James Hubert Pierce (August 8, 1900 – December 11, 1983) was an American actor and the fourth actor to portray

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

on film. He appeared in films from 1924 to 1951.

Background

Pierce was born in Freedom, Indiana. He was an All-American

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

on the

Indiana Hoosiers football The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers have played their home games at Memorial Stadium since 1960 ...

team. Following his graduation in 1921, he coached high school football in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and began acting in his spare time. After he was cast in the 1923 production of ''The Deerslayer'', he remained in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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

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 Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. The silent Tarzan film Burroughs talked him into accepting was released in 1927 by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

, and entitled ''

Tarzan and the Golden Lion ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'' is an adventure novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of twenty-four books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-Story We ...

''.

Later career

Pierce is also remembered for playing

Prince Thun Prince Thun is a fictional character who appeared in various forms of the Flash Gordon comic strip and film productions. He is a Lion Man of Mongo and one of Flash's most trusted friends. His Father is King Jugrid, ruler of the Lion Men, and ...

of the Lion Men in the 1936

serial film A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a film, motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater ...

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

''. He acted in small roles in several films, mostly

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, 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, 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 ''

''. 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 Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, in the U.S. state of Indiana and is the county seat. The population was 20,067 as of the 2020 census. History In 1818, the land that would become Shelbyville was ceded to the Un ...

, 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