Gordon Scott

Birth Name:

Gordon Merrill Werschkul

Birth Date:

August 3, 1926

Birth Place:

Portland, Oregon

Death Date:

April 30, 2007

Place of Death:

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

Age:

Cause of Death:

Post surgical complications

Cemetery Name:

Kensico Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Show Business

In 1954 Gordon Werschkul was the lifeguard at the Sahara Hotel on the Las Vegas strip when movie producer Sol Lesser struck up a conversation with the handsome, muscle-bound lifeguard. Next thing you know Gordon was on a plane to Hollywood with a new last name, a loin cloth and a 7-year movie contract. Scott, arguably the most handsome of the Hollywood Tarzans, probably had a better build than the 17 others, weighing 218lbs with 19in biceps and standing 6ft 3in, all of which helped him continue his career in Italian "sword and sandals" epics. Over the next 5 years, starting with Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955), Scott made 6 Tarzan movies as the 11th Tarzan to star in the movies. In the early 1960s, in an effort to avoid being typecast, he moved to Italy and made a series of "Sword and Sandals' movies followed by a few "Spaghetti Westerns". Oddly enough after a run of Scott made 24 movies including "Tarzan and the Lost Safari" (1957), "Tarzan's Fight for Life" (1958), "Tarzan and the Trappers" (1958), "Tarzan's Greatest Adventure" (1959, with Sean Connery and Anthony Quayle) and "Tarzan the Magnificent" (1960) he dropped out of show business all together. He essentially couch-surfed and lived with friends, living off of residuals and was a popular guest at film conventions and autograph shows and never made another appearance in film or television.

Fun Fact

Gordon Scott’s second wife was actress Vera Miles who co-starred with Gordon in one of his Tarzan movies. Vera Miles was married 4 times and her first three husbands (including Gordon) all died within months of each other. Vera Miles is still alive as of 2024.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Kensico Cemetery

273 Lakeview Avenue

Valhalla, New York, 10595

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York

Grave Location:

Lot 188, Actor's Fund of America, Grave 374

Grave Location Description

As you make your way to the Actor’s Fund of America, park on Katonah Avenue at the intersection with Pocantico Avenue. Facing the large Actor’s Fund Memorial obelisk, walk to your right towards the turnaround. On your right you will see the grave of Rachmaninoff but you actually want to walk to the left until you make it 1/4th of the way through the circle. Now walk 4 rows into Lot 188 for the final resting place of the 11th Tarzan, Gordon Scott.