Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series Tarzan and playing the lead role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975).[1] He hosted the Miss America pageant telecast in 1980 and 1981.
Ron Ely | |
|---|---|
 Ely as Doc Savage in 1975 | |
| Born | Ronald Pierce Ely June 21, 1938 Hereford, Texas, US |
| Died | September 29, 2024 (aged 86) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1957–2001, 2014 |
| Spouses | Helen Janet Triplet
(m. 1959; div. 1961)Valerie Lundeen
(m. 1984; died 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
Career
edit
Ely won the role of Tarzan in 1966 after playing supporting roles in films such as South Pacific (1958), as an airplane navigator, The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959).[citation needed]
During the filming of Tarzan, Ely did almost all of his own stunts,[2] and received over two dozen injuries, including two broken shoulders and several lion bites.[3]
Ely's height (6'4")[citation needed] and athletic build also won him the title role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975), as well as various guest shots. He was in five episodes of the series Fantasy Island; in one, in 1978, he portrayed Mark Antony in a Roman military short tunic and breastplate and starred in the Wonder Woman two-part episode, "The Deadly Sting".[citation needed]
Ely starred on the series The Aquanauts in 1960–1961, in the western adventure film The Night of the Grizzly (1966) opposite Clint Walker, and later appeared in Jürgen Goslar's slavery movie Slavers (1978). In the 1980s, he hosted the musical game show Face the Music, as well as the 1980 and 1981 Miss America Pageants, replacing longtime host Bert Parks.[4] He starred in a 1987–1988 revival of the 1960s adventure series Sea Hunt as Mike Nelson, the role played by Lloyd Bridges in the original series.[citation needed]
In the 1990s, Ely's roles included a retired alternate universe variant of Superman in the Superboy episode "The Road to Hell", and hunter Gordon Shaw in the Tarzán episode "Tarzan the Hunted".[citation needed] Until about 2001, he appeared on such shows as Sheena and Renegade.[citation needed] He wrote two mystery novels featuring private investigator Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995).[1]
Ely retired from acting in 2001, returning with an appearance in the television film Expecting Amish (2014).[1]
Personal life and death
editEly was born in Hereford, Texas on June 21, 1938 and raised in Amarillo.[5] He married his high school sweetheart, Helen Janet Triplet,[6] in 1959. Both natives of Hereford, Texas, they divorced in July 1961.[7]
In 1984, Ely married Valerie Lundeen, who won the Miss Florida USA title in 1981,[7] and they had three children.[1] On October 15, 2019, she was stabbed to death in Hope Ranch, California, a coastal residential community in Santa Barbara where they resided.[8] Police officers were called to the scene for a "family disturbance"[1][9] and killed the couple's son, Cameron.[2] In October 2020, Ely challenged the Santa Barbara district attorney who called it a justifiable homicide. No charges were filed.[10][11] An autopsy found that Cameron was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy before he died.[12]
Ely died at the home of one of his daughters in Los Alamos, California, on September 29, 2024, at age 86.[13][14][15] She publicized this on October 23, 2024.[16][17]
Filmography
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2024) |
Source:[18]
Film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | South Pacific | Navigator | |
| 1958 | The Fiend Who Walked the West | Deputy Jim Dyer | |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Wilbur Fielding | |
| 1966 | The Night of the Grizzly | Tad Curry | |
| 1966 | Once Before I Die | Soldier | |
| 1972 | Der Schrei der schwarzen Wölfe | Bill Robinson | |
| 1972 | 100 Fäuste und ein Vaterunser | Hallelujah | |
| 1975 | Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze | Clark Savage Jr. aka Doc | |
| 1976 | MitGift | Dr. Kurt Jahn | |
| 1978 | Slavers | Steven Hamilton | |
| 1981 | The Seal | ||
| 2014 | Expecting Amish | Elder Miller |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Father Knows Best | Jerry Preston | Episode: "Crisis Over a Kiss" |
| 1959 | Steve Canyon | Pete Randall | Episode: "The Sergeant" |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Buddy | Episode: "The Second Happiest Day" |
| 1959 | How to Marry a Millionaire | Philip Jackson | Episode: "The Method" |
| 1959 | The Millionaire | Jim Phillips | Episode: "Millionaire Sergeant Matthew Brogan" |
| 1959 | The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis | Dobie's Older Brother | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1960 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | Arleigh Smith | Episode: "The Posse" |
| 1961 | The Aquanauts | Mike Madison | 18 episodes |
| 1962 | Thriller | Lt. Mike Hudson | Episode: "Waxworks" |
| 1966–1968 | Tarzan | Tarzan | 57 episodes |
| 1969 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Ronald | Episode: "Pain" |
| 1971 | Ironside | Scott Bradley | Episode: "A Killing at the Track" |
| 1974 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Ben Brecht | Episode: "To Father a Child" |
| 1978 | Wonder Woman | Bill Michaels | Episode: "The Deadly Sting" |
| 1979–1984 | Fantasy Island | Fred Spenser / Burt Hunter / Kevin Lansing Eric Williams / Marc Anthony / Baron Manfred von Richthofen | 5 episodes |
| 1980–1981 | Face The Music | Host[19] | Main role |
| 1980–1981 | The Love Boat | Ted Cole / Jim / Steve Swaggart / Darryl Brewster | 3 episodes |
| 1983 | Matt Houston | Winston Fowler | Episode: "A Deadly Parlay" |
| 1983 | Hotel | Evan Paige | Episode: "Charades" |
| 1987 | Sea Hunt | Mike Nelson | 22 episodes |
| 1991 | Superboy | Superman | Episode: "The Road to Hell" |
| 1992 | Tarzán | Gordon Shaw | Episode: "Tarzan, the Hunted" |
| 1992 | The Hat Squad | Carl Strong | Episode: "Family Business" |
| 1993 | L.A. Law | Episode: "Book of Renovation" | |
| 1993–1994 | Renegade | Gen. Howard Bird / Reverend McClain | 2 episodes |
| 1994 | Hawkeye | Harry March | Episode: "Out of the Past" |
| 2001 | Sheena | Bixby | Episode: "The Feral King" |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Ron Ely: Woman found dead at Tarzan star's California home". BBC News. October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely's wife killed; son shot by deputies". Associated Press. October 16, 2019.
- ^ Rutledge, Leigh W. (1989). The Gay Fireside Companion. Alyson Publications, Inc. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-55583-164-6.
- ^ "Our History | Miss America 2.0". Miss America. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ BnF catalog entry for Ron Ely. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ "Aquanauts Diver Reaches Stardom in Short Time". Simpson's Leader-Times. Kittanning, Pennsylvania. February 11, 1961. p. 11.
- ^ a b Farrell, Paul (October 16, 2019). "Valerie Lundeen, Ron Ely's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ O'Neill, Natalie (October 16, 2019). "'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely's wife stabbed to death: reports". New York Post. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Parker, Ryan (October 16, 2019). "Homicide Suspect Killed by Deputies in Home of 'Tarzan' Actor Ron Ely". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ Roberto, Melissa (October 16, 2020). "Ron Ely challenges Santa Barbara district attorney after fatal shooting of his son deemed 'justifiable'". Fox News. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "No charges against sheriff's deputies who shot, killed son of 'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely in Santa Barbara County". ABC7 KABC. October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- ^ Hayden, Tyler (October 7, 2020). "Don't Believe Your Ears in Ely Case, Authorities Say ― Believe the Deputies". The Santa Barbara Independent.
- ^ Dalton, Andrew (October 23, 2024). "Ron Ely, TV's 'Tarzan' in the 1960s, dies at 86". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Risen, Clay (October 23, 2024). "Ron Ely, Who Played an Updated Tarzan in the 1960s, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Overhultz, Lauryn (October 23, 2024). "'Tarzan' star Ron Ely dead at 86". Fox News. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Mike (October 23, 2024). "Ron Ely, Star of the First Tarzan Series for Television, Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Sheffield, Taria (October 23, 2024). "Ron Ely, Star of Tarzan Series, Dies at 86, 5 Years After the Shocking Death of His Wife and Son". People.
- ^ "Ron Ely". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
- ^ "Face the Music". IMDb.
External links
edit- Ron Ely at IMDb
- Ron Ely at Brian's Drive-In Theater
- "Ron Ely looks back at Tarzan". Daily Express. April 7, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019.
- Ron Ely discography at Discogs