Tarzan is one of the most popular characters in American adventure fiction. The character was created by the American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan is the son of an English aristocrat named Lord Greystoke. His parents die after being marooned by pirates in Africa. He is adopted as a baby by apes, and as he grows up, he learns to speak the language of apes and other jungle animals. Tarzan grows into a man of enormous strength and agility. He has many adventures, marries, and has a son and grandson.
Tarzan first appeared in a magazine story in 1912 called “Tarzan of the Apes—A Romance of the Jungle.” Its success led Burroughs to write a full-length novel called Tarzan of the Apes (1914), the first of 26 books about the hero. The Tarzan books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than 50 languages.
Tarzan also became the star of many adventure motion-picture features and serials, beginning with a silent film starring Elmo Lincoln in 1918. The best-known movie Tarzan was Johnny Weissmuller, a former American champion swimmer, who appeared in 12 Tarzan motion pictures from 1932 to 1948. Tarzan has also been featured in newspaper comic strips, comic books, radio and television programs, and a 2006 Broadway musical.
See also Burroughs, Edgar Rice.
