| Species | Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 1929 |
| Died | February 28, 1938(1938-02-28) (aged 8–9) |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Resting place | Los Angeles Pet Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1932-1938 |
| Known for | The first chimpanzee to play the characterCheeta |
| Owner | Tony & Jacqueline Gentry |
Jiggs (c. 1929 – February 28, 1938) was a malechimpanzee and animal actor who originated the character ofCheeta in the 1930sHollywoodTarzanmovies. He was owned and trained by Tony and Jacqueline Gentry.[1][2][3][4][5]
In a likely apocryphal account Jiggs was said to have been brought over from Africa byGary Cooper, who sold him because the animal occasionally went berserk.[6] More reliably, Jacqueline Gentry claimed to have raised and trained Jiggs from infancy.[2] He is stated to have been brought up with a collie named Spanky and to have later refused to do any film work without the dog present.[6][7] Spanky was also used to help control Jiggs on the set.[6]
Jiggs had a seven-year film career.[8] He appeared asCheeta in the first twoJohnny Weissmuller Tarzan films,Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) andTarzan and His Mate (1934).[9][10] Apparently he was in the third of the series,Tarzan Escapes (1936), as well.[11] He also appeared in the rivalBuster Crabbe serialTarzan the Fearless (1933)[10][12] and theHerman Brix serialThe New Adventures of Tarzan (1935), also released in feature-film form asTarzan and the Green Goddess (1938).[10][13] In the Brix films, which were more faithful to Edgar Rice Burroughs' original stories than the Weissmuller ones, Jiggs was cast asNkima, not Cheeta.
Jiggs was cast in at least three additional films, theLaurel and Hardy shortDirty Work (1933),[14] theOur Gang shortDivot Diggers (1936),[15] and theDorothy Lamour filmHer Jungle Love (1938), which was his last picture.[2][3][16][17]
On the set ofTarzan the Fearless Jiggs successfully extracted a thorn from the hand of female leadJacqueline Wells after she and lead actor Buster Crabbe both failed.[12]
His trainers, the Gentrys, appear to have separated by early 1936, as Jacqueline alone is cited as his owner in news stories of that date and after.[2][4][8][11][18]
In July 1936, during the filming ofHer Jungle Love Jiggs attacked lead actress Dorothy Lamour,[19][20] who was rescued by a film aide;[19] he was then subdued by his owners[20] and the collie Spanky.[6]
In December 1936 Jiggs had an encounter on set with actressMartha Raye in which they made faces at each other and Raye lit him a cigarette.[21]
Jiggs died on February 28, 1938[4] or March 1, 1938, at age 9, ofpneumonia,[2][3][8] and his funeral was planned for March 2, 1938, in theLos Angeles Pet Cemetery.[2][3] However, due to theLos Angeles Flood of 1938, Jiggs was laid to rest on March 4.[5]
Tony Gentry was a professional animal trainer who owned a number of apes, at first together with his wife Jacqueline and later on his own. Three chimpanzees later owned by Gentry also bore the name Jiggs, of which two have also been associated with theCheeta role.Jiggs, Jr. (also known as Jiggs II), was a male chimpanzee born about 1935.[22] Stated to have gone to the Baltimore Zoo when Tony Gentry went into the service in World War II, his ultimate fate is unknown.[10]Cheeta (also known as Jiggs IV) was a male chimpanzee born about 1960, who later resided at the C.H.E.E.T.A. (Creative Habitats and Enrichment for Endangered and Threatened Apes) Primate Sanctuary in Palm Springs, California. For many years, Gentry stated that Jiggs IV was the original Cheeta, which was in fact not true.[23] On May 5, 2022, Cheeta/Jiggs IV died at the C.H.E.E.T.A. sanctuary in Palm Springs, California.[24]