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

  • Police Woman

    Police Woman

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Studio One

    Studio One

  • Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

    Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

  • 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 High Chaparral

    The High Chaparral

  • Cannon

    Cannon

  • Wanted: Dead or Alive

    Wanted: Dead or Alive

  • The Defenders

    The Defenders

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • The Rookies

    The Rookies

  • The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

  • Harry O

    Harry O

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • Tarzan

    Tarzan

  • Kraft Suspense Theatre

    Kraft Suspense Theatre

  • The 20th Century Fox Hour

    The 20th Century Fox Hour

  • The Texan

    The Texan

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Green Hornet

    The Green Hornet

  • Police Story

    Police Story

  • Room 222

    Room 222

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • CHiPs

    CHiPs

  • The Dirty Dozen

    The Dirty Dozen

  • Going My Way

    Going My Way

  • Wall of Noise

    Wall of Noise

  • Shadow in the Sky

    Shadow in the Sky

  • Custer

    Custer

  • Kiss Me Deadly

    Kiss Me Deadly

  • Code Two

    Code Two

  • Brannigan

    Brannigan

  • A Woman's Devotion

    A Woman's Devotion

  • Teresa

    Teresa

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Kaz

    Kaz

  • Desert Sands

    Desert Sands

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • Without Warning

    Without Warning

  • The Eddie Capra Mysteries

    The Eddie Capra Mysteries

  • The Anderson Tapes

    The Anderson Tapes

  • Four in a Jeep

    Four in a Jeep

  • Run of the Arrow

    Run of the Arrow

  • The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

    The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

  • Paths of Glory

    Paths of Glory

  • Toma

    Toma

  • The Dead Don't Die

    The Dead Don't Die

  • Ada

    Ada

  • Winter Kills

    Winter Kills

  • Not for Hire

    Not for Hire

  • The Alpha Incident

    The Alpha Incident

  • The Evil Touch

    The Evil Touch

  • Run, Joe, Run

    Run, Joe, Run

  • The Night Stalker

    The Night Stalker

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Reluctant Heroes

    The Reluctant Heroes

  • Cry Panic

    Cry Panic

  • Night Games

    Night Games

  • Primus

    Primus

  • The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

    The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

  • Lost Flight

    Lost Flight

  • Jeopardy

    Jeopardy

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • The Food of the Gods

    The Food of the Gods

  • Big House, U.S.A

    Big House, U.S.A

  • The Naked Spur

    The Naked Spur

  • I Walk the Line

    I Walk the Line

  • Hi-Riders

    Hi-Riders

  • Glory Alley

    Glory Alley

  • Tallahassee 7000

    Tallahassee 7000

  • The Detective

    The Detective

  • The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

    The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

  • Los Angeles Plays Itself

    Los Angeles Plays Itself

  • Birds of Prey

    Birds of Prey

  • My Boys Are Good Boys

    My Boys Are Good Boys

  • The Devil's Eight

    The Devil's Eight

  • Gentle Giant

    Gentle Giant

  • Somebody Loves Me

    Somebody Loves Me

  • A Holster Full Of Law

    A Holster Full Of Law

  • You'll Never See Me Again

    You'll Never See Me Again

  • Four Women in Black

    Four Women in Black

  • Something Wild

    Something Wild

  • Johnny Firecloud

    Johnny Firecloud

  • Angela - Love Comes Quietly

    Angela - Love Comes Quietly

  • The Girl on the Late, Late Show

    The Girl on the Late, Late Show

  • The Mind Snatchers

    The Mind Snatchers