William Joseph Lara (October 2, 1962 – May 29, 2021) was an American actor, martial artist, and musician, known for the role of Tarzan in the American TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.
Joe Lara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | William Joseph Lara October 2, 1962 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Died | May 29, 2021 (aged 58) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editLara played Tarzan in the 1989 TV movie Tarzan in Manhattan and in the 1996-1997 follow-up TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures. He also appeared in numerous action films, including Steel Frontier and American Cyborg: Steel Warrior. He stopped acting after 20 years in 2002 to pursue a career in country music.
Personal life
editIn 2009, Lara became active in music.[1] He married Christian author and pastor Gwen Shamblin on August 18, 2018. He was also the father of one child with longtime partner and former fiancé Natasha Pavlovich.[2] He lived in Brentwood, Tennessee.[3]
Lara was a certified pilot holding multi-engine commercial and instrument ratings along with a type rating for the Cessna Citation I.[4]
Death
editOn May 29, 2021, Lara died when a Cessna Citation I business jet registered to JL & GL Productions LP crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna. His wife, her son-in-law, and four members of Lara's church also died in the crash.[4][5][6] The cause of the accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board[7] and concluded that the cause was the result of pilot error. Reports in the immediate aftermath of the accident indicated that Lara's aviation medical certificate had expired in 2019,[7] but Aviation International News and WSMV-TV subsequently found that Lara held a valid medical certificate when the crash occurred.[8][9] While it was initially unclear who was flying the aircraft when it crashed (also on board was a pilot who lacked the required type rating to fly the Citation),[4][10] the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report stated that "the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane", and "The pilot held a type rating for the airplane with no restrictions. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on November 12, 2019, with the limitation that he "must wear corrective lenses".[11] This information along with a CNN article on June 15, 2021, stating, "The pilot, who was among the seven killed, had a commercial pilot certificate and a private pilot certificate and had logged 1,680 total flight hours, 83 of those in the plane involved in the crash" has led some reports to conclude the pilot could only have been Lara.[12][13]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Night Wars | American Soldier | |
| 1992 | Sunset Heat | Todd | |
| 1993 | American Cyborg: Steel Warrior | Austin | |
| 1995 | Steel Frontier | Johnny Yuma | Direct-to-video film |
| 1995 | Hologram Man | Captain Kurt Decoda | Direct-to-video film |
| 1995 | Live Wire 2: Human Timebomb | Price | Direct-to-video film |
| 1995 | Final Equinox | Lugar | |
| 1996 | Warhead | General Kraft | |
| 1998 | Armstrong | 'Ponytail' | |
| 1999 | Lima: Breaking the Silence | Victor | |
| 1999 | Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault | McKinney | |
| 2000 | Strike Zone | Dunk Stevens | Direct-to-video film |
| 2000 | Very Mean Men | Detective Miller | |
| 2000 | Doomsdayer | Jack Logan | |
| 2001 | Dead Man's Run | Derek | |
| 2001 | Death Game | Micky Haiden | |
| 2002 | Starfire Mutiny | Sam Talbot | Direct-to-video film |
| 2018 | Summer of '67 | Soap Opera Actor |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Tarzan in Manhattan | Tarzan | Television film |
| 1990 | Gunsmoke: The Last Apache | Wolf | Television film |
| 1992 | Danger Island | Matt | Television film |
| 1993 | Tropical Heat | Devon Madsen | Episode: "Tess" |
| 1993 | Baywatch | Frank Randall | Episode: "Tentacles: Part 2" |
| 1996–1997 | Tarzan: The Epic Adventures | Tarzan | Lead role |
| 1997 | Operation Delta Force | Johan Nash | Television film |
| 1998 | Conan the Adventurer | Kamikon | Episode: "The Cavern" |
| 1998 | In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross | Himself | Television film |
| 2000 | The Magnificent Seven | Pace McCormick | Episode: "Penance" |
References
edit- ^ "frostsnow.com". frostsnow.com. June 20, 2016.
- ^ Sauber, Elaina (April 3, 2018). "Williamson parents allege judicial misconduct, say access to juvenile court recordings needed". Tennessean. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "joelara.com". joelara.com.
- ^ a b c Gilbert, Gordon (June 1, 2021). "NTSB Begins Probe into Fatal Citation Accident". AINonline.com. Aviation International News. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Romero, Dennis (May 29, 2021). "Diet guru Gwen Lara, husband actor Joe Lara among seven killed in plane crash". NBC News 2. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (May 30, 2021). "Joe Lara, Star of 'Tarzan: The Epic Adventures,' Dies in Plane Crash at 58". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Plane carrying diet guru Gwen Lara, 6 others crashes into Tennessee lake; all on board presumed dead". USA Today. May 30, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ Gilbert, Gordon. "NTSB Begins Probe into Fatal Citation Accident". Aviation International News. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Finley, Jeremy (June 3, 2021). "FAA records on pilot's medical certificate clash with documentation from church". wsmv.com. Nashville, Tennessee: WSMV-TV. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Hineman, Brinley; Humbles, Andy; Wegner, Rachel (June 1, 2021). "What to know about the plane crash that killed Christian dietitian Gwen Shamblin Lara". USA Today. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ Read, Leah (May 29, 2021). "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Preliminary Report" (PDF).
- ^ Lynch, Jamiel (June 15, 2021). "Investigators release preliminary report on plane crash that killed 7, including a Christian diet guru and 'Tarzan' actor". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ Osborne, Mike (June 16, 2021). "Feds release preliminary report on small jet that crashed into Percy Priest Lake". WMOT. Retrieved November 10, 2021.