Denny Miller

Denny Miller
Denny Miller (right) with a fan at the Super-Con convention.
Born	Dennis Linn Miller (1934-04-25)April 25, 1934 Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.
Died	September 9, 2014(2014-09-09) (aged 80) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1958–2014
Spouse(s)	Kit Smythe (divorced) Nancy Miller (at time of his death)

Denny Scott Miller (born Dennis Linn Miller; April 25, 1934 – September 9, 2014) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his regular role as Duke Shannon on Wagon Train, his guest-starring appearances on Gilligan's Island, and his 1959 film role as Tarzan.

Miller was a basketball player for the UCLA Bruins at the University of California, Los Angeles, where his father was a physical education instructor. In his senior year, while he was working as a furniture mover to pay for school, Miller was discovered on Sunset Boulevard by a Hollywood agent who signed him with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His screen test was directed by George Cukor.

He became the first blond Tarzan in Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), a cheapie/quickie which lifted most of its footage from earlier Johnny Weissmuller movies. Miller had been recommended by someone else considered for the role, William Smith, later a star of the NBC Laredo western series. MGM had Miller under contract for twenty months; in that time, he worked only eight weeks as Tarzan.

Miller did guest spots on a number of television series, such as Northwest Passage and Overland Trail.