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

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 ...

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

Background

Pierce was born in Freedom, Indiana. He was an

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

center on the Indiana Hoosiers football team. Following his graduation in 1921, he coached high school football in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

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

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and coached football at Glendale High School (one of his players was

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

Career

Portrayal of Tarzan

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

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American 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 ...

and his daughter Joan. Burroughs, the creator and author of the

books, immediately wanted Pierce to star in the next Tarzan movie. Pierce gave up a role in the film ''Wings'' to accept the Tarzan role. His part in ''Wings'' was given to a newcomer named Gary Cooper. The silent Tarzan film Burroughs talked him into accepting was released in 1927 by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, 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 ...

, and entitled '' Tarzan and the Golden Lion''.

Later career

Pierce played Prince Thun of the Lion Men in the 1936 serial film '' Flash Gordon''. He acted in small roles in several films, mostly westerns, through 1951, and worked in a real estate agency in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

. He was a pilot, active during World War II with the National Airmen's Reserve, the forerunner of today's

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

Personal life and death

Pierce wed Joan Burroughs on August 8, 1928, his 28th birthday. From 1932 to 1936, James and Joan Pierce were the voices of Tarzan and Jane on national radio in ''

''. They had a daughter Joanne II Anselmo, née Pierce), and a son James Michael Pierce. They remained married until Joan's death in 1972. Both are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery Shelbyville, Shelbyville, Indiana, and their tombstones bear the inscriptions Tarzan and Jane. For many years, near the end of his life, Pierce attempted, to no avail, to find a print of ''Tarzan and the Golden Lion'', which was thought lost. After his death, a copy was found in a foreign archive.ERBzine issue 0591
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Selected filmography

References

External links

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