Last April, the lovable and talented chimpanzee who graced so many Tarzan movies turned 76! Yes Cheeta (whose name has also been spelled Cheta and Cheetah) is still alive and in retirement in Palm Springs, the oldest living non-human primate (seen here in a still from one of the Tarzan movies). Incredibly, although a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was assigned to the fictional character of Tinkerbelle, Cheeta has no star -- and he isn't getting any younger. Let's hope that this miscarriage of justice will be corrected in the near future! Cheeta also appeared in Doctor Doolittle, Bedtime for Bonzo with Ronald Reagan, and played Ramona the chimp ( a daring sex-switch) in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, never giving less than stellar performances. Read all about the adventures and misadventures of our favorite chimpanzee at his website.
Let's face it -- Tarzan and Jane were fun, but didn't we all watch the Tarzan flicks just to get a look at the lovable Cheeta! Yes!
Verdict: Give Cheeta his star! He's a heck of a lot more talented than a lot of human "actors" like, say, Pamela Anderson and many, many others.
