In the Spotlight:
JOHNNY SHEFFIELD
![Image](http://www.geocities.com/finial12/johnnyslead.JPG)
The child actor who would become Boy, son of Tarzan and Bomba was born Jon Matthew Sheffield Cassan on April 11, 1931 in Pasadena, California, the second child of actor Reginald Sheffield and Louise Van Loon. His older sister was Mary Alice and his younger brother was actor Billy Sheffield.
His father was himself a former juvenile performer when he came to the United States from his native England. His mother, a native of New York, was a Vassar College graduate with a liberal arts education who loved books and lectured widely.
Johnny was said to have been sickly and frail as a small child, but his father saw to it that he have a daily regimen of exercise. Not only did his health improve, he became strong and physically fit. His father also encouraged him in an acting career.
In 1938, Sheffield became a child star when he was cast in the juvenile lead of a West Coast production of the highly successful Broadway play "On Borrowed Time". Sheffield played the role of Pud, a long role for a child. He later went to New York as a replacement and performed the role on Broadway.
The following year, his father read an article in the Hollywood Reporter that asked, "Have you a Tarzan Jr. in your backyard?" He believed he did and set up an interview.
MGM was searching for a suitable youngster to play the adopted son of Tarzan in its next jungle movie with stars Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan. Sheffield was taken to an audition and was extremely fortunate, as Weissmuller personally chose him out of all the other juvenile actors to play the part of "Boy" in "Tarzan Finds a Son" (1939). Tarzan and Jane had to adopt, according to the Legion of Decency, because they weren't married.
Johnny with Maureen O'Sullivan & Johnny Weissmuller in "Tarzan Finds a Son"
In that same year, Sheffield appeared in the Busby Berkley movie musical "Babes in Arms" with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, classmates of his at the studio school.
Johnny Sheffield (left) in the movie "Little Orvie" (1940)
He appeared with many other performers over the years, including Jeanette MacDonald, Pat O'Brien, Cesar Romero, Ronald Reagan and Beverly Garland.
Sheffield played Boy in three Tarzan movies at MGM, "Tarzan Finds a Son", "Tarzan's New York Adventure", and in another five after the star, Weissmuller, and production of the movie series moved to RKO, "Tarzan Triumphs", "Tarzan's Desert Mystery", "Tarzan and the Amazons", "Tarzan and the Leopard Woman", and "Tarzan and the Huntress".
Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Weissmuller, Cheeta, & Johnny Sheffield in "Tarzan's New York Adventure" (1942)
Johnny Sheffield as Boy in his final Tarzan film "Tarzan and the Huntress" (1947) with Johnny Weissmuller, and Brenda Joyce as Jane.
After he outgrew the role of Boy, the teenage Sheffield went on to star in his own jungle movie series. In 1949, he made "Bomba the Jungle Boy" with co-star Peggy Ann Garner. In all, he appeared as Bomba twelve times.
Sheffield as "Bomba the Jungle Boy" with Peggy Ann Garner.
Sheffield in "Bomba and the Jungle Girl" with Karen Sharpe.
Sheffield appeared in his last movie, as Bomba, in 1955. He then made a pilot for a television series, "Bantu the Zebra Boy", which was created, produced and directed by his father, Reginald Sheffield. Although the production values were high compared to other TV jungle shows of the day, a sponsor was not found and the show was never produced as a weekly series.
Sheffield decided to leave the industry and enrolled in college to further his education. He lived and worked for a time in Arizona.
He married a woman named Patricia in 1959 in Yuma, Arizona. He and Patty have three children: Patrick, Stewart and Regina.
After leaving show business, Sheffield completed a business degree at UCLA. Turning his attention to other fields, he involved himself variously in farming, real estate and construction. For a time, he was a representative for the Santa Monica Seafood Company importing lobsters from Baja California in Mexico. He has also written articles of his movie reminiscences and sold copies of the TV pilot "Bantu, the Zebra Boy" on video.
Recollections of Johnny Weissmuller:
"The point is that Johnny Weissmuller was happy, buoyant, generous, playful, unassuming, he loved people and sports, and most of all he had a positive winning attitude ticking away in his inner self that made him a champion and that clock never lost a beat no matter what was going on around him. By working, playing and being with Johnny Weissmuller I was able to see and understand that and start a little clock of my own ticking away in me.It was an opportunity of a lifetime. He was Tarzan, he was my coach, and most important, Big John was my friend. Wherever I go, he goes with me!"
Johnny Sheffield still active today at conventions.
At age 76 Johnny Sheffield is retired and lives in Southern California.