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Gordon Scott
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| Gordon Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gordon Merrill Werschkul August 3, 1926 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | April 30, 2007 (aged 80) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
Gordon Scott (August 3, 1926[1] - April 30, 2007) was an American actor known for his portrayal of Tarzan in five films (and one compilation of three made-as-a-pilot television episodes) from 1955 to 1960.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Scott was born Gordon Merrill Werschkul in Portland, Oregon, one of nine children of advertising man Stanley Werschkul and his wife Alice.[2] Scott was raised in Oregon and attended the University of Oregon for one semester. Upon leaving school, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1947. He then worked at a variety of jobs until 1953, when he was spotted by a talent agent while working as a lifeguard at the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel.
[edit] Career and Personal Life
Due in part to his muscular frame and 6'3" height, he was quickly signed to replace Lex Barker as Tarzan.[3] Scott's Tarzan films ranged from rather cheap re-edited television pilots to larger scale epics. Following his departure from the Tarzan films, he moved to Italy and became a popular star of what were known as "sword and sandal" epics, featuring handsome bodybuilders as various characters from Greek and Roman myth.
Scott was a friend of Hercules star Steve Reeves, and collaborated with him as Remus to Reeves' Romulus in Duel of the Titans (1961). Scott also played Hercules in a couple of low-budget productions during the mid-1960s. His final film appearance was in The Tramplers (filmed in 1966 and released in the USA in 1968).
[edit] Family
Scott was married apparently three times, including once to his Tarzan co-star, actress Vera Miles, from 1954 to 1959. He had one son, Michael, born 1957, with Miles, and possibly several other children[4]. For the last two decades of his life, he was a popular guest at film conventions and autograph shows.[4]
[edit] Death
Scott died on April 30, 2007, aged 80, in Baltimore, Maryland of lingering complications from multiple heart surgeries earlier in the year. [5][6] He is buried in Valhalla, New York's Kensico Cemetery.
[edit] Scott's Tarzan films
- Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955)
- Tarzan and the Lost Safari (1957) (the first Tarzan film successfully shot and released in color)
- Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958)
- Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959)
- Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) (Scott's successor in the Tarzan role, Jock Mahoney, played the villain)
[edit] Other Roles
- Danger!! Death Ray (1967)
- Tarzan and the Trappers (failed television pilot; filmed in 1958, not shown on television until 1966)
- The Tramplers (1968)
- Hercules and the Princess of Troy (1965)(TV) (failed television pilot)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ ERBzine 1793: Gordon Scott bio
- ^ 1930 U.S. Census, Concord, Oregon
- ^ Brian's Drive-In Theater
- ^ a b "Gordon Scott; Him Tarzan In '50s, Only Better"
- ^ "The Last of the Strongmen"
- ^ "Tarzan.CC - Jungle Drums"
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Lex Barker |
Actors to portray Tarzan 1955-1960 |
Succeeded by Denny Miller |