Joe Lara
Joe Lara | |
---|---|
![]() Lara in 1996 | |
Born | William Joseph Lara October 2, 1962 San Diego, California, U.S. |
Died | May 29, 2021 | (aged 58)
Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
Years active | 1988–2021[a] |
Spouse | |
Partner | Natasha Pavlovich (1984–2015)[b] |
Children | 1 |
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.
Early life and career
[edit]Lara was born William Joseph Lara on October 2, 1962 in San Diego, California[1][2] to Diane (née Wesolowski) and William Lara.[3][4] He was raised in Newport Beach, California.[5] In 1981, Lara began his modeling career and traveled to many European countries including Italy, France, and Switzerland.[5] Lara 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. In 2009, Lara became active in music.[6] Lara released his debut country album entitled "Joe Lara: The Cry of Freedom" on October 20, 2011.[7][8] Lara released a cover version of the 2007 Michael Buble song "Everything" on August 18, 2019 in honor of him and his wife Gwen's one year wedding anniversary.[9][10]
Remnant Fellowship Church productions
[edit]On September 9, 2019, Lara and his wife Gwen began a Youtube series entitled "Life with Gwen and Joe".[11][12] The final episode entitled "Honoring the Christian Martyrs" was released on November 20, 2020.[13]
Personal life
[edit]Lara met actress Natasha Pavlovich in 1984 and dated on an off for several years until 2015 and were briefly engaged.[14] Together they have one child, a daughter (b. 2010).[15][16][17]
Lara became engaged to Christian author and pastor Gwen Shamblin on June 23, 2018.[18] They married on August 18, 2018 in a Remnant Fellowship Church wedding ceremony.[19][20] Together they lived in Brentwood, Tennessee.[5]
Lara was a certified pilot holding multi-engine commercial and instrument ratings along with a type rating for the Cessna Citation I.[21]
Death
[edit]On 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.[21][22][23] The cause of the accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board[24] 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,[24] but Aviation International News and WSMV-TV subsequently found that Lara held a valid medical certificate when the crash occurred.[25][26] 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),[21][27] 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".[28] 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.[29][30]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[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"[31] |
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" |
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]Title | Album details |
---|---|
Joe Lara: The Cry of Freedom |
|
References
[edit]- ^ Mike Barnes (May 30, 2021). "Joe Lara, Star of 'Tarzan: The Epic Adventures,' Dies in Plane Crash at 58". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ^ TV, Molli Mitchell Senior; Reporter, Film (April 29, 2022). "Who Was Gwen Shamblin's husband Joe Lara? Meet the 'Tarzan' Actor". Newsweek. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
- ^ "Elizabeth Wesolowski Obituary (2005) - San Diego, CA". www.legacy.com.
- ^ "Joe Lara Obituary (2021) - Grand Rapids, MI". obits.mlive.com.
- ^ a b c "joelara.com". joelara.com.
- ^ "frostsnow.com". frostsnow.com. June 20, 2016.
- ^ "Joe Lara: The Cry of Freedom". spotify.com.
- ^ "Joe Lara - The Cry of Freedom (Music Video)". youtube.com.
- ^ "More in love with you today than a year ago when I made this video for you! You my dear Gwen are truly my EVERYTHING! Happy Anniversary!". facebook.com.
- ^ "Everything - Michael Buble (Joe Lara Cover)". youtube.com.
- ^ ""Life with Gwen and Joe" Trailer". youtube.com.
- ^ "Life with Gwen and Joe Official Youtube Channel". youtube.com.
- ^ "Honoring the Christian Martyrs - Life with Gwen and Joe". youtube.com.
- ^ "Joe Lara's Ex From The Way Down Recalled Her Fears After The Plane Crash". www.bustle.com.
- ^ Sauber, Elaina (April 3, 2018). "Williamson parents allege judicial misconduct, say access to juvenile court recordings needed". Tennessean. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Ferrier, Dennis (May 1, 2018). "Ferrier Files:Williamson Country Juvenile Court judge under fire". FOX 17.
- ^ "Joe Lara Daughter: Liana Lara's Life and Legacy". aimofmarketing.com.
- ^ "The Engagement of Gwen Shamblin to Joe Lara". youtube.com.
- ^ "Joe Lara Movies – Chronicling The Life And Death Of The Tarzan Actor". actlings.com. June 3, 2021.
- ^ "The Covenant Wedding of Gwen Shamblin to Joe Lara - Remnant Fellowship". youtube.com. November 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "SEE CAROLINE HOLDEN'S (Yasmine Bleeth) FIRST EVER SCENE on #Baywatch". facebook.com.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Lara's acting career was from 1988 until 2002 while his country music career began in 2002 until his death in 2021 with his first album being released in 2011. Lara was also involved in public Remnant Fellowship Church productions beginning in 2019 until his death in 2021.
- ^ They dated on an off between these years and were temporarily at one point engaged.
External links
[edit]- 1962 births
- 2021 deaths
- Accidental deaths in Tennessee
- American country singer-songwriters
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- Country musicians from California
- Male actors from San Diego
- Musicians from San Diego
- Singer-songwriters from California
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2021
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male singers
- 21st-century American singer-songwriters
- American male singer-songwriters
- Tarzan