James Hubert Pierce (August 8, 1900 – December 11, 1983) was an American actor and the fourth actor to portray Tarzan on film. He appeared in films from 1924 to 1951.

Background

Pierce was born in

Freedom, Indiana Freedom is an unincorporated community in western Franklin Township, Owen County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It lies along U.S. Route 231, southwest of the city of Spencer, the county seat of Owen County. Its elevation is 538 feet (164& ...

. He was an All-American center on the Indiana Hoosiers football team. Following his graduation in 1921, he coached high school football in Arizona, and began acting in his spare time. After he was cast in the 1923 production of ''The Deerslayer'', he remained in California and coached football at Glendale High School (one of his players was

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

Career

Portrayal of Tarzan

Pierce's life changed when he attended a party given by

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

and his daughter Joan. Burroughs, the creator and author of the Tarzan books, immediately wanted Pierce to star in the next Tarzan movie. Pierce gave up a role in the film ''Wings'' to accept the Tarzan role. His part in ''Wings'' was given to a newcomer named Gary Cooper. The silent Tarzan film Burroughs talked him into accepting was released in 1927 by RKO Radio Pictures, and entitled '' Tarzan and the Golden Lion''.

Later career

Pierce is also remembered for playing Prince Thun of the Lion Men in the 1936 serial film ''

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''. He acted in small roles in several films, mostly westerns, through 1951, and worked in a lucrative real estate agency in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

. He was an accomplished pilot, active during World War II with the

National Airmen's Reserve National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, the forerunner of today's

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

Personal life and death

Pierce wed Joan Burroughs on August 8, 1928, his 28th birthday. From 1932 to 1936, James and Joan Pierce were the voices of Tarzan and Jane on national radio in '' Tarzan''. They had a daughter Joanne II Anselmo, née Pierce (1930–2005), and a son James Michael Pierce (1935–1984). They remained married until Joan's death in 1972. Both are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery Shelbyville, Shelbyville, Indiana, and their tombstones bear the inscriptions Tarzan and Jane. For many years, near the end of his life, Pierce attempted, to no avail, to find a print of ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'', which was thought lost. After his death, a copy was found in a foreign archive.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, James 1900 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American male actors American football centers American male film actors American male silent film actors American male radio actors Indiana Hoosiers football players High school football coaches in California People from Shelbyville, Indiana Male actors from Indiana Players of American football from Indiana Male Western (genre) film actors