Cheetah the Chimp Merges with the Infinite

I haven't watched any Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies in  30 years, but as a kid, I knew exactly who Cheetah the Chimp was.  He was Tarzan's wacky little buddy.

I will never be in a picture even 1/4 this awesome

The chimps you see in TV and movies not played by Andy Serkis or Roddy McDowell are usually very young chimpanzees, usually younger than 5 or 6.  After that, its a highly intelligent and willful animal with hands that can tear your arms out of the sockets.  So, getting them to hit their marks can be a bit of a challenge.  I think casting juveniles in movies also gives people funny ideas about how big chimps actually get.

So, in his way, Cheetah was a child actor when starring in Tarzan movies between 1932-34.  He has just passed at the age of 80.  That's pretty old for a chimp, most of which don't make it to 40.

Godspeed, Cheetah.  You were one awesome primate.

Like many retirees, Cheetah had lived in Florida in recent years.