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Ron Ely

Article Discussion

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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).<ref name="BBC" /> He hosted the Miss America pageant telecast in 1980 and 1981.

CareerEdit

File:Barbara Bouchet Ron Ely Fernando Lamas Tarzan 1968.jpg
Ely as Tarzan

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).Template:Cn

During the filming of Tarzan, Ely did almost all of his own stunts,<ref name="AP">Template:Cite news</ref> and received over two dozen injuries, including two broken shoulders and several lion bites.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Ely's height (6'4")Template:Cn 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".Template:Cn

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.Template:Cn

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".Template:Cn Until about 2001, he appeared on such shows as Sheena and Renegade.Template:Cn He wrote two mystery novels featuring private investigator Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995).<ref name="BBC" />

Ely retired from acting in 2001, returning with an appearance in the television film Expecting Amish (2014).<ref name="BBC">Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life and deathEdit

Ely was born in Hereford, Texas on June 21, 1938 and raised in Amarillo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He married his high school sweetheart, Helen Janet Triplet,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in 1959. Both natives of Hereford, Texas, they divorced in July 1961.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1984, Ely married Valerie Lundeen, who won the Miss Florida USA title in 1981,<ref name=":0" /> and they had three children.<ref name="BBC" />

Murder of wife and death of sonEdit

On October 15, 2019, Ely's son Cameron, then 30 years old, stabbed Valerie Ely to death at the family's home in Hope Ranch, California, a coastal residential community in Santa Barbara.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Police officers were called to the scene for a "family disturbance"<ref name="BBC" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and killed Cameron Ely, claiming he posed a threat to officers.<ref name="AP" />

The Santa Barbara district attorney ruled the police shooting a justifiable homicide. No charges were filed, and an attorney representing Ely disputed the police account of Cameron's death.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An autopsy found Cameron was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy before he died.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

DeathEdit

Ely died at the home of one of his daughters in Los Alamos, California, on September 29, 2024, at age 86.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His death was not announced until October 23, 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

FilmographyEdit

Template:More citations needed section Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

FilmEdit

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

TelevisionEdit

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 citation CitationClass=web

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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"

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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