by leafar-380-729250|created - 01 May 2014|updated - 16 May 2014| Public
The list includes all the movies with different actors in the role of Tarzan. Among them, Elmo Lincoln, Herman Brix, Lex Barker, Buster Crabbe, Johnny Weissmuller, Gordon Scott, Ron Ely and others. In my opinion, the best actor in the role of Tarzan was Johnny Weissmuller, the best actress in the role of Jane was Maureen O'Sullivan and the best actor in the role of Johnny was Johnny Sheffield.
Tarzan will be 100 years old in 2014. You can have a great centennial celebration watching as many Tarzan films as you can in 2014.
Tarzan will be 100 years old in 2014. You can have a great centennial celebration watching as many Tarzan films as you can in 2014.
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Johnny Weissmuller (2 June 1904 – 20 January 1984) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American competition swimmer and actor.He was known for playing Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape man Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. The list includes all the movies with different actors in the role of Tarzan. Among them, Elmo Lincoln, Herman Brix, Lex Barker, Buster Crabbe, Johnny Weissmuller, Gordon Scott, Ron Ely and others.
1.Tarzan of the Apes(1918)
Not Rated|73 min|Action, Adventure
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Kohn and Alice Clayton set sail for Africa. Mutineers maroon them. After his parents die, the newborn Tarzan is taken by a great Ape, Kala. Later the boy finds his father's knife and uses .. See full summary »
Director:Scott Sidney| Stars:Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, True Boardman, Kathleen Kirkham
Votes:625|Gross:$3.27M
2.The Revenge of Tarzan(1920)
90 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan and Jane are sailing for France in answer to a call for help from Countess de Coude who is being persecuted by her brother Rokoff. After a duel with the Countess' jealous husband, .. See full summary »
Directors:Harry Revier, George M. Merrick| Stars:Gene Pollar, Karla Schramm, Estelle Taylor, Armand Cortes
Votes:31
3.The Son of Tarzan(1920)
248 min|Action, Adventure
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The scenario follows the book closely. Tarzan's son Jack (Korak to the apes) is kidnapped from England by Tarzan's old enemy Paulovich. He escapes into the African jungle with the help of .. See full summary »
Directors:Arthur J. Flaven, Harry Revier| Stars:Kamuela C. Searle, P. Dempsey Tabler, Nita Martan, Karla Schramm
Votes:70
4.Adventures of Tarzan(1921)
Passed|60 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan spurns the love of La, Queen of Opar. When he isn't trying to keep the Bolshevik Rokoff and Clayton (pretender to the Greystoke estate) from reaching Opar, he is attacked .. See full summary »
Directors:Robert F. Hill, Scott Sidney| Stars:Elmo Lincoln, Louise Lorraine, Scott Pembroke, Frank Whitson
Votes:95
5.Tarzan and the Golden Lion(1927)
57 min|Action, Adventure
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Flora Hawks is in love with the overseer of Tarzan's African estate. After a search for a legendary city of diamonds, Tarzon races with his pet lion Jad-bal-ja to save Haws from being sacrificed to a lion-god.
Director:J.P. McGowan| Stars:James Pierce, Frederick Peters, Edna Murphy, Harold Goodwin
Votes:120
6.Tarzan the Mighty(1928)
Action, Adventure
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Mary and Bobby Trevor are castaways befriended by Tarzan. When Lord arrives, looking for the family heir, Black John tries to fill that role and marry Mary in England. Tarzan shows up and marries her instead.
Directors:Jack Nelson, Ray Taylor| Stars:Frank Merrill, Al Ferguson, Natalie Kingston, Bobby Nelson
Votes:26
7.Tarzan the Tiger(1929)
Passed|266 min|Action, Adventure
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After Tarzan's estate is destroyed by Arabs Jane is sold into slavery by a man posing as a friendly scientist. Tarzan develops amnesia after a blow to the head. When he recovers his memory .. See full summary »
Director:Henry MacRae| Stars:Frank Merrill, Natalie Kingston, Al Ferguson, Lillian Worth
Votes:88
8.Tarzan the Ape Man(1932)
Passed|100 min|Action, Adventure, Romance
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A trader and his daughter set off in search of the fabled graveyard of the elephants in deepest Africa, only to encounter a wild man raised by apes.
Director:W.S. Van Dyke| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Neil Hamilton, C. Aubrey Smith, Maureen O'Sullivan
Votes:6,564
9.Tarzan the Fearless(1933)
Passed|200 min|Action, Adventure
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In the African Jungle, a group of Europeans come across the fabled white man who was raised by apes. Tarzan takes an immediate liking to the blond Mary Brooks and rescues her during a nasty.. See full summary »
Director:Robert F. Hill| Stars:Buster Crabbe, Julie Bishop, Edward Woods, Philo McCullough
Votes:559
10.Tarzan and His Mate(1934)
Passed|87 min|Action, Adventure
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The idyllic life of Tarzan and Jane is challenged by men on safari who come seeking ivory, and come seeking Jane as well.
Directors:Cedric Gibbons, James C. McKay, Jack Conway| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Neil Hamilton, Paul Cavanagh
Votes:4,494
11.The New Adventures of Tarzan(I) (1935)
Not Rated|257 min|Action, Adventure, Crime
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The Green Goddess is a totem worshiped by the primitive natives of a lost city deep in the jungles of Guatemala. It contains both a fortune in jewels and an ancient formula for a .. See full summary »
Directors:Edward A. Kull, Wilbur McGaugh| Stars:Bruce Bennett, Ula Holt, Ashton Dearholt, Frank Baker
Votes:256
12.Tarzan Escapes(1936)
Passed|89 min|Action, Adventure
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An expedition seeking to bring Jane back to civilization, and Tarzan into captivity, gets more than it's bargained for.
Directors:Richard Thorpe, John Farrow, James C. McKay, George B. Seitz, William A. Wellman| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, John Buckler, Benita Hume
Votes:2,975
13.Tarzan's Revenge(1938)
Approved|70 min|Action, Adventure, Comedy
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Eleanor and her parents are hunting big game, acompanied by her wimpish fiance. Ben lleu Bey wants to add her to his 100-woman harem. Tarzan wants her too.
Director:D. Ross Lederman| Stars:Glenn Morris, Eleanor Holm, George Barbier, C. Henry Gordon
Votes:456
14.Tarzan Finds a Son!(1939)
Passed|88 min|Action, Adventure, Family
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Tarzan finds a boy from a crashed plane and raises him with Jane in the jungle. A search party comes looking for the plane.
Director:Richard Thorpe| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Ian Hunter
Votes:2,975|Gross:$2.27M
15.Tarzan's Secret Treasure(1941)
Unrated|81 min|Action, Adventure, Romance
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Tarzan's jungle home, and his family, Jane and Boy, are threatened by men greedy for gold.
Director:Richard Thorpe| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Reginald Owen
Votes:2,629
16.Tarzan's New York Adventure(1942)
Passed|71 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan and Jane go to New York to rescue Boy after he is kidnapped into a circus.
Director:Richard Thorpe| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Sheffield, Virginia Grey
Votes:2,963
17.Tarzan Triumphs(1943)
Passed|76 min|Action, Adventure, War
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As WWII rages on, a group of Nazi paratroopers land on the secret city of Palandria to exploit its wealth, and they start taking hostages. Can the powerful King of the Jungle and his trusted companions--Cheeta, and Buli--save them?
Director:Wilhelm Thiele| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Frances Gifford, Johnny Sheffield, Stanley Ridges
Votes:1,956|Gross:$3.27M
18.Tarzan's Desert Mystery(1943)
Passed|70 min|Adventure
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With Jane still away for the war effort, Tarzan and Boy set off to retrieve rare medicinal herbs, only to run into an American messenger, Nazi spies, and the mysterious desert's treacherous fauna and flora. Will they make it in one piece?
Director:Wilhelm Thiele| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Nancy Kelly, Johnny Sheffield, Otto Kruger
Votes:1,917
19.Tarzan and the Amazons(1945)
Approved|76 min|Action, Adventure
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A group of archaeologists asks Tarzan to help them find an ancient city in a hidden valley of women. He refuses, but Boy is tricked into doing the job. The queen of the women asks Tarzan to help them.
Director:Kurt Neumann| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce, Johnny Sheffield, Henry Stephenson
Votes:2,198
20.Tarzan and the Leopard Woman(1946)
Approved|72 min|Action, Adventure, Romance
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As a spate of leopard attacks causes panic, a sceptical Tarzan joins a hunting expedition, only to face a pagan cult of Leopard-God worshippers and their fiendish High-Priestess. Can he escape the sharp claws of the savage Leopard Woman?
Director:Kurt Neumann| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce, Johnny Sheffield, Acquanetta
Votes:2,094
21.Tarzan and the Huntress(1947)
Passed|80 min|Action, Adventure, Romance
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To equip the American zoos with as many animals as possible, a cruel trio of big-game hunters team up with an unexpected ally, threatening the African fauna. Will Tarzan allow the fiendish huntress to pillage the jungle?
Director:Kurt Neumann| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce, Johnny Sheffield, Patricia Morison
Votes:1,917
22.Tarzan and the Mermaids(1948)
Approved|68 min|Action, Adventure
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To escape from an arranged marriage to Aquatania's pagan god, a desperate maiden ends up in Tarzan's fishing net. But soon, he, too, finds himself before a well-planned conspiracy. Can Tarzan save the mermaid from the barbaric idol's will?
Director:Robert Florey| Stars:Johnny Weissmuller, Brenda Joyce, George Zucco, Andrea Palma
Votes:1,842
23.Tarzan's Magic Fountain(1949)
Approved|73 min|Action, Adventure, Fantasy
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Tarzan secretly arrives in Blue Valley, the land of the magical fountain of youth, to find the intrepid aviatrix who can save an innocent man. But, is she the same person she used to be? Can Tarzan protect the vale's ultimate mystery?
Director:Lee Sholem| Stars:Lex Barker, Brenda Joyce, Albert Dekker, Evelyn Ankers
Votes:497
24.Tarzan and the Slave Girl(1950)
Approved|74 min|Action, Adventure
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As Jane and the local tribeswomen are abducted one by one by the wild Lionians, Tarzan attempts to persuade their prince to accept a potent medicament for his ailing men, while the girls face certain death. Can Tarzan set them free?
Director:Lee Sholem| Stars:Lex Barker, Vanessa Brown, Robert Alda, Hurd Hatfield
Votes:461
25.Tarzan's Peril(1951)
Passed|78 min|Action, Adventure, Drama
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Escaped convicts are selling weapons to a warlike native tribe.
Director:Byron Haskin| Stars:Lex Barker, Virginia Huston, George Macready, Douglas Fowley
Votes:450
26.Tarzan's Savage Fury(1952)
Passed|81 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan acts as a guide for two British government agents recently arrived in Africa to secure a great cache of diamonds for the English military. However, the agents are not what they seem.
Director:Cy Endfield| Stars:Lex Barker, Dorothy Hart, Patric Knowles, Charles Korvin
Votes:395
27.Tarzan and the She-Devil(1953)
Approved|75 min|Action, Adventure
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Ivory poachers, headed by Lyra the She-Devil, Vargo and Fidel, capture a native tribe to carry their loot. Tarzan intervenes and is captured. Jane is also captured and believed killed, so .. See full summary »
Director:Kurt Neumann| Stars:Lex Barker, Joyce Mackenzie, Raymond Burr, Monique van Vooren
Votes:438
28.Tarzan's Hidden Jungle(1955)
Passed|72 min|Action, Adventure
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Hunters trespass into Sukulu country, where animals are sacred, posing as photographers. Their work has the blessing of the U.N.'s Dr. Celliers, close friend of the Sukulu chief. The .. See full summary »
Director:Harold D. Schuster| Stars:Gordon Scott, Vera Miles, Peter van Eyck, Jack Elam
Votes:449
29.Tarzan and the Lost Safari(1957)
Not Rated|86 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan leads five passengers from a downed airplane out of the jungle. En route white hunter Hawkins tries to sell them to the Oparian chief. Captured by the Oparians and nearly sacrificed .. See full summary »
Director:H. Bruce Humberstone| Stars:Gordon Scott, Robert Beatty, Yolande Donlan, Betta St. John
Votes:528|Gross:$1.99M
30.Tarzan and the Trappers(1960 TV Movie)
Not Rated|70 min|Action, Adventure
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After dispatching a ruthless hunter who traps animals for gain, he has to contend with his brother who is out for revenge.
Directors:Charles F. Haas, Sandy Howard, H. Bruce Humberstone| Stars:Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen, Cheta
Votes:489
31.Tarzan's Fight for Life(1958)
Approved|86 min|Action, Adventure
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Dr. Sturdy is trying to establish a modern hospital in the jungle. His efforts are strongly opposed by Futa, the witch doctor, and Ramo, a native warrior. There are kidnappings, a race .. See full summary »
Director:H. Bruce Humberstone| Stars:Gordon Scott, Eve Brent, Rickie Sorensen, Jil Jarmyn
Votes:408|Gross:$1.57M
32.Tarzan's Greatest Adventure(1959)
Approved|88 min|Action, Adventure
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Four British villains raid a settlement to obtain explosives for use in a diamond mine. In doing so they nearly destroy the settlement, so and Tarzan pursues them to their mine.
Director:John Guillermin| Stars:Gordon Scott, Anthony Quayle, Sara Shane, Niall MacGinnis
Votes:1,068|Gross:$2.18M
33.Tarzan, the Ape Man(1959)
G|82 min|Action, Adventure, Romance
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This movie has little connection with the 1932 original. It does, however, have lifted footage (tinted to more-or-less match the color), including obvious footage of Weissmuller's .. See full summary »
Director:Joseph M. Newman| Stars:Denny Miller, Cesare Danova, Joanna Barnes, Robert Douglas
Votes:250|Gross:$1.44M
34.Tarzan the Magnificent(1960)
Approved|82 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan must escort his prisoner Coy Banton out of the jungle to the authorities. The boat is blown up by Coy's father and brothers. In addition to Coy Tarzan must now lead five more of the .. See full summary »
Director:Robert Day| Stars:Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, Betta St. John, John Carradine
Votes:577
35.Tarzan erobert Indien(1962)
Not Rated|88 min|Action, Adventure
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Summoned by an Indian princess, Tarzan travels to India where hundreds of wild elephants are in danger. A company is building a hydroelectric dam and the contractors have only a few weeks .. See full summary »
Director:John Guillermin| Stars:Jock Mahoney, Leo Gordon, Mark Dana, Feroz Khan
Votes:427
36.Tarzan's Three Challenges(1963)
Not Rated|92 min|Action, Adventure
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The spiritual leader of an oriental country is dying. The leader's evil brother Khan is plotting to prevent Kashi, the youthful heir, from assuming his rightful position. Tarzan is summoned.. See full summary »
Director:Robert Day| Stars:Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode, Tsu Kobayashi, Earl Cameron
Votes:393
37.Tarzan and the Valley of Gold(1966)
Not Rated|90 min|Adventure
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The international criminal Vinaro enjoys sending explosive wristwatches to his enemies. Here he kidnaps ten-year-old Ramel whom he thinks can lead him to the lost city of gold. Tarzan .. See full summary »
Director:Robert Day| Stars:Mike Henry, David Opatoshu, Manuel Padilla Jr., Nancy Kovack
Votes:414
38.Tarzan am großen Fluß(1967)
Approved|88 min|Action, Adventure
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Tarzan is summoned to Brazil by an old friend to stop an evil tribal cult from destroying native villages and enslaving the survivors. The Lord of the Jungle is accompanied on his quest by .. See full summary »
Director:Robert Day| Stars:Mike Henry, Jan Murray, Manuel Padilla Jr., Diana Millay
Votes:314
39.Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion(1967)
G|94 min|Adventure
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This jungle adventure is comprised of two episodes from the 1966-69 TV show.
Director:William Witney| Stars:Ron Ely, Jason Evers, Lloyd Haynes, Sam Jaffe
Votes:31
40.Tarzan und der Dschungelboy(1968)
G|89 min|Action, Adventure
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A reporter and her fiance are conducting a search in the jungle for a wild boy, the lost son of a downed geologist.
Director:Robert Gordon| Stars:Mike Henry, Rafer Johnson, Aliza Gur, Steve Bond
Votes:326
41.Tarzan's Deadly Silence(1970)
G|88 min|Adventure
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Tarzan loses his hearing after a bomb blast, and is hunted through the jungle by the ruthless Colonel.
Director:Robert L. Friend| Stars:Ron Ely, Manuel Padilla Jr., Jock Mahoney, Woody Strode
Votes:48
42.Tarzan the Ape Man(1981)
R|115 min|Adventure, Drama
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While on an African expedition with her father, Jane Parker meets Tarzan, and the two become fascinated by each other.
Director:John Derek| Stars:Bo Derek, Richard Harris, Miles O'Keeffe, John Phillip Law
Votes:4,897|Gross:$36.57M
43.Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes(1984)
PG|135 min|Adventure, Drama
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A shipping disaster in the nineteenth century has stranded a man and woman in the wilds of Africa. The lady is pregnant, and gives birth to a son in their tree house. The mother dies soon .. See full summary »
Director:Hugh Hudson| Stars:Christopher Lambert, Andie MacDowell, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm
Votes:16,771|Gross:$45.90M
44.Tarzan and the Lost City(1998)
PG|83 min|Action, Adventure, Family
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Tarzan returns to his homeland of Africa to save his home from destruction.
Director:Carl Schenkel| Stars:Casper Van Dien, Jane March, Steven Waddington, Winston Ntshona
Votes:2,011|Gross:$2.17M
45.Tarzan of the Apes(1998 Video)
48 min|Animation, Adventure, Drama
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Free Johnny Weissmuller Movies Online
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Animated version of Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic story about a spirited young man raised by the animals in the jungle who makes his first contact with other humans when a young woman named Jane arrives in the jungle years later.
Votes:52
46.Tarzan(1999)
G|88 min|Animation, Adventure, Family
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A man raised by gorillas must decide where he really belongs when he discovers he is a human.
Directors:Chris Buck, Kevin Lima| Stars:Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Brian Blessed, Glenn Close
Votes:186,746|Gross:$171.09M
47.Tarzan & Jane(2002 Video)
G|75 min|Animation, Adventure, Family
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After being married an entire year, Jane thinks back on some of her and Tarzan's adventures as she seaches for something special to mark the occasion with.
Directors:Steve Loter, Victor Cook, Don MacKinnon, Lisa Schaffer| Stars:Michael T. Weiss, Olivia d'Abo, Jeff Bennett, Jim Cummings
48.Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins(2005 Video)
G|72 min|Animation, Adventure, Comedy
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The tale of Tarzan's misadventures as a boy as he searches for his true identity and the meaning of family.
Director:Brian Smith| Stars:Harrison Chad, George Carlin, Brad Garrett, Ron Perlman
Votes:8,554
Johnny Weissmuller circa 1940 | |
Born | 2 June 1904 Szabadfalva (Freidorf), Austria-Hungary (today part of Timișoara, Romania) |
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Died | 20 January 1984 (aged 79) |
Occupation | Swimmer, actor |
Years active | 1929–1976 |
Spouse(s) | Bobbe Arnst (m. 1931; div. 1933) Beryl Scott (m. 1939; div. 1948) Maria Brock Mandell Bauman (m. 1963) |
Children | 3 |
Johnny Weissmuller (2 June 1904 – 20 January 1984) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American competition swimmer and actor. He was known for playing Edgar Rice Burroughs' ape man Tarzan in films of the 1930s and 1940s and for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century.
Weissmuller was one of the world's fastest swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals for swimming and one bronze medal for water polo. He was the first to break the one minute barrier for 100-meter freestyle, and the first to swim 440-yard freestyle under five minutes. He won fifty-two U.S. national championships, set more than 50 world records (spread over both freestyle and backstroke),[1] and was purportedly undefeated in official competition for the entirety of his competitive career. After retiring from competitions, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan, a role he played in twelve feature films. Dozens of other actors have also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller is by far the best known. Weissmuller's distinctive Tarzan yell is still often used in films in his legacy.
- 2Careers
- 3Personal life
- 8References
Early life[edit]
Johann Weißmüller was an ethnic German on his father's side, the elder son of Peter Weißmüller and his wife Elisabeth (née Kersch), both Banat Swabians, an ethnic German population in the southeastern part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Johann had one sibling, a younger brother, Peter. His generally accepted birthplace was in Szabadfalva (Freidorf), Austro-Hungarian Empire, today part of Timișoara (Temeschwar), Romania. The records of St. Rochus Church in Freidorf show that Johann, son of Peter and Elisabeth (née Kersch) Weissmüller, was baptized there on 5 June 1904, three days after his birth. According to the contemporary laws, his name was recorded as János Weissmüller.[2] However, the ship's roster from his family's arrival at Ellis Island lists his birthplace as Párdány, Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Međa, Žitište, Serbia, near the Romanian border).[3][4][5][6]
Weißmüller homestead, Freidorf
The passenger manifest of SS Rotterdam, which left its namesake city on 14 January and arrived at Ellis Island in New York on 26 January 1905, lists Peter Weissmüller, a 29-year-old laborer, his 24-year-old wife Elisabeth, and seven-month-old Johann as steerage passengers. The family is listed as Germans, last residence Timișoara. After a brief stay in Chicago visiting relatives, they moved to the coal-mining town of Windber, Pennsylvania, where they intended to join their brother-in-law, Johann Ott. On November 5, 1905, Peter Johann Weissmüller was baptized at St. John Cantius Catholic Church in Windber.[7] Peter Weissmuller worked as a miner, and his younger son, Peter Weissmüller Jr., was born in Windber on September 3, 1905. In the 1910 census, Peter and Elizabeth Weisenmüller, as well as John and Eva Ott, were living at 1521 Cleveland Ave in the 22nd Ward of Chicago, with sons John, age six, born in Timisoara and Peter Jr., age five, erroneously entered as born in Illinois. Peter Weissmüller and John Ott were both brewers, Ott emigrating in 1902, Weissmüller in 1904.[citation needed]
At age nine, young John Weissmüller contracted polio. At the suggestion of his doctor, he took up swimming to help battle the disease. After the family moved from western Pennsylvania to Chicago, he continued swimming and eventually earned a spot on the YMCA swim team.[8][9]
According to military draft registration records for World War I, Peter and Elizabeth were apparently still together as late as 1917. On his paperwork, Peter was listed as a brewer, working for the Elston and Fullerton Brewery. He and his family were living at 226 West North Avenue in Chicago. In his book, Tarzan, My Father, Johnny Weissmuller Jr. stated that although rumors of Peter Weissmüller living to 'a ripe old age, remarrying along the way and spawning a large brood of little Weissmüllers' were reported, no one in the family was aware of his ultimate fate.[9] Peter signed his consent for 19-year-old John 'Weissmuller''s passport application in 1924, preceding Johnny's Olympic competition in France. In the 1930 federal census, Elizabeth Weissmüller, age 49, has listed with her, sons John P. and Peter J., and Peter's wife Dorothy. Elizabeth is listed as a widow.[citation needed]
Careers[edit]
Swimming[edit]
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg)[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Illinois Athletic Club[11] | |||||||||||||||||||||
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As a teen, Weissmuller attended Lane Technical College Prep High School before dropping out to work various jobs including a stint as a lifeguard at Oak Street Beach on Lake Michigan. While working as an elevator operator and bellboy at the Illinois Athletic Club, Weissmuller caught the eye of swim coach William Bachrach, who trained Weissmuller; in August 1921, Weissmuller won the national championships in the 50-yard and 220-yard distances. Although foreign-born, Weissmuller gave his birthplace as Tanneryville, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, and his birth date as that of his younger brother, Peter Weissmuller. This was to ensure his eligibility to compete as part of the United States Olympic team, and was a critical issue in being issued a United States passport.[8]
On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record in the 100-meter freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.[12] He won the title for that distance at the 1924 Summer Olympics, beating Kahanamoku for the gold medal.[13] He also won the 400-meter freestyle and was a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay.[14]
As a member of the U.S. water polo team, he won a bronze medal. Four years later, at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he won another two gold medals.[15][11] It was during this period that Weissmuller became an enthusiast for John Harvey Kellogg'sholistic lifestyle views on nutrition, enemas and exercise. He came to Kellogg's Battle Creek, Michigan sanatorium to dedicate its new 120-foot swimming pool, and break one of his own previous swimming records after adopting the vegetarian diet prescribed by Kellogg.[16]
In 1927, Weissmuller set a new world record of 51.0 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, which stood for 17 years. He improved it to 48.5 seconds at Billy Rose World's Fair Aquacade in 1940, aged 36, but this result was discounted, as he was competing as a professional.[1][11]
In all, Weissmuller won five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal, 52 United States national championships,[1] and set 67 world records. He was the first man to swim the 100-meter freestyle under one minute and the 440-yard freestyle under five minutes.[A] He never lost a race and retired with an unbeaten amateur record.[1][11][17] In 1950, he was selected by the Associated Press as the greatest swimmer of the first half of the 20th century.[1]
Upon moving to the prosperous Bel Air section of Los Angeles (specifically to an area known today as East Gate Bel Air), Weissmuller later famously commissioned architect Paul Williams to design a large home with a 300-foot serpentine swimming pool that curled around the house, and which still exists.[18]
Films[edit]
In 1929, Weissmuller signed a contract with BVD to be a model and representative. He traveled throughout the country doing swim shows, handing out leaflets promoting that brand of swimwear, signing autographs and going on radio. In that same year, he made his first motion picture appearance as an Adonis, wearing only a fig leaf, in a movie entitled Glorifying the American Girl. He appeared as himself in the first of several Crystal Champions movie shorts featuring Weissmuller and other Olympic champions at Silver Springs, Florida. He co-starred with Esther Williams in Billy Rose's Aquacade during the New York World's Fair 1939–41, pursuing her for two years.[19]
Weissmüller (Tarzan) with Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane) in Tarzan's Secret Treasure
His acting career began when he signed a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and played the role of Tarzan in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932). The movie was a huge success and Weissmuller became an overnight international sensation. The author of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, was pleased with Weissmuller, although he so hated the studio's depiction of a Tarzan who barely spoke English that he created his own concurrent Tarzan series filmed on location in Central American jungles and starring Herman Brix as a suitably articulate version of the character.[citation needed]
Weissmuller starred in six Tarzan movies for MGM with actress Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane and Cheeta the Chimpanzee. The last three also included Johnny Sheffield as Boy. Then, in 1942, Weissmuller went to RKO and starred in six more Tarzan movies with markedly reduced production values. Sheffield also appeared as Boy in the first five features for RKO. Brenda Joyce took over the role of Jane in Weissmuller's last four Tarzan movies (the first two RKO films had not featured Jane). Unlike MGM, RKO allowed Weissmuller to play other roles, though a three-picture contract with Pine-Thomas Productions led to only one film, Swamp Fire, being made, co-starring Buster Crabbe. In a total of 12 Tarzan films, Weissmuller earned an estimated $2,000,000 and established himself as what many movie historians consider the definitive Tarzan. Although not the first Tarzan in movies (that was Elmo Lincoln), he was the first to be associated with the now traditional ululating, yodeling Tarzan yell. During an appearance on television's The Mike Douglas Show in the 1970s, Weissmuller explained how the famous yell was created. Recordings of three vocalists were spliced together to get the effect—a soprano, an alto and a hog caller.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Edgar Rice Burroughs himself paid oblique tribute to Weissmuller's powerful screen persona in the last Tarzan novel[20] that he completed, albeit with a misspelling of the actor's name.
But what seemed a long time to them was a matter of seconds only. The tiger's great frame went limp and sank to the ground. And the man rose and put a foot upon it and, raising his face to the heavens, voiced a horrid cry--the victory cry of the bull ape. Corrie was suddenly terrified of this man who had always seemed so civilized and cultured. Even the men were shocked.
Suddenly recognition lighted the eyes of Jerry Lucas. 'John Clayton,' he said, 'Lord Greystoke--Tarzan of the Apes!'Shrimp's jaw dropped. 'Is dat Johnny Weismuller? [sic]' he demanded.Tarzan shook his head as though to clear his brain of an obsession. His thin veneer of civilization had been consumed by the fires of battle. ..[21]
When Weissmuller finally left the role of Tarzan, he immediately traded his loincloth costume for a slouch hat and safari suit for the role of Jungle Jim (1948) for Columbia. He made 13 Jungle Jim films between 1948 and 1954. According to actor Michael Fox, Weissmuller shot two Jungle Jim films consecutively with nine days filming for each with a break of two days between, then he would return to his home in Mexico.[22] Within the next year, he appeared in three more jungle movies, playing himself due to the rights of the name 'Jungle Jim' being taken by Screen Gems. In 1955, he began production of the Jungle Jim television adventure series for Screen Gems, a film subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. His costars were Martin Huston and Dean Fredericks. The show produced only 26 episodes, which were subsequently played repeatedly on network and syndicated television. Aside from his first screen appearance as Adonis and the role of Johnny Duval in the 1946 film Swamp Fire, Weissmuller played only three roles in films during the heyday of his Hollywood career: Tarzan, Jungle Jim, and himself.
After films[edit]
According to the book by Weissmuller's son, Tarzan, My Father, while playing golf in Cuba in 1958 during the Cuban Revolution, Weissmuller's golf cart was suddenly surrounded by rebel soldiers. Weissmuller was unable to communicate who he was until he got out of the cart and attempted the trademark Tarzan yell. The soldiers then recognized him and shouted '¡Es Tarzán! ¡Es Tarzán de la Jungla!' Johnny and his companions were not only not kidnapped, but the guerillas gave him an escort to his hotel.[23]
1970
Weissmuller was an accomplished amateur golfer and played in two official PGA Tour tournaments, at the 1937 Western Open at Canterbury Golf Club outside Cleveland (87–85=172, missed the cut) and the 1948 Hawaiian Open (79–75–79–76=309) to finish in 37th place.
In the late 1950s, Weissmuller moved back to Chicago and started a swimming pool company. He lent his name to other business ventures, but did not have a great deal of success.
He retired in 1965, moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was founding chairman of the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) and was inducted into the ISHOF that same year.[1]
In September 1966, Weissmuller joined former screen Tarzans James Pierce and Jock Mahoney to appear with Ron Ely as part of the publicity for the upcoming premiere of the Tarzan television series.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Weissmuller was involved with a tourist attraction called Tropical/Florida Wonderland, a.k.a. Tarzan's Jungleland, on U.S. Route 1 in Titusville, Florida.
Weissmuller's face appeared in the collage on the iconic front cover of The Beatles' 1967 record album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Based on his interest in natural lifestyles, Weissmuller opened a small chain of health food stores called Johnny Weissmuller's American Natural Foods in California in 1969.[24][25]
In 1970, he attended the British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where he was presented to Queen Elizabeth II. That same year, he appeared with former co-star Maureen O'Sullivan in The Phynx (1970).
Weissmuller lived in Florida until the end of 1973, then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he worked as a greeter at Caesars Palace along with boxer Joe Louis for a time.
In 1976, he appeared for the last time in a motion picture, playing a movie crewman who is fired by a movie mogul (played by Art Carney) in Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood, and he also made his final public appearance in that year when he was inducted into the Body Building Guild Hall of Fame.
Personal life[edit]
With his second wife, the Mexican actress Lupe Vélez in a newspaper press photo (1934)
Weissmuller had five wives: band and club singer Bobbe Arnst (married 1931, divorced 1933); actress Lupe Vélez (married 1933, divorced 1939); Beryl Scott (married 1939, divorced 1948); Allene Gates (married 1948, divorced 1962); and Maria Baumann (from 1963 until his death in 1984).
With his third wife, Beryl, he had three children, Johnny Weissmuller, Jr. (1940–2006), Wendy Anne Weissmuller (born 1942), and Heidi Elizabeth Weissmuller (1944–1962), who was killed in a car crash. He also had a stepdaughter with Baumann, Lisa Weissmuller-Gallagher.
Declining health and death[edit]
In 1974, Weissmuller broke both his hip and leg, marking the beginning of years of declining health. While hospitalized he learned that in spite of his strength and lifelong daily regimen of swimming and exercise, he had a serious heart condition. In 1977, Weissmuller suffered a series of strokes. In 1979, he entered the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California for several weeks before moving with his last wife, Maria, to Acapulco, Mexico, the location of his last Tarzan movie.[26]
On January 20, 1984, Weissmuller died from pulmonary edema at the age of 79.[27] He was buried just outside Acapulco, Valle de La Luz at the Valley of the Light Cemetery. As his coffin was lowered into the ground, a recording of the Tarzan yell he invented was played three times, at his request.[26] He was honored with a 21-gun salute, befitting a head-of-state, which was arranged by Senator Ted Kennedy and President Ronald Reagan.
Influence[edit]
His former co-star and movie son Johnny Sheffield wrote of him, 'I can only say that working with Big John was one of the highlights of my life. He was a Star (with a capital 'S') and he gave off a special light and some of that light got into me. Knowing and being with Johnny Weissmuller during my formative years had a lasting influence on my life.'[28]
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Johnny Weissmuller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, adjacent to the star of Maureen O'Sullivan.
In 1973, Weissmuller was awarded the George Eastman Award,[29] given by George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.
The Piscine Molitor in Paris was built as a tribute to Weissmuller and his swimming prowess.[30]
Filmography[edit]
Johnny Weissmuller in Film | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
1929 | Glorifying the American Girl | Adonis | Cameo appearance in the segment 'Loveland' |
1931 | Swim or Sink | Himself | Short subject |
Water Bugs | Himself | Short subject | |
1932 | Tarzan the Ape Man | Tarzan | |
The Human Fish | Himself | Short subject | |
1934 | Tarzan and His Mate | Tarzan | |
1936 | Tarzan Escapes | Tarzan | |
1939 | Tarzan Finds a Son! | Tarzan | |
1941 | Tarzan's Secret Treasure | Tarzan | |
1942 | Tarzan's New York Adventure | Tarzan | |
1943 | Tarzan Triumphs | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan Triumphs |
Stage Door Canteen | Himself | ||
Tarzan's Desert Mystery | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan's Desert Mystery | |
1945 | Tarzan and the Amazons | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Amazons |
1946 | Tarzan and the Leopard Woman | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Leopard Woman |
Swamp Fire | Johnny Duval | ||
1947 | Tarzan and the Huntress | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Huntress |
1948 | Tarzan and the Mermaids | Tarzan | Complete title: Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan and the Mermaids |
Jungle Jim | Jungle Jim | ||
1949 | The Lost Tribe | Jungle Jim | |
1950 | Mark of the Gorilla | Jungle Jim | |
Captive Girl | Jungle Jim | Alternative title: Jungle Jim and the Captive Girl | |
Pygmy Island | Jungle Jim | Alternative title: Pygmy Island | |
1951 | Fury of the Congo | Jungle Jim | |
Jungle Manhunt | Jungle Jim | ||
1952 | Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land | Jungle Jim | |
Voodoo Tiger | Jungle Jim | ||
1953 | Savage Mutiny | Jungle Jim | |
Valley of Head Hunters | Jungle Jim | ||
Killer Ape | Jungle Jim | ||
1954 | Jungle Man-Eaters | Jungle Jim | |
Cannibal Attack | Johnny Weissmuller | ||
1955 | Jungle Moon Men | Johnny Weissmuller | |
Devil Goddess | Johnny Weissmuller | ||
1970 | The Phynx | Himself | |
1974 | The Great Masquerade | Sepy Debronvi | |
1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Stagehand No. 2 | (final film role) |
Television | |||
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1956–1958 | Jungle Jim | Jungle Jim | 27 episodes |
Published works[edit]
- Weissmuller, Johnny; Bush, Clarence A. (1946) [1930]. Swimming the American Crawl (2nd ed.). Putnam. Autobiography, excerpts of which were published in the Saturday Evening Post.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^Because of the easily-remembered benchmark numbers, these are like Roger Bannister's breaking of the 4 minute mile.
Citations[edit]
- ^ abcdefInternational Swimming Hall of Fame, Honorees, Johnny Weissmuller (USA). Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^Profile, genealogy.ro; accessed November 12, 2015.
- ^'Interview with Johnny Weissmuller, Jr'. germanhollywood.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2006.
- ^Johnny Weissmuller profile, Encyclopædia Britannica; accessed November 12, 2015.
- ^France-Presse, Agence (February 17, 2007). 'Serbia: Monument to Tarzan'. The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^Bjelogrlic, Aleksandar (March 28, 2007) Rocky Inspires Success in Serbia. Businessweek
- ^Arlene Mueller (August 6, 1984). 'Johnny Weissmuller Made Olympian Efforts to Conceal His Birthplace'. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 12, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ abRasmussen, Frederick N. (August 17, 2008). 'From the pool to Hollywood stardom'. Baltimore Sun. baltimoresun.com. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
- ^ abWeissmuller, Johnny; Reed, William (2002). Tarzan, My Father. Burroughs, Danton. ECW Press. pp. 25–28. ISBN1-55022-522-7.
- ^ abJohnny Weissmuller. espn.com
- ^ abcdJohnny Weissmuller profile, sports-reference.com; accessed November 12, 2015.
- ^Safire, William (2007). The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind. Macmillan. p. 943. ISBN0-312-37659-6.
- ^Christopher, Paul J.; Smith, Alicia Marie (2006). Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition. Encouragement Press, LLC. p. 204. ISBN1-933766-09-3.
- ^'Johnny Weissmuller'. Olympic.org. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^Kirsch, George B.; Othello, Harris; Nolte, Claire Elaine (2000). Encyclopedia of Ethnicity and Sports in the United States. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 488. ISBN0-313-29911-0.
- ^Schaefer, Richard A (2005). 'Chapter Thirteen THE FIVE-HUNDRED-DOLLAR SEED'. LEGACY: Daring to Care: the heritage of Loma Linda. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
- ^Simonton, Dean Keith (1994). Greatness: Who Makes History and Why. Guilford Press. p. 156. ISBN0-89862-201-8.
- ^Johnny Weissmuller Residence/Nicolosi Estate, Los Angeles, CA., paulrwilliamsproject.org; accessed November 12, 2015.
- ^Williams, Esther; Diehl, Digby (2000). The Million Dollar Mermaid: An Autobiography. Harcourt Trade. ISBN0-15-601135-2.
- ^Burroughs, Edgar Rice. Tarzan and 'the Foreign Legion', Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., 1947.
- ^Tarzan and 'the Foreign Legion' (1947), Chapter VII.
- ^Weaver, Tom (2004) 'Michael Fox Interview', pp.106–107 in It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the Science Fiction and Horror Tradition McFarland. ISBN0786420693
- ^Weissmuller, Johnny (February 2, 2008). 'Tarzan in Acapulco'. Tarzan, My Father. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. ISBN978-1-55022-834-2.
- ^Richmond, Akasha (2006). Hollywood Dish: More Than 150 Delicious, Healthy Recipes from Hollywood's Chef to the Stars. Penguin. ISBN1440628149.
- ^Weissmuller, Johnny (2008). Tarzan, My Father. ECW Press. p. 178. ISBN1554905354.
- ^ abFury, David (1994). Kings of the Jungle: An Illustrated Reference to 'Tarzan' on Screen and Television. McFarland & Company. p. 57. ISBN0-89950-771-9.
- ^Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Christian; Cayton, Andrew Robert Lee (2007). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. p. 902. ISBN0-253-34886-2.
- ^Weissmuller, Johnny, Jr.; Weissmuller, Johnny; Reed, William (2002). Tarzan, My Father. Burroughs, Danton. ECW Press. p. 83. ISBN1-55022-522-7.
- ^'Awards granted by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film'. George Eastman House. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^'MAMBO: TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY WEISSMULLER'(Video). January 8, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2017 – via YouTube.
Further reading[edit]
- Fury, David A. Johnny Weissmuller: Twice the Hero (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Artist's Press. 2000) ISBN0-924556-02-1
- Weissmuller, Johnny Jr. Tarzan My Father, Toronto: ECW Press 2002
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johnny Weissmuller. |
- Johnny Weissmuller on IMDb
- Louis S. Nixdorff, 1928 Olympic games collection, 1926–1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
- 'Serbia: Monument to Tarzan', The New York Times, February 17, 2007. The article states that Johnny Weissmuller was born in Serbia.
- Johnny Weissmuller at Find a Grave
Records | ||
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Preceded by Tedford Cann | Men's 200-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) May 26, 1922 – April 12, 1935 | Succeeded by Jack Medica |
Preceded by Arne Borg | Men's 400-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) June 22, 1922 – December 9, 1924 | Succeeded by Arne Borg |
Preceded by Duke Kahanamoku | Men's 100-meter freestyle world record-holder (long course) July 19, 1922 – March 2, 1934 | Succeeded by Peter Fick |
Preceded by Boy Charlton | Men's 800-yard freestyle world record-holder (long course) July 27, 1927 – May 30, 1930 | Succeeded by Jean Taris |
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