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Bruce Bennett

Prolific actor Bruce Bennett appeared in more than 140 television and film productions in a career that spanned nearly 50 years. Before he pursued the bright lights of Hollywood, he sought Olympic gold as a shot-putter in the 1928 Olympics. Bennett walked away from the games with a silver medal and moved to Los Angeles, where he befriended silver screen swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who arranged for Bennett's Paramount Pictures screen test. This led to Bennett being cast as Tarzan for an upcoming silent film series, but an onset accident while shooting the forgettable 1931 football drama "Touchdown" caused him to break his shoulder. This not only cost him the lead in "Tarzan," which was then given to swimming champ Johnny Weissmuller, but also prevented Bennett from returning to the 1932 Olympics. By 1935, Bennett, who at the time went by Herman Brix, was starring in his own Tarzan production, a 12-chapter serial titled "The New Adventures of Tarzan." His eloquent portrayal of the jungle-raised man was praised, and this led to more work in action-packed serials. In the 1940s, Brix re-invented himself, changing his name to Bruce Bennett and making his way to leading man at Warner Brothers. By the 1960s, he explored a side-business in vending machines but would continue to appear in film and television until 1980 before retiring. He stayed out of the public eye until his death in 2007 from complications of a broken hip. He was 100 years old.