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Ron Ely

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"Ronald Pierce" redirects here. For the sound engineer, see Ronald Pierce (sound engineer).

Ron Ely
Ely as Doc Savage in 1975
Born
Ronald Pierce Ely

(1938-06-21)June 21, 1938
Hereford, Texas, US
DiedSeptember 29, 2024(2024-09-29) (aged 86)
Los Alamos, California, US
Occupations
  • Actor
  • novelist
Years active1957–2001, 2014
Spouses
Helen Janet Triplet
​
​
(m. 1959; div. 1961)​
Valerie Lundeen
​
​
(m. 1984; died 2019)​
Children3

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.

Career

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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).[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

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Ely 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

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Source:[18]

Film

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ron Ely: Woman found dead at Tarzan star's California home". BBC News. October 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely's wife killed; son shot by deputies". Associated Press. October 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Rutledge, Leigh W. (1989). The Gay Fireside Companion. Alyson Publications, Inc. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-55583-164-6.
  4. ^ "Our History | Miss America 2.0". Miss America. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  5. ^ BnF catalog entry for Ron Ely. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  6. ^ "Aquanauts Diver Reaches Stardom in Short Time". Simpson's Leader-Times. Kittanning, Pennsylvania. February 11, 1961. p. 11.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ O'Neill, Natalie (October 16, 2019). "'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely's wife stabbed to death: reports". New York Post. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Parker, Ryan (October 16, 2019). "Homicide Suspect Killed by Deputies in Home of 'Tarzan' Actor Ron Ely". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ Hayden, Tyler (October 7, 2020). "Don't Believe Your Ears in Ely Case, Authorities Say ― Believe the Deputies". The Santa Barbara Independent.
  13. ^ Dalton, Andrew (October 23, 2024). "Ron Ely, TV's 'Tarzan' in the 1960s, dies at 86". Associated Press. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Overhultz, Lauryn (October 23, 2024). "'Tarzan' star Ron Ely dead at 86". Fox News. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Ron Ely". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Face the Music". IMDb.
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