P.D. Tabler

Active - 1916 - 1920  |   Born - Nov 23, 1876   |   Died - Jun 7, 1956   |   Genres - Action, Adventure, Western

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Biography by AllMovie

Perhaps the oddest Tarzan of them all, P. Dempsey Tabler wore an ill-fitting wig and was quite elderly in the serial The Son of Tarzan (1920) . As the title indicates, Tabler's King of the Jungle was not the leading role and his very much retired Tarzan was actually not far from how creator Edgar Rice Burrough's had described him. Often reported to be an opera singer, or even a boxer, Tabler had indeed appeared in light opera at the turn of the century, but not as a singer. By the mid-1910s, he was playing supporting roles for various Triangle companies and rather than a comeback, as has previously been reported, Tabler's brief stint as Tarzan was merely yet another acting assignment. His death was not reported in the New York Times until 1975, when an obituary appeared on behalf of the estate of Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs.