, a recreation officer for the disabled, and Chris, a cattle farmer. He was raised on a 5500-acre farm located between Melbourne and Sydney. Until the age of seventeen, his life was spent at school and working on the family farm, morning and night-something he continues to relish on his trips back home.
After high school, higher education called and he was accepted to Melbourne University. It was not long until his intense curiosity led him to begin his global adventures.
While bar-tending in London, giving away almost as much beer as he sold, he met his would-be manager, David Seltzer. David saw a spark in Travis and suggested he move to the United States to become an actor and nurture his talent. Easily enticed by the arts, it was not long before Travis made the move to Los Angeles, and within a week began studying with renowned acting coach Ivana Chubbuck. The teaching veteran, in addition to Travis, has mentored Jake Gyllenhaal, Eva Mendes, Halle Berry, Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron.
Years of struggling and hard work continue to pay off and Travis has chalked up starring roles in several projects including Rocky Point (with Lauren Holly), Southern Comfort (with Madeleine Stowe and Eric Roberts), Restraint (with True Blood's Stephen Moyer), Ivory (with Martin Landau and Peter Stomare), Surfer Dude (with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson), and AE's The Beast (with Patrick Swayze). He is best known for his roles as Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings (2013), and Anduin Lothar in Warcraft (2016).
Production has taken Travis all over the world but, between roles, he travels back to his family's farm as much as possible. Travis is quick to point out that it is his love for Australian Rules (AKA "No" Rules) Football, the countryside, his two older brothers, and a hard working lifestyle that keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.Television series Tarzan in 2003