Ralph Meeker

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

100

Gender

Male

Birthday

1920-11-21

Day of death

1988-08-05 (67 years old)

Place of Birth

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Ralph Meeker

Biography

Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 – August 5, 1988) was an American actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of Mister Roberts (1948–1951) and Picnic (1953), the former of which earned him a Theatre World Award for his performance. In film, Meeker is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's 1955 Kiss Me Deadly. Meeker went on to play a series of roles that used his husky and macho screen presence, including a lead role in Stanley Kubrick's military courtroom drama Paths of Glory (1957), as a troubled mechanic opposite Carroll Baker in Something Wild (1961), as a World War II captain in The Dirty Dozen (1967), and in the gangster film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). Other credits include supporting roles in I Walk the Line (1970) and Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971). He also had a prolific career in television, appearing as Sergeant Steve Dekker on the series Not for Hire (1959–1960), and in the television horror film The Night Stalker (1972). After suffering a stroke in 1980, Meeker was forced to retire from acting, and died eight years later of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California.

Known For

  • Ironside

    Ironside

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

  • Cannon

    Cannon

  • Wanted: Dead or Alive

    Wanted: Dead or Alive

  • The High Chaparral

    The High Chaparral

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Route 66

    Route 66

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The Defenders

    The Defenders

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • The Rookies

    The Rookies

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • The Texan

    The Texan

  • Harry O

    Harry O

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Room 222

    Room 222

  • Kraft Suspense Theatre

    Kraft Suspense Theatre

  • Tarzan

    Tarzan

  • The Green Hornet

    The Green Hornet

  • CHiPs

    CHiPs

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • Paths of Glory

    Paths of Glory

  • Police Story

    Police Story

  • Teresa

    Teresa

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • The Detective

    The Detective

  • The Dirty Dozen

    The Dirty Dozen

  • Hi-Riders

    Hi-Riders

  • Night Games

    Night Games

  • Winter Kills

    Winter Kills

  • Lost Flight

    Lost Flight

  • Gentle Giant

    Gentle Giant

  • Going My Way

    Going My Way

  • Jeopardy

    Jeopardy

  • Ada

    Ada

  • Brannigan

    Brannigan

  • The Food of the Gods

    The Food of the Gods

  • Custer

    Custer

  • Kaz

    Kaz

  • Toma

    Toma

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

    The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

  • The Eddie Capra Mysteries

    The Eddie Capra Mysteries

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • Shadow in the Sky

    Shadow in the Sky

  • The Evil Touch

    The Evil Touch

  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

    The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

  • The Naked Spur

    The Naked Spur

  • The Night Stalker

    The Night Stalker

  • The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

    The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

  • The Devil's Eight

    The Devil's Eight

  • The Anderson Tapes

    The Anderson Tapes

  • Run, Joe, Run

    Run, Joe, Run

  • Without Warning

    Without Warning

  • Run of the Arrow

    Run of the Arrow

  • Four in a Jeep

    Four in a Jeep

  • Tallahassee 7000

    Tallahassee 7000

  • Not for Hire

    Not for Hire

  • I Walk the Line

    I Walk the Line

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Alpha Incident

    The Alpha Incident

  • Los Angeles Plays Itself

    Los Angeles Plays Itself

  • Primus

    Primus

  • My Boys Are Good Boys

    My Boys Are Good Boys

  • The Dead Don't Die

    The Dead Don't Die

  • Big House, U.S.A

    Big House, U.S.A

  • A Woman's Devotion

    A Woman's Devotion

  • Wall of Noise

    Wall of Noise

  • Somebody Loves Me

    Somebody Loves Me

  • The Reluctant Heroes

    The Reluctant Heroes

  • Kiss Me Deadly

    Kiss Me Deadly

  • The Mind Snatchers

    The Mind Snatchers

  • Birds of Prey

    Birds of Prey

  • You'll Never See Me Again

    You'll Never See Me Again

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Glory Alley

    Glory Alley

  • Four Women in Black

    Four Women in Black

  • Desert Sands

    Desert Sands

  • Something Wild

    Something Wild

  • Angela - Love Comes Quietly

    Angela - Love Comes Quietly

  • Johnny Firecloud

    Johnny Firecloud

  • Cry Panic

    Cry Panic

  • The Girl on the Late, Late Show

    The Girl on the Late, Late Show

  • Code Two

    Code Two

  • A Holster Full Of Law

    A Holster Full Of Law