He was a hedonist. The biography does him justice:1c84 A few forgettable lines, pretty much sums it up.

Great info on the talented Derek - and especially on TARZAN - a much maligned film but one I enjoyed nonetheless -

atucci-1,
I don't think Derek enjoyed being an actor - from everything
that I've read. He enjoyed his privacy and self-indulgence(s).
I think he was very successful as an actor - with good, strong
performances, and he was very handsome and memorable.
He came from a wealthy background in Hollywood. He was

• according to memoirs from his daughter Sean and 4th wife Bo
• a difficult, self-centered and stubborn artist. He wanted
  things in life and within his control to be a certain way. After
  Bo's success in "10", MGM gave the Derek's a great deal of
  money to make Tarzan, The Ape Man in 1981. John had creative
  control and a very specific vision, which was only to create a pallette
  to showcase the extraordinary beauty of his wife Bo.
  Unfortunatey, the story, script and acting were of less importance.
  It was intended to be a campy, sexy update of the Tarzan story -
  with the look of a pin-up calender. I think the shot of the elephant
  carrying an injured Tarzan is still one of the most beautiful
  things I've ever seen! Anyway, this film (which was under-budget, on
  time, and the biggest hit for MGM in the Summer of 1981) was
  a visual journey of a hedonistic artist and his adoring wife. I think
  they were just enjoying working together and the outcome did
  not justify the "vision." And yes, the orangutan gave the
  best performance