1. Cheeta the Chimp
Key Role: Cheeta, Tarzan's helpful companion, in countless Johnny Weissmuller and Lex Barker Tarzan movies.
Oscar-worthy Moment: He proves his indispensability nursing a wounded Tarzan (Weissmuller) back to health in Tarzan and His Mate (1934).
After the Limelight: Apparently, there were numerous Cheetas over the years, despite a recent claim by one chimp's owner that he was not only the original Cheeta but also (at age seventysomething) the oldest living chimp in the world. In 2008, a journalist who had planned to write a biography of Cheeta found that the monkey's tale had little merit, and that he may never have acted in movies at all. However, Cheeta continues to live the life of a famous, pampered retiree in Palm Springs. For convincing so many people that he was the real deal, he may be the greatest ape actor ever.
Oscar-worthy Moment: He proves his indispensability nursing a wounded Tarzan (Weissmuller) back to health in Tarzan and His Mate (1934).
After the Limelight: Apparently, there were numerous Cheetas over the years, despite a recent claim by one chimp's owner that he was not only the original Cheeta but also (at age seventysomething) the oldest living chimp in the world. In 2008, a journalist who had planned to write a biography of Cheeta found that the monkey's tale had little merit, and that he may never have acted in movies at all. However, Cheeta continues to live the life of a famous, pampered retiree in Palm Springs. For convincing so many people that he was the real deal, he may be the greatest ape actor ever.
Image Credit: Everett Collection
Photo 10 of 10
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