An aspiring actor from South Africa who has been living as Tarzan in the hope of landing his dream role has become a viral video sensation after filming his loincloth-clad jungle life.

DeWet Du Toit, 25, is so desperate to be cast in the iconic role that he spends four days each week running barefoot and nearly naked through the forest, eating nuts and berries, swinging through trees, and often sleeping overnight on tree limbs – and captures it all on tape.

The chimpanzee "Cheetah," who played Tarzan's sidekick in the films from the 1930s, died at 80 on Saturday at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida after suffering kidney failure earlier in the week.

The chimp provided comic relief to the late Johnny Weissmuller in films such as Tarzan and His Mate, and Tarzan the Ape Man. The chimp lived on Weissmuller's estate until 1960, when it moved into the sanctuary.

"It is with great sadness that the community has lost a dear friend and family member," Suncoast said in a statement.