Actor Herman Brix died 24 February 2007 of complications of a broken hip. Born 19 May 1906 in Tacoma, Washington, he changed his name to Bruce Bennett around 1940, to avoid being typecast as Tarzan.
Brix turned to acting after several very athletic years. He played left tackle for the University of
Washington, appearing in the 1926 Rose Bowl. He also won the silver medal at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics (he set the world record on his first throw, then gave teammate John Kuck a pep talk which inspired Kuck to surpass his throw, winning the gold). A broken shoulder in 1932 kept Brix from competing in the 1932 Olympics, and also cost him the leading role in Tarzan the Ape Man.
His first appearance as Tarzan came in 1935’s The New Adventures of Tarzan, though he played the role much closer to the literary Tarzan, as a cultured, literate character. After playing Tarzan and several similar characters, Brix changed his name, and made an acting come-back as a specialist in more intense, more emotional roles. His later genre appearances include: Angels in the Outfield (the 1951 version), Sudden Fear, five episodes of the tv series Science Fiction Theatre, The Cosmic Man, The Alligator People, and The Clones.
He retired from acting in the 1970s and pursued other business interested. At the age of 96, he parachuted from an airplane. In 2002, he worte that his proudest accomplishment was his 67-year marraige to Jeanette, who died in 2000.