Tarzan was initially presented to readers of The All-Story Magazine in a 1912 edition
by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Soon after his success in print, Hollywood thought this well-known fictional figure deserved
to be adapted for the big screen.
It was a smashing success, giving Hollywood a new hero who has captivated audiences ever
since.
However, as with many Tarzan films, many excellent performers have donned the loincloth.
So join FactsVerse as we identify the talents that brought the ape-man to life.
ELMO LINCOLN Massive, stout, and barrel-chested Lincoln
was the first actor to portray the ape-man, who was invented by Edgar Rice Burroughs in
1912 and first appeared in the book Tarzan of the Apes.
The first movie adaptation of "The Jungle Man" was released in 1918 with Lincoln as
Tarzan.
He played Tarzan again in The Romance of Tarzan (1918) and The Adventures of Tarzan (1919).
While Lincoln eventually became the first actor to play Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs
initially disapproved of his casting.
Rice prioritized Stellen Windrow for the role, but Windrow had quit acting at the outset
of World War I, leaving the role available for Lincoln.
He passed away at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack in 1953
FRANK MERRILL Before becoming an actor, Merrill was a police
officer and an award-winning gymnast.
Merrill was cast as the title character in the sequel, 1928's Tarzan the Mighty, after
helping out Elmo Lincoln with his stunts in The Adventures of Tarzan.
Like Lincoln, Merrill replaced actor/stuntman Joe Bonomo, who was originally tipped to wear
the loincloth in Tarzan the Mighty.
JOHNNY WEISSMULLER Weissmuller, like Frank Merrill, was an athlete,
and this served him well in preparing for the role of the musclebound figure.
Weissmuller was a world-class swimmer in the 1920s, winning six Olympic medals for the
United States (five gold and one bronze).
As a result of his athletic prowess, he gained considerable notoriety.
However, it wasn't until 1932, when he signed on to star in Tarzan the Ape Man, that Weissmuller's
acting career got off the ground.
Johnny Weissmuller portrayed Tarzan in over ten films, beginning with Tarzan the Ape Man
in 1932 and ending with Tarzan and the Mermaids in 1948.
In 1984, at the age of 79, Weissmuller passed away from pulmonary edema.
HERMAN BRIX Herman Brix, who won silver in the shot put
in the 1928 Olympics, is another Olympian who also played Tarzan.
By 1929, Brix had made his way to Hollywood, where Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. had organized
a screen test for him at Paramount Studios.
Unfortunately, while filming for the movie Touchdown, Brix tore his shoulder.
A major setback for Brix, who had been promised the role of Tarzan in a new MGM film.
As a result of his injury, Johnny Weismuller was cast for the part.
But as destiny would have it, Brix was given yet another opportunity to portray Tarzan.
He played Tarzan in the 1935 film The New Adventures of Tarzan, which was produced by
Burroughs-Tarzan, Inc.
The movie received praise for being a more accurate representation of the novel than
earlier versions.
In 1938, he starred as Tarzan for the second time in Tarzan and the Green Goddess.
Following his contract at Columbia Studios, Brix legally changed his identity to that
of Bruce Bennett.
In 2007, at the age of 100, Brix passed away after a lengthy life.
LEX BARKER Before entering the acting business, Lex Barker
was employed in the steel industry.
He began his career with a brief role in the 1945 picture Doll Face.
Thereafter, he appeared in a series of supporting roles before landing the role of Tarzan in
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949).
Before stepping down from the role, the iconic actor played the jungle dweller in four additional
films.
After Tarzan, Barker found his greatest success in international cinema.
He was a leading man in comedies and war films.
Barker passed away from a heart attack while out on a stroll in 1973, just three days before
he would have been 54.
GORDON SCOTT Scott was discovered by a talent scout while
he was working as a lifeguard at a Las Vegas hotel, which led to his breakthrough role
as Tarzan.
He had a sit-down with producer Sy Weintraub and eventually agreed to a seven-year deal.
Scott took over the role of the swaggering ape man from Lex Barker and filmed six Tarzan
movies.
As far as Tarzans go, many people think Gordon is the best.
After Scott abandoned the role of Tarzan, he relocated to Italy, where he became a successful
action star through his work in sword and sorcery films.
Unfortunately, setbacks from heart surgery led to his untimely death in Baltimore in
2007.
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JOCK MAHONEY In 1948 Jock Mahoney tried out to take over
for Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, but the part ultimately went to Lex Barker.
But after 14 years, he was finally cast as the ape-man after producer Sy Weintraub decided
he wanted a fresh take on the character.
He starred as Tarzan in 1962 in Tarzan Goes to India and in 1963 in Tarzan's Three Challenges.
Mahoney's health declined as a result of his time spent in the movies, which is understandable
given the demanding nature of the character and the fact that he was 44 when he landed
it.
After his last role as Tarzan in 1963, he was let out of his contract.
MIKE HENRY Before taking on the role of Tarzan, Henry
was a linebacker for the Rams and the Steelers.
He played the title role in three Tarzan movies in the '60s: Tarzan and the Valley of Gold
(1966), Tarzan and the Great River (1967), and Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968).
Henry later filed a lawsuit against the film's producer Sy Weintraub, claiming that his health
and safety were compromised by the studio's deplorable working conditions.
He was even approached to play Tarzan on the TV show, but he declined.
Later, he appeared in films including Smokey and the Bandit, The Longest Yard, and Soylent
Green.
RON ELY Ely became the new face of the ape-man when
Tarzan was adapted into a television series by NBC in 1966.
His version of Tarzan was civilized and lived among men, but he eventually went back to
the jungle because he missed his true essence.
The show did not include Jane, Tarzan's stereotypical female companion.
Even while accidents on set are quite common, Ely seemed to suffer more than others.
He did all of his stunts with no prior experience as a stuntman and wound up with broken ribs,
a dislocated shoulder, and sprained wrists as a result.
He was also bitten by a tamed lion on set.
MILES O'KEEFE Miles O'Keefe graduated from college with
a degree in political science and psychology.
After completing school, he entered the Tennessee prison system as a counsellor and remained
there for several years before deciding to pursue acting.
He got his big break in the 1981 film Tarzan, the Ape Man, in which he starred alongside
Bo Derek as Jane.
His co-star Bo Derek and her then-husband John Derek directed and produced the film.
Though it received negative reviews from most, "Tarzan, the Ape Man" is by no means the worst
Tarzan film.
O'Keefe relocated to Europe, where he starred in films like Ator, The Fighting Eagle, and
Iron Warrior.
CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT Born in New York, Christopher Lambert was
raised in Geneva, Switzerland, and Paris, France.
His breakthrough appearance as Tarzan alongside Andie MacDowell's Jane in Greystoke: The Legend
of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) propelled him to international stardom.
His adaptation of Burroughs's work stayed true to the character of Tarzan, and it was
praised by critics.
It was also the first Tarzan film to ever receive an Oscar nomination.
However, Lambert's role as Connor MacLeod in the 1986 picture Highlander, in which he
played in all three sequels, remains his most successful film role internationally.
WOLF LARSON After relocating from Canada to Los Angeles
in 1985, Wolf Larson was scouted by an agent who suggested he enrol in an acting school
to develop his skills.
Larson started playing Tarzan on TV in 1991.
The series aired its final episode in 1994 after running for a total of 75 episodes.
Larson continued to act after his time on Tarzan, appearing on shows like Simon & Simon
and Dynasty as well as the evening soap Santa Barbara.
TRAVIS FIMMEL Australian actor, Travis Fimmel, first gained
recognition as a Calvin Klein pants model.
The former model played the ape-man in a 2003 series on WB, which was a modern adaptation
of Tarzan filmed in New York.
However, the show failed to gain traction and was terminated after only eight episodes.
The show lasted only 13 episodes before being cancelled due to Swayze's illness.
Fimmel portrayed Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel series Vikings in 2013.
ALEXANDER SKARSGARD At age 7, Skarsgard got his start in the acting
industry when a friend of his father's cast him in the film Ake and His World.
As a young teen (13), he shot to fame after acting in the Swedish TV drama The Dog That
Smiled.
After 18 months in the Swedish armed forces, he went back to acting.
He spent six months in the Big Apple, attending Marymount Manhattan College for theatre training.
He then made appearances in movies like the 2001 film Zoolander, the 2007 TV movie Generation
Kill and the 2008-2014 HBO series True Blood.
In the 2016 movie The Legend of Tarzan, he played the title role of Tarzan/John Clayton
III, Lord Greystoke.
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