biography
Born on April 11, 1931, in Pasadena, California, Johnny Sheffield was the son of British character actor Reginald Sheffield (best remembered
for his role on the TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger as Professor Mayberry). Although as an infant Sheffield was sickly, he soon
grew into a strong youth. At an early age, his father encouraged him to be an actor; by age seven, Sheffield was appearing on the legitimate
stage, both in Los Angeles and in New York. During a casting call in 1939, he was hand-picked from a lot of 300 child actors by
Johnny Weissmuller for the role of "Boy" in the Tarzan series. Sheffield's first feature film was
Tarzan finds a Son! (1939; with Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, and
Laraine Day). Both the film and Sheffield proved to be popular, so producer Sol
Lesser cast Johnny Sheffield in eight of the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan films, ending with Tarzan
and the Huntress (1947; with Johnny Weissmuller and Brenda Joyce).
By the late 1940s, Sheffield had outgrown his role as Boy. At the age of 16, he made his last Tarzan film, the 1947 feature Tarzan and the Huntress, which was the penultimate Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan film. After returning to high school to complete his studies, Sheffield was signed by Monogram Pictures (later Allied Artists) in 1949 to make a dozen Bomba films. Most of these were directed and written by Ford Beebe, a veteran low-budget director who began his career in silent films. Loosely based on Roy Rockwood's series of books from the 1920s and 1930s, in actuality the Bomba series more closely resembled the Tarzan films. The first film in the series, Bomba: The Jungle Boy (1949; with Peggy Ann Garner), proved successful, so eleven more films were made over a six-year period, ending with Lord of the Jungle (1955; with Wayne Morris). |
the films of johnny sheffieldTarzan's Desert Mystery (1943)Tarzan and the Amazons (1945)
From RKO's Tarzan and the Amazons with Brenda Joyce and Johnny WeissmullerTarzan and the Huntress (1947)
With Brenda Joyce and Johnny Weissmuller in Tarzan and the HuntressBomba, the Jungle Boy (1949)  
From Monogram's Bomba, the Jungle Boy with Peggy Ann GarnerBomba on Panther Island (1949)   
Bomba on Panther Island was Monogram's second entry in the Bomba seriesBomba and the Hidden City (1950) 
LEFT: With Sue England in Bomba and the Hidden City. RIGHT: Bomba leads Martin Garralaga, Sue England, Lane Bradford, and James Adamson to safetyAfrican Treasure (1952)
From African Treasure with Laurette LuezBomba and the Jungle Girl (1952)    
From Bomba and the Jungle Girl. LEFT and CENTER A: With Karen Sharpe. CENTER B: Captured by Chief Kokoli's tribe. CENTER C: With Walter Sande. RIGHT: Wrestling with Don BlackmanSafari Drums (1953) 
From Safari Drums. LEFT: With Barbara Bestar. RIGHT: Lobby cardThe Golden Idol (1954)  
From Allied Artists' The Golden Idol. LEFT: Bomba tries to retreive the Watusi tribe's golden idol. CENTER: With Anne Kimbell. RIGHT: With Kimbbo the chimpKiller Leopard (1954)  
From the Allied Artists release Killer Leopard. LEFT: With series regular Leonard Mudie and Beverly Garland. CENTER: With Donald Murphy and Beverly Garland. RIGHT: Bomba attempts to rescue Beverly Garland's husbandLord of the Jungle (1955) 
From Allied Artists' Lord of the Jungle, the final entry in the Bomba series. LEFT: With Wayne Morris. RIGHT: With Wayne Morris, Nancy Hale, and Leonard Mudielater yearsWith the end of the Bomba series in 1955, Sheffield found himself out of film work. He and his father, Reginald Sheffield, produced a television pilot titled Bantu, which was much in the same vein as Bomba, the Jungle Boy. However, the pilot never found a sponsor and was shelved. Sheffield then hung up his loincloth and completed his degree in business at UCLA, becoming successful in real estate and other business enterprises. Married in 1959 to wife Patti, the Sheffields had three children. Sadly, Johnny Sheffield passed away suddenly from a heart attack on October 15, 2010, at the age of 79. He was survived by his wife, sons Stewart and Patrick, daughter Regina, and a grandson. |
filmographyFILM
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