JACK LEONARD

Jack Leonard was one of the first men to play gorillas in movies. He was an extra in Tarzan the Ape Man, and the director did not like the way the men in ape suits were performing, and Jack Leonard said he could do better, and he was given the part! He and his wife made his gorilla suit and he studied real life gorillas to see how they moved and the sounds they made. He appeared in a dozen movies between 1932 and 1940, nine of those roles was as an ape! We don't know what happened to him after that (perhaps he passed away). If anyone knows more about Jack Leonard, please e-mail us and we will post it here.