Johnny Sheffield
Johnny Sheffield (born April 11, 1931 in Pasadena , California - † October 15, 2010 in Chula Vista , California; actually Jon Matthew Sheffield Cassan ) was an American film actor .
Life
Due to the persistence of his father Reginald Sheffield, an emigrated British actor, Johnny Sheffield landed the lead role in the 1938 Broadway play On Borrowed Time . The role he played was the longest child role on Broadway at the time.
Father Reginald read an MGM ad in 1939 seeking a teenage actor for the popular Tarzan series. He immediately arranged a meeting for Johnny to take an on-camera test and a swimming exam. Although he was able to train Johnny for the camera test, he was afraid that Johnny would fail the swimming test as a non-swimmer . Johnny was chosen by the Tarzan actor, multiple Olympic swimming champion Johnny Weissmuller . Weissmuller didn't care whether Johnny could swim or not. It was only important to him that he was willing to learn.
Johnny took the swim test with Weissmuller and was signed to play Tarzan's adopted son Boy . His first film with Weissmuller was Tarzan and his son ( Tarzan Finds a Son! ). Seven more appearances followed in this role. After the shooting of Tarzan is hunted ( Tarzan and the Huntress ) in 1947, it was not clear whether the Tarzan series would continue at all, especially since Johnny was now as tall as Weissmuller.
But soon Johnny was hired by Walter Mirisch as the lead role in the TV series Bomba . His father Reginald directed the pilot. At the end of the twelve-part series, he and his father produced the pilot film for another TV series set in the African jungle: Bantu, the Zebra Boy . But the copies of this film could not be sold. Johnny then decided to complete his school education. At the University of California (UCLA) , he received his degree in business administration and then moved to Yuma ( Arizona ), where he worked for a farm. He later made a living in Malibu and Carmel-by-the-Sea as a real estate agent and worked for an import company. Most recently, he worked for a restoration company renovating all types of buildings in the San Diego area.
In 1959 he married his girlfriend Patricia. The couple has three children, sons Patrick and Stewart and daughter Regina. Johnny Sheffield last lived in Chula Vista, where he died of a heart attack in October 2010 at the age of 79 .
Filmography (selection)
- 1939: Tarzan and his son (Tarzan Finds a Son!)
- 1939: Music is our world (Babes in Arms)
- 1941: The Dollar Blessing (Million Dollar Baby)
- 1941: Tarzan's Secret Treasure (Tarzan's Secret Treasure)
- 1942: Tarzan's New York Adventure (Tarzan's New York Adventure)
- 1942: Tarzan and the Nazis (Tarzan Triumphs)
- 1943: Tarzan, Conqueror of the Desert (Tarzan's Desert Mystery)
- 1945: A Roughly Speaking Woman
- 1945: Tarzan and the Amazons (Tarzan and the Amazons)
- 1946: Tarzan and the Leopard Woman
- 1947: Tarzan and the Huntress
- 1949: Bomba , the Jungle Boy
- 1949: Bomba and the Black Panther (Bomba on Panther Island)
- 1950: Bomba and the Dead Volcano (The Lost Volcano)
- 1951: Bomba the Avenger (The Lion Hunters)
- 1951: Bomba, the lord of the elephants (Elephant Stampede)
- 1953: Bomba - Vengeance in the Jungle (Safari Drums)
- 1954: Bomba and the Golden Idol (The Golden Idol)
- 1954: Bomba, Tarzan's heir (Killer Leopard)
Web links
- Johnny Sheffield in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Biography
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/10/18/1675382/johnny-sheffield-who-played-boy.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sheffield, Johnny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sheffield Cassan, Jon Matthew (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 11, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pasadena , California |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 15, 2010 |
| Place of death | Chula Vista , California |