Tarzan In Film, Television And Other Non-print Media
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Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
, a fictional character created by
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
, first appeared in the 1912 novel ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. The story was first printed in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 191 ...
'', and then in twenty-four sequels by Burroughs and numerous more by other authors. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, first and most notably to comics and
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
.


Film

The earlier ''Tarzan'' films were silent pictures adapted from the original ''Tarzan'' novels which appeared within a few years of the character's creation. With the advent of talking pictures, a popular ''Tarzan'' movie franchise was developed, which was anchored by actor
Johnny Weissmüller Johnny Weissmuller ( ; born Johann Peter Weißmüller, ; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was a Hungarian-born German American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive-swimming records o ...
in the title role, which lasted from 1932 to 1948. ''Tarzan'' films under Weissmüller often featured the character's chimpanzee companion,
Cheeta Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Ta ...
. Later ''Tarzan'' films after Weissmüller have been occasional and somewhat idiosyncratic.


Silent film

The earlier Tarzan films were eight silent features and serials released between 1918 and 1929, most based on novels in the original series.
Elmo Lincoln Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952, a ...
starred in the first Tarzan feature, ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. The story was first printed in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 191 ...
'' (1918), a faithful cinematic rendering of Burroughs' first Tarzan novel. The first portion of the film featured
Gordon Griffith Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ove ...
as the young Tarzan, so Griffith could technically be considered the first screen Tarzan. (Early in the film, Tarzan is also shown as a baby played by at least two different uncredited children.) Elmo Lincoln returned for two sequels. Additional silents were produced in the 1920s with other actors (three of these films – '' The Romance of Tarzan'' (1918, Elmo Lincoln), '' The Revenge of Tarzan'' (1920, Gene Pollar), and '' Tarzan the Mighty'' (1928, Frank Merrill) – have been lost). One of the silents, ''
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. The story was first published as a seven part serial in ''Argosy All-St ...
'' (1927), featured the then-unknown
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
as a villainous native chieftain. Other actors who portrayed the character in 1920s films were P. Dempsey Tabler and
James Pierce 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. He was an All-American ...
(who married the daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs). The first Tarzan sound film was ''
Tarzan the Tiger ''Tarzan the Tiger'' (1929) is a Universal movie serial based on the novel '' Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar'' by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It stars Frank Merrill as Tarzan, Natalie Kingston as Jane, and Al Ferguson. It was directed by Henry Mac ...
'' (1929), featuring
Frank Merrill Frank Dow Merrill (December 4, 1903 – December 11, 1955) was a United States Army General (United States), general and is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), in the Burma ...
as the Ape Man, shot as a silent but partially dubbed for release. It was Merrill’s second Tarzan movie, and it cost him the role, as his voice was deemed unsuitable for the part.


The Weissmüller era

The most popular series of Tarzan films began with '' Tarzan the Ape Man'' (1932), starring
Johnny Weissmüller Johnny Weissmuller ( ; born Johann Peter Weißmüller, ; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was a Hungarian-born German American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive-swimming records o ...
and
Maureen O'Sullivan Maureen Paula O'Sullivan (May 17, 1911 – June 23, 1998) was an Irish actress who played Jane in the ''Tarzan'' series of films during the era of Johnny Weissmuller. She starred in dozens of feature films across a span of more than half a ...
. Weissmüller, the son of ethnic-German immigrants from the Hungarian part of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, was already well known as a five-time
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
gold medalist in swimming. He became the most famous and longest-lasting screen Tarzan, starring as the Ape Man in a total of twelve films, through 1948, the first six produced by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
and the final six from
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...
. The beauteous and scantily clad O'Sullivan was a major factor in the early popularity of the series. The role of Jane in the films was reduced after O'Sullivan departed in 1942 following the sixth film in the series (and the last for MGM), ''
Tarzan's New York Adventure ''Tarzan's New York Adventure'' (also known as ''Tarzan Against the World'') is a 1942 American adventure film from Metro Goldwyn Mayer, produced by Frederick Stephani, directed by Richard Thorpe, that stars Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'S ...
''. Two Jane-less films followed before Brenda Joyce took over the role for the last four Weissmüller Tarzan films. Starting afresh with an extremely free adaptation of ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. The story was first printed in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 191 ...
'' which threw out everything that had gone before, the Weissmüller series was a boon to the franchise if not to the character. In contrast to the articulate nobleman of Burroughs's novels, Weissmuller's Tarzan was a natural hero with a limited vocabulary. The
ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word meaning ''substitute'' or ''replacement''. Altho ...
pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn f ...
of his dialogue has often been mocked as "Me Tarzan, you Jane," although that particular line was never spoken in any of the films (see insert). Tarzan and Jane were clearly married in the novels, but their legal status was left ambiguous in the Weissmuller films, even though they shared a jungle treehouse and (particularly in the second film of the series, '' Tarzan and His Mate'') a strong sexual chemistry. In keeping with
Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the Cinema of the United States, United States from 1934 to 1968. It ...
requirements, their son "Boy" was found and adopted rather than born to Jane. The "Boy" character, played by
Johnny Sheffield Johnny Sheffield (born John Matthew Sheffield Cassan, April 11, 1931 – October 15, 2010) was an American child actor who, between 1939 and 1947, portrayed Boy in the Tarzan film series and, between 1949 and 1955, played Bomba, the Jungle Boy. ...
, appeared in eight consecutive films in the series, starting with ''
Tarzan Finds a Son ''Tarzan Finds a Son!'' is a 1939 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the fourth in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM ''Tarzan'' series to feature Johnny Weissmuller as the "King of the Apes" and the fourth of s ...
'' (1939). Weissmüller's yodel-like "Tarzan yell" became so associated with the character that it was sometimes dubbed into later films featuring different actors.
Cheeta Cheeta (sometimes billed as Cheetah, Cheta, and Chita) is a chimpanzee character that appeared in numerous Hollywood Tarzan films of the 1930s–1960s, as well as the 1966–1968 television series, as the ape sidekick of the title character, Ta ...
the chimpanzee provided comic relief through the series.


Competing films of the 1930s

Due to complex licensing issues relating to Tarzan, a number of competing films starring other actors were made during the Weissmüller period. The first of these was '' Tarzan the Fearless'' (1933), released as both a 12-chapter serial and as an edited feature film under the same title. It starred another Olympic swimmer, 1932 gold medalist
Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983) was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimming event, which launched his c ...
, and was the first Tarzan film produced by
Sol Lesser Sol Lesser (February 17, 1890 – September 19, 1980) was an American film producer. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. Biography In 1913, while living in San ...
, later to become producer of the franchise when it moved to RKO. Crabbe went on to a career in B-films and television, including portrayals of
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...
heroes
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'' ...
and
Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...
. ''
The New Adventures of Tarzan ''The New Adventures of Tarzan'' is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Bruce Bennett, Herman Brix. The serial presents a more authentic version of the character than most other film adaptations, with Tarzan as the cultured and w ...
'' (1935), hearkening back to the original concept of the character as an intelligent Englishman, was a serial featuring Herman Brix that was reedited into two feature films, the first released in the same year and with the same title as the serial, and the second, '' Tarzan and the Green Goddess'' released in 1938.
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
had a financial interest in the production. Brix, another Olympian (shotput) changed his name in 1939 and, as Bruce Bennett, enjoyed a long career in film and television. ''
Tarzan's Revenge ''Tarzan's Revenge'' is a 1938 American adventure film starring Glenn Morris in his only outing as Tarzan. Eleanor Holm, a popular swimming star, co-starred as Eleanor Reed. The film was produced by Sol Lesser, written by Robert Lee Johnson and ...
'', released in 1938, starred
Glenn Morris Glenn Edgar Morris (June 18, 1912 – January 31, 1974) was a United States of America, U.S. track and field Athletics (sport), athlete. He won a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon in Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's decathlon, ...
,
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
winner in the Olympic
decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...
in
1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...
, a feat documented in part two of
Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial ...
's film '' Olympia''. Morris was thus the fourth Olympian to play Tarzan. His co-star was Olympic swimmer
Eleanor Holm Eleanor Grace Theresa Holm (December 6, 1912Social Security Death Index: HOLM, ELEANOR H. was born 6 December 1912, received Social Security number 559-12-4524 (indicating California) and, Death Master File says, died 31 January 2004 Source: Dea ...
who won a gold medal in 1932 and was expelled from the 1936 Olympics under controversial circumstances. She played a Jane-like character named Eleanor. This film was also produced by Sol Lesser. It was poorly reviewed, causing Morris to abandon any thoughts of a further film career. With the exception of ''
The New Adventures of Tarzan ''The New Adventures of Tarzan'' is a 1935 American film serial in 12 chapters starring Bruce Bennett, Herman Brix. The serial presents a more authentic version of the character than most other film adaptations, with Tarzan as the cultured and w ...
'', which was partially filmed in Guatemala, the Tarzan movies of this period were mostly filmed on Hollywood sound stages and backlots, with stock jungle and wildlife footage edited into the final product.


The franchise after Weissmüller

After ''
Tarzan and the Mermaids ''Tarzan and the Mermaids'' is a 1948 American adventure film based on the Tarzan character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Directed by Robert Florey, it was the last of twelve ''Tarzan'' films to star Johnny Weissmuller in the title role, wit ...
'' in 1948, Weissmuller retired from the series, believing that he was now too old to play the loincloth-clad character. He went on, however, to appear in a long series of similar adventures wearing a safari suit as
Jungle Jim Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began on January 7, 1934, as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle ...
. After Weissmüller's departure, producer
Sol Lesser Sol Lesser (February 17, 1890 – September 19, 1980) was an American film producer. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1961. Biography In 1913, while living in San ...
led a nationwide search for a replacement, auditioning over 200 actors. The winner was
Lex Barker Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. (May 8, 1919 – May 11, 1973), known as Lex Barker, was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953 and portraying leading characters from Karl May' ...
, a tall and strikingly handsome 29-year-old who had grown up in wealth and privilege in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Barker portrayed Tarzan in five films (1949–1953), each with a different actress portraying Jane (the first one being Brenda Joyce, a carry-over from the Weissmüller series). These were mostly low budget affairs similar to Weissmuller's RKO films, although the third one, ''
Tarzan's Peril ''Tarzan's Peril'' is a 1951 film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Virginia Huston as Jane, and featuring Dorothy Dandridge as "Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba." The fifteenth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series tha ...
'' (1951), was an attempt to upgrade the series by filming on actual African locations and using local Africans in the cast. Despite Barker's aristocratic bearing and good acting credentials, Lesser insisted that he emulate Weissmüller's "Me Tarzan, you Jane" characterization. Next came six films starring
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...
(1955–1960), a bodybuilder who was discovered while lifeguarding at a hotel in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. His first three Tarzan films, produced by Sol Lesser, continued in the Weissmüller formula. Lesser also produced several episodes of a Tarzan
television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
starring Scott that was edited into a feature film called ''
Tarzan and the Trappers ''Tarzan and the Trappers'' is a 1960 action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen and Lesley Bradley. The twentieth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that ...
''. Then the series was taken over by producer Sy Weintraub, who wanted to move the character closer to Burroughs's original conception. The result starred Scott in two of the best-received entries in the entire franchise, ''
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' is a 1959 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by John Guillermin, produced by Sy Weintraub and Harvey Hayutin, and written by Les Crutchfield, based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs as ...
'' (1959) and ''
Tarzan the Magnificent ''Tarzan the Magnificent'' is a 1960 British Eastmancolor film, the follow-up to ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' (1959) and the twenty-third film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that began with 1932's '' Tarzan the Ape Man''. Its plot bears no re ...
'' (1960). MGM released a remake of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' in 1959, a poorly received film starring
Denny Miller Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 – September 9, 2014) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on ''Wagon Train'', his guest-starring appearances on ''Gilligan's Island'' and ''C ...
. The Weintraub series continued in two films featuring veteran stuntman
Jock Mahoney Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney (February 7, 1919 – December 14, 1989), known professionally as Jock Mahoney, was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in two Action/Adventure television series, '' The Range Rider'' and '' Yancy Derringer''. H ...
(1962–1963), three with former pro-football player Mike Henry (1966–1968), and two (feature versions of television episodes) with
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
(1970). The Mike Henry films were filmed before the Ron Ely TV series, but were released to theatres after the TV series debuted. Weintraub had intended Henry to star in the TV series, but Henry declined because of the injuries and illnesses he had suffered during back to back location filming. The Weintraub productions, including the Ron Ely television series (see below), dropped the character of Jane and portrayed Tarzan as an intelligent but apparently rootless adventurer. The Mike Henry entries, starting with ''
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold ''Tarzan and the Valley of Gold'' is a 1966 Eastmancolor adventure film starring Mike Henry in his debut as Tarzan. The Panavision film, the twenty-sixth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that began with 1932's '' Tarzan the Ape Man'', produce ...
'' (1966), were produced at the height of the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
craze, and had a well-tailored Tarzan jetting around the world to take on dangerous missions. In contrast to most earlier Tarzan films, the Weintraub productions were in color and were shot in exotic locations such as Kenya, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico, and Brazil. By 1965, films starring Tarzan had collectively grossed over worldwide, making him the
highest-grossing film Films generate income from several revenue streams, including theatrical exhibition, home video, television broadcast rights, and merchandising. However, theatrical box-office earnings are the primary metric for trade publications in assess ...
character up until then. Tarzan's total gross greatly exceeded
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
, who was the highest-grossing actor at the time.


Later films

After 1970, the movie Tarzan went on hiatus until 1981, when MGM released its third version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' with
Miles O'Keeffe Miles O'Keeffe (born June 20, 1954) is an American film and television actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man''. Youth O'Keeffe was born in Ripley, Tennessee. A star footba ...
in the title role and
Bo Derek Bo Derek (born Mary Cathleen Collins; November 20, 1956) is an American actress and model. She began her career as a child model before deciding to pursue acting on the advice of a talent agent she met through actress Ann-Margret, who was acqua ...
as Jane. The film was financially successful, but critically panned. The better-received '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' followed in 1984, starring
Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957), commonly known as Christopher Lambert, is a French-American actor, producer, and writer. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally f ...
. Returning to the source material, it updated Burroughs’ original novel in the light of 1980s sensibilities and science, utilizing a number of corrective ideas first put forth by
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
author
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...
in his 1972 mock-biography ''Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke''. While restoring Tarzan’s identity as an intelligent human being, ''Greystoke'' portrayed his adaptation to civilization as a failure, and his return to the wild as a matter of necessity rather than choice. The next live-action Tarzan movie was ''
Tarzan and the Lost City ''Tarzan and the Lost City'' is a 1998 American adventure film directed by Carl Schenkel, written by Bayard Johnson and J. Anderson Black, and starring Casper Van Dien, Jane March, and Steven Waddington. The screenplay by Bayard Johnson and J. An ...
'' (1998) which starred
Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers'' (1997). Other credits include '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), '' Sanctimony ...
. Essentially a follow-on to ''Greystoke'', this film was set in the 1920s and attempted to capture the flavor of some of the later novels in the Tarzan series, in which the ape-man encountered increasingly fantastic civilizations hidden in the deep jungles. The latest live-action Tarzan film '' The Legend of Tarzan'' (2016), produced by
Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
and
Jerry Weintraub Jerome Charles Weintraub (September 26, 1937 – July 6, 2015) was an American film producer, talent manager and actor whose television films won him three Emmys. He began his career as a talent agent, having managed known singer John Denver in ...
& directed by
David Yates David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English filmmaker, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the Harry Potter (film series), ''Harry Potter'' series ...
, was released on July 1, 2016. It stars
Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained ...
and
Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie ( ; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Her work includes both blockbuster and independent films, and her accolades include nominations for three Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and six BAFT ...
as Tarzan and Jane, along with Samuel L. Jackson,
Christoph Waltz Christoph Waltz (; born 4 October 1956) is an Austrian and German actor. Primarily active in the United States, he gained international recognition for his portrayal of villainous and supporting roles in English-language films. His accolades i ...
and
Djimon Hounsou Djimon Gaston Hounsou ( ; ; born April 24, 1964) is a Beninese-American actor. He began his career appearing in music videos and made his film debut in '' Without You I'm Nothing'' (1990). He then earned widespread recognition for his role as C ...
. The new approach blended the characters and the setting from the Burroughs novels with the events and
atrocities in the Congo Free State From 1885 to 1908, many atrocities were committed in the Congo Free State (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo) under the absolute rule of King Leopold II of Belgium. These atrocities were particularly associated with the labour polici ...
in the late 1880s and historical figures with a significant role at the time, such as Leon Rom as portrayed by Waltz. On September 30, 2022, The Hollywood Reporter has announced that
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
has picked up the screen rights to Tarzan and is looking to deliver a "total reinvention" of the character.


Animated films

Disney's The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
animated ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
'' (1999) marked a new beginning for the ape man, taking its inspiration equally from Burroughs and '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes''. Its major innovations were recasting the original fictitious ape species that adopted Tarzan as
gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...
s and turning William Cecil Clayton, his paternal cousin and rival for the affections of Jane in the early novels, into a brawny out-and-out villain known only as "Clayton." Tarzan was voiced by actor
Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
with a Tarzan yell vocalized by
Brian Blessed Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...
and Jane by
Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British and American actress and singer. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film ''Circle of Friends (1995 film), Circle of Friends''. She went on to star i ...
. Two direct-to-video sequels followed, ''
Tarzan & Jane ''Tarzan & Jane'' is a 2002 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Released on July 23, 2002, it is a direct-to-video spin-off to the Disney's 1999 animated feature film ''Tarzan'', and uses three then-una ...
'' (2002), and ''
Tarzan II ''Tarzan II'' (also known as ''Tarzan 2'' and ''Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins'') is a 2005 American animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film, and the third Disney's ''Tarzan'' film after '' Tarzan and Jane'', though it chronologically takes ...
'' (2005), a re-exploration of the ape man’s childhood. In ''Tarzan & Jane'', Goldwyn and Driver were replaced by Michael T. Weiss and
Olivia d'Abo Olivia Jane d'Abo (; born 22 January 1969) is a British actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Karen Arnold, Kevin Arnold's rebellious teenaged hippie sister in the ABC comedy-drama series ''The Wonder Years'' (1988–1993), as fema ...
. Also in 1999, a direct-to-video animated version of ''
Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. The story was first printed in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' in October 1912 before being released as a novel in June 191 ...
'' aimed at younger children was released by
Sony Wonder Sony Pictures Kids Zone is the kids and family entertainment label of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the former record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directly related to the fo ...
. In 2013, Germany's
Constantin Film Constantin Film AG is a German film production company based in Munich. The company, which belongs to Swiss media conglomerate Highlight Communications AG, is a large independent German maker and distributor of productions. Constantin has releas ...
released a ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
'' 3D animated feature in CGI with
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...
. Reinhard Klooss directed.
Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor, martial artist and model. He made his film debut in '' Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has ...
and
Spencer Locke Spencer Locke (born September 20, 1991) is an American actress known for her roles as Kylie in ''Cougar Town,'' Jenny Bennett in '' Monster House,'' Ione in '' Detention'', and K-Mart in the ''Resident Evil'' film series. Life and career A nat ...
voiced Tarzan and Jane Porter, respectively. The film opened in a number of countries in late 2013 and early 2014, but received mostly negative reviews and as a result no theatrical release was planned for the U.S. Instead, the film was released directly to DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. in August 2014.


Other

The film Tarzan corpus also includes a number of documentaries, most of them either made for television or to accompany video sets of Tarzan movies, a number of derivative foreign-language productions from
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, and various spoofs and parodies. Among the latter is ''Starzan'', a
Philippine The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
Cinema comedy film loosely based on the original Tarzan franchise satirizing western entertainment. It stars Filipino comedic actor
Joey De Leon Jose Maria Ramos de Leon Jr. (born October 14, 1946), professionally known as Joey de Leon and also known as Henyo Master, is a Filipino comedian, actor, television host and songwriter. He is one of the members of the comedy trio, collectively ...
as Starzan,
Rene Requiestas Renato "Rene" Licup Requiestas (; January 22, 1957 – July 24, 1993) was a Filipino actor, comedian and politician. Requiestas was one of the top Filipino comedians of the late 1980s up to the early 1990s. Requiestas was known for his sidekic ...
as "Chitae", and
Zsa Zsa Padilla Esperanza "Zsa Zsa" Perez Padilla (born May 28, 1964) is a Filipino singer, actress, television host, music producer and businesswoman. Referred to as the "''Divine Diva''", Padilla is recognized as one of the top female recording artists in th ...
as Jane. Steve Sipek also known as Steve Hawkes played Tarzan in two films produced by a Spanish company and intended for world markets. The first was variously titled ''Tarzán en la gruta del oro''/''King of the Jungle''/''Tarzan in the Golden Grotto'' (1969) and portions were filmed in
Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
, Florida, Africa, Spain and Italy, with interruptions when the producers ran out of money. Sipek claimed the film company could not pay the huge licensing fees from
Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...
' estate and settled for the name "Zan" or "Karzan" for the character. A 1972 sequel, '' Tarzan and the Brown Prince'' (1972), had portions filmed in
Rainbow Springs Rainbow Springs, formerly known as Blue Spring, is a first-magnitude artesian spring formation in Marion County, Florida, United States, several miles north of the city of Dunnellon, Florida, Dunnellon. Rainbow Springs is the focal point of ...
, Florida. where Sipek was burned in a fire that got out of control.


Stage

A 1921 Broadway production of ''Tarzan of The Apes'' starred Ronald Adair as Tarzan and Ethel Dwyer as Jane Porter. In 1976,
Richard O'Brien Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith; 25 March 1942) is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has since remained in continuous p ...
wrote a musical entitled ''T. Zee'', loosely based on the idea of Tarzan but restyled in a rock idiom. ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
'', a musical stage adaptation of the 1999 animated feature, opened at the
Richard Rodgers Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1925, it was ...
on Broadway on May 10, 2006. The show, a Disney Theatrical production, was directed and designed by Bob Crowley. The show played its final performance July 8, 2007. Tarzan was played by Josh Strickland. Jane was played by Jenn Gambatese. Terk, Tarzan's best friend, was played by Chester Gregory. Kerchak, Tarzan's ape father was played by
Shuler Hensley Shuler Paul Hensley (born March 6, 1967) is an American singer and actor. Early life Hensley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest of three children, Hensley grew up in Marietta, Georgia. His father, Sam P. Hensley Jr., is a former Georgia ...
and Robert Evan. Kala, Tarzan's ape mother was played by
Merle Dandridge Merle Dandridge (born May 31, 1975) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for performing in Broadway musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', ''Spamalot'', '' Rent'', and ''Once on This Island'', as well as her video game rol ...
. Professor Porter (Jane's father) was played by Tim Jerome. Mr. Clayton (Jane's "love interest") was played by Donnie Keshawarz. And Young Tarzan was played by Daniel Manche, Dylan Riley Snyder, J. Bradley Bowers, and
Alex Rutherford Alex Rutherford is the collective pen name of two writers, Diana Preston and her husband Michael Preston. "Rutherford" is known for the six-book historical fiction series '' Empire of the Moghul''. The Prestons studied at the University of Oxfor ...
. The same version of Tarzan that was played at the
Richard Rodgers Theatre The Richard Rodgers Theatre (formerly Chanin's 46th Street Theatre and the 46th Street Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 226 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1925, it was ...
played throughout Europe and was a success in the Netherlands. Tarzan also appeared in the ''Tarzan Rocks!'' show at the Theatre in the Wild at
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...
's
Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division, it is the largest theme park in the worl ...
. The show closed in 2006. ''The Tarzan Encounter'' currently plays in
Disneyland Park (Paris) Disneyland Park, originally Euro Disneyland Park, is a theme park found at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 12 April 1992 as the first of the two parks built at the resort. Designed and built by Walt Disney Ima ...
, similar to the show at Disney's Animal Kingdom.


Radio

''See main article, ''
Tarzan (radio program) Tarzan is a generic title that can be applied to any of three radio jungle adventure programs in the United States. Two were broadcast in the 1930s and one in the 1950s. Format As told in the ''Tarzan'' book series, the episodes centered aroun ...
''.'' Tarzan was the hero of two popular radio programs. The first began on 12 September 1932 with James H. Pierce in the role of Tarzan, adapting the novel ''Tarzan of the Apes'' in 77 installments, airing three times each week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each episode, not counting commercials, ran for about ten minutes. This series was followed by two original stories, written by Rob Thompson, "Tarzan and the Diamond of Ashair", 39 episodes airing every weekday starting 1 May 1935, and "Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr", 39 episodes, airing during 1936. Both of these stories Rob Thompson later adapted for the Tarzan comic strip and again for the Dell Tarzan comic book. The second Tarzan radio program began 1 November 1951 and ran for 75 half-hour episodes, ending on 27 June 1953.
Lamont Johnson Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. (September 30, 1922 – October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director who appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards. Early years Johnson was born in Stockton, C ...
played Tarzan.


Television

Meanwhile, television had emerged as a primary vehicle bringing the character to the public, as the corpus of Tarzan films, especially those of Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker, became staples on Saturday morning TV. In 1958, in the middle of his six-film reign as Tarzan,
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...
filmed three episodes for a prospective television series. The program did not sell, and in 1966 the three pilots were edited into a 90-minute television feature entitled ''
Tarzan and the Trappers ''Tarzan and the Trappers'' is a 1960 action adventure film featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous jungle hero Tarzan and starring Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen and Lesley Bradley. The twentieth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that ...
''. A live action ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
'' series starring
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
ran on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
1966–1968 (57 hour-long episodes). The executive producer was Sy Weintraub, and the series was basically a follow-on to Weintraub's series of Tarzan films that began with ''
Tarzan's Greatest Adventure ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure'' is a 1959 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by John Guillermin, produced by Sy Weintraub and Harvey Hayutin, and written by Les Crutchfield, based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs as ...
'' in 1959. Weintraub had dispensed with Jane and portrayed his ape man as well-spoken and sophisticated. Though Ely's Tarzan did not have Jane, he was accompanied by Cheeta the chimpanzee from the movies and a child sidekick, the orphan boy Jai ( Manuel Padilla, Jr.), who also played the similar roles of Ramel and Pepe in ''
Tarzan and the Valley of Gold ''Tarzan and the Valley of Gold'' is a 1966 Eastmancolor adventure film starring Mike Henry in his debut as Tarzan. The Panavision film, the twenty-sixth film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that began with 1932's '' Tarzan the Ape Man'', produce ...
'' (1966) and ''
Tarzan and the Great River ''Tarzan and the Great River'' is a 1967 adventure film starring Mike Henry in his second of three film appearances as Tarzan. The twenty-seventh and penultimate film of the ''Tarzan'' film series that began with 1932's '' Tarzan the Ape Man'', ...
'' (1967). The character Jai first appeared in the 1962 film '' Tarzan Goes to India'', played by a young actor of the same name. A pair of two-part episodes from this series were also released to theaters as feature films under the titles ''Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion'' (1967) and ''Tarzan's Deadly Silence'' (1970). An animated series from
Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company founded by Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Norm Prescott in 1962, before closing by Group W Productions on February 3, 1989. Located in Reseda, California, Filmation produced animated ...
, ''
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle ''Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle'' is an American animated series created by the Filmation studio for Saturday mornings on CBS, starting in 1976. This was the first animated series about the jungle hero. There are 36 episodes produced over four seas ...
'', aired from 1976–1977, with new and repeat episodes in the anthology programs ''Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour'' (1977–1978), ''Tarzan and the Super 7'' (1978–1980), ''The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour'' (1980–1981), and ''The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour'') (1981–1982). In that show, Tarzan is voiced by Robert Ridgely and Danton Burroughs. Following this Joe Lara starred in the title role in ''Tarzan in Manhattan'' (1989), an offbeat TV movie, and would later return in a completely different interpretation in ''Tarzan: The Epic Adventures'' (1996), a new live-action series. In between the two productions with Lara, ''Tarzán'', a half-hour syndicated series, ran from 1991 through 1994. In this version of the show, Tarzan was portrayed by Wolf Larson as a blond environmentalist, with Jane turned into a French ecologist. Disney’s animated series ''The Legend of Tarzan (TV series), The Legend of Tarzan'' (2001–2003) was a spin-off from its animated film with Michael T. Weiss as the voice of Tarzan (see ''Tarzan and Jane'' in "Animated Films" above). The latest television series was the live-action ''Tarzan (2003 TV series), Tarzan'' (2003), which starred male model Travis Fimmel and updated the setting to contemporary
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with Jane as a police detective. The series failed to meet studio expectations and was cancelled after only eight episodes. Netflix aired an animated series titled ''Tarzan and Jane (TV series), Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan and Jane'' set in modern-day where 16-year-old Tarzan (voiced by Giles Panton) returns from the African jungle to a London boarding school where he meets Jane (voiced by Rebecca Shoichet), who helps him solve environmental injustice, crimes and mysteries. ABS-CBN's ''Noah (TV series), Noah'', aired from July 12, 2010 to February 4, 2011, have a premise similar to ''Tarzan''.


Television sketches/spoofs

A 1981 television special, ''The Muppets Go to the Movies'', features a short sketch entitled "Tarzan and Jane". Lily Tomlin plays Jane opposite Gonzo (Muppet), The Great Gonzo as Tarzan. In addition, the Muppets have made reference to Tarzan on half a dozen occasions since the 1960s. ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' on August 14, 1981 featured a Tarzan sketch in which Johnny Carson and Betty White portray Tarzan and Jane as a bickering married couple. In an episode of ''The Fairly OddParents'', a spoof of Tarzan appears as "Lord of the Drapes", and "Lord of the Shapes", instead of Lord of the Apes. Series one, episode two of ''The Two Ronnies'' includes a "Tarzan in Suburbia" sketch with Ronnie Barker as Tarzan. The British ITV Schools series ''Writers' Workshop'' has a 1976 episode called "Our Hero", discussing the character of Tarzan and featuring Arne Gordon as Tarzan in an extended sketch. ''Saturday Night Live'' featured recurring sketches with the Speech disorder, speech-impaired trio of "Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 1987–1988#Tonto, Tarzan, and, Frankenstein's Monster, Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein's Monster". In these sketches, Tarzan is portrayed by Kevin Nealon.


Animated series

The Japanese ''Jungle no Ouja Ta-chan'' (King of the Jungle Ta-chan) series, originally a manga by Tokuhiro Masaya, was based loosely on Tarzan. It featured the characters of Tarzan and his wife Jane, who had become obese after settling down with Tarzan. The series begins as a comical parody of Tarzan, but later expands to other settings, such as a martial arts tournament in China, professional wrestling in America, and even a fight with vampires. In another anime, ''One Piece'', Roronoa Zoro is seen doing a Tarzan call imitation during the Skypiea arc.


Video games

Taito's 1982 arcade game ''Jungle King (arcade game), Jungle King'' featured a character who resembled Tarzan. Copyright issues required Taito to rename the game, producing ''Jungle Hunt''. The company retained the original character, albeit dressed in safari clothing complete with pith helmet. Gameplay remained unchanged; the player still fought crocodiles and swung from trees, but by ropes instead of vines. ''Jungle Hunt'' was subsequently adapted for play on numerous video game consoles and personal computers. ''Tarzan Goes Ape'' was released in the 1980s for the Commodore 64. Martech, Martech Games Ltd released ''Tarzan (computer game), Tarzan'' in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum, among other computing platforms. In 1999, games based on Disney's animated film ''Tarzan'' were released for the PlayStation, Windows, and Game Boy Color. The PlayStation and Windows version was later ported to the Nintendo 64 in 2000. Other games focusing on Disney's version of Tarzan include ''Tarzan: Untamed, Tarzan Untamed'' (2001) for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube and ''Disney's Tarzan: Return to the Jungle'' (2002) for the Game Boy Advance. Characters from the animated film have also appeared in ''Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure'' and ''Kingdom Hearts''. In the first ''Rayman'', a Tarzanesque version of Rayman named Tarayzan appears in the Dream Forest.


Miscellaneous

There have been several Tarzan View-Master reels and packets, plus numerous Tarzan coloring books, children's books, follow-the-dots and activity books. In the film ''Histoire de Pen'' there is a character named after Tarzan and another named after The Phantom. "Superman's Song", the 1991 debut single by Canadian rock band the Crash Test Dummies, compares Tarzan unfavourably to Superman. ''One Leg Too Few'' is a comedy sketch by Peter Cook concerning a one-legged man attempting to audition for the role of Tarzan. There is a song by Denmark, Danish Pop music, pop group Toy-Box called "Tarzan & Jane (Toy-Box song), Tarzan & Jane", first released as a single in Germany in 1998, and then released worldwide in 1999 to coincide with the release of the Disney film ''Tarzan'' (see "Film").


Authorized filmography


Silents Era

Feature Films:


Silent Serials


Sound Era

Franchise films:


Serials and remakes


Animated films


Television

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a 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 adventurer. Creat ...
originated in a series of novels, from which a large number of serial films were derived. Television later emerged as a primary vehicle bringing the character to the public. From the mid-1950s, all the extant sound Tarzan films became staples of Saturday morning television aimed at young and teenaged viewers. In 1958, movie Tarzan
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...
filmed three episodes for a prospective television series. The program did not sell, but a number of later series were produced.


Documentaries

* ''Tarzan: The Legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs'' (1996) * ''Tarzan at the Movies, Part 1: Johnny Weissmuller'' (1996) * ''Tarzan at the Movies, Part 2: The Many Faces of Tarzan'' (1996) * ''Investigating Tarzan'' (1997) * ''The One, the Only, the Real Tarzan'' (2004) * ''Tarzan: Silver Screen King of the Jungle'' (2004) * ''I,Tarzan'' (1996)


Unauthorized films

* ''Tarzan in the Golden Grotto'' (1969) (Steve Hawkes) * '' Tarzan and the Brown Prince'' (1972) (Steve Hawkes) * ''Lady Tarzan, Tarzan Sundari'' (1983) (Silk Smitha) * ''Adventures of Tarzan'' (1985) (Hemant Birje) * ''Tarzan X'' (1994) (Joe D'Amato) * ''Tarzan Ki Beti'' (2002) (Hemant Birje)


Actors who have portrayed Tarzan


On film (adult)

*
Elmo Lincoln Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952, a ...
1918, 1918, 1921 (all silent) * Gene Pollar 1920 (silent) * P. Dempsey Tabler 1920 (silent) *
James Pierce 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. He was an All-American ...
1927 (silent) *
Frank Merrill Frank Dow Merrill (December 4, 1903 – December 11, 1955) was a United States Army General (United States), general and is best remembered for his command of Merrill's Marauders, officially the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), in the Burma ...
1928, 1929 (all silent) * Johnny Weissmuller 1932, 1934, 1936, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948 *
Buster Crabbe Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe II (; February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983) was an American two-time Olympic swimmer and film and television actor. He won the 1932 Olympic gold medal for 400-meter freestyle swimming event, which launched his c ...
1933 * Herman Brix later billed as Bruce Bennett 1935, 1938 *
Glenn Morris Glenn Edgar Morris (June 18, 1912 – January 31, 1974) was a United States of America, U.S. track and field Athletics (sport), athlete. He won a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon in Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men's decathlon, ...
1938 *
Lex Barker Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. (May 8, 1919 – May 11, 1973), known as Lex Barker, was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953 and portraying leading characters from Karl May' ...
1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 *
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...
1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 *
Denny Miller Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 – September 9, 2014) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on ''Wagon Train'', his guest-starring appearances on ''Gilligan's Island'' and ''C ...
1959 *
Jock Mahoney Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney (February 7, 1919 – December 14, 1989), known professionally as Jock Mahoney, was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in two Action/Adventure television series, '' The Range Rider'' and '' Yancy Derringer''. H ...
1962, 1963 * Mike Henry 1966, 1967, 1968 *
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 *
Miles O'Keeffe Miles O'Keeffe (born June 20, 1954) is an American film and television actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man''. Youth O'Keeffe was born in Ripley, Tennessee. A star footba ...
1981 *
Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957), commonly known as Christopher Lambert, is a French-American actor, producer, and writer. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally f ...
1984 *
Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers'' (1997). Other credits include '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), '' Sanctimony ...
1998 *
Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
1999 (voice of animated Tarzan (1999 movie), Tarzan) *
Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor, martial artist and model. He made his film debut in '' Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has ...
2013 (performance capture) *
Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained ...
2016


On film (youth)

*
Gordon Griffith Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907 – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in ove ...
(1918, 1918) * Tali McGregor (1984) * Peter Kyriakous (1984) * Danny Potts (1984) * Eric Langlois (1984) * Alex D. Linz 1999 (voice of young animated Tarzan (1999 movie), Tarzan) * Harrison Chad (2005) * Craig Garner (2013) (performance capture of 4-year-old CGI/Motion Capture Tarzan film) * Anton Zetterholm (2013) (voice of teen CGI/Motion Capture Tarzan film) * Rory J. Saper (2016) * Christian Stevens (2016)


On stage

* Ronald Adair 1921 (Broadway) * Josh Strickland 2006 (Original Broadway Cast – New York, NY) * Daniel Manche (Tarzan as a youth) 2006 (Original Broadway Cast – New York, NY) * Alex Rutherford (Tarzan as a youth) 2006 (Original Broadway Cast – New York, NY) * Dylan Riley Snyder (Tarzan as a youth) 2006 (Original Broadway Cast – New York, NY) * Anton Zetterholm 2008 (Original German Cast – Hamburg)


On radio

*
James Pierce 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. He was an All-American ...
1932–1934 * Carlton KaDell 1934–1936 *
Lamont Johnson Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. (September 30, 1922 – October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director who appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards. Early years Johnson was born in Stockton, C ...
1951–1953


On television

*
Gordon Scott Gordon Scott (born Gordon Merrill Werschkul; August 3, 1926 – April 30, 2007) was an American film and television actor known for his portrayal of the fictional character Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as- ...
filmed 1958, aired 1966 *
Ron Ely Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series ''Tarzan (1966 TV series), Tarzan'' and playing the lead role in the film ''Doc Savage: ...
1966–1968 * Robert Ridgely 1976–1982 (voice, Filmation series) * Joe Lara 1989, 1996 * Wolf Larson 1991–1994 * Michael T. Weiss 2001 (voice, Disney series) * Travis Fimmel 2003


In video games

*
Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...
, Kingdom Hearts, 2002 * Jūrōta Kosugi, Kingdom Hearts, Japanese


See also

* ''Carry On Up the Jungle, Carry on up the Jungle'' (1970) Tarzan parody


Footnotes


External links


ERBzine Silver Screen: A Resource Guide to the Movies of Edgar Rice Burroughs





Tarzan movie guideTarzan box office
{{Tarzan movies American radio dramas Fantasy film characters Works based on Tarzan, Film series introduced in 1918