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Ralph Meeker

Ralph Meeker

Acting November 21, 1920 (67 years old) August 5, 1988 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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.

Movies 47

Paths of Glory 8.3

Paths of Glory

as Cpl. Philippe Paris

1957
The Dirty Dozen 7.6

The Dirty Dozen

as Captain Stuart Kinder

1967
The Night Stalker 6.9

The Night Stalker

as Bernie Jenks

1972
Kiss Me Deadly 7.2

Kiss Me Deadly

as Mike Hammer

1955
Without Warning 5.1

Without Warning

as Dave

1980
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre 6.3

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

as George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran

1967
The Anderson Tapes 6.2

The Anderson Tapes

as Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney

1971
The Food of the Gods 5.0

The Food of the Gods

as Bensington

1976
The Detective 5.9

The Detective

as Curran

1968
I Walk the Line 5.9

I Walk the Line

as Carl McCain

1970
The Naked Spur 7.0

The Naked Spur

as Roy Anderson

1953
Run of the Arrow 6.1

Run of the Arrow

as Lieutenant Driscoll

1957
Winter Kills 5.7

Winter Kills

as Gameboy Baker

1979
Jeopardy 6.8

Jeopardy

as Lawson the Fugitive

1953
The Devil's Eight 5.2

The Devil's Eight

as Burl

1969
Big House, U.S.A 6.5

Big House, U.S.A

as Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman

1955
Brannigan 6.0

Brannigan

as Capt. Moretti

1975
Hi-Riders 6.1

Hi-Riders

as Mike

1978
The Dead Don't Die 6.0

The Dead Don't Die

as Lieutenant Reardon

1975
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller 6.2

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

as Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)

2002
Something Wild 6.2

Something Wild

as Mike

1961
The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown 6.0

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

as Mike Valla

1957
The Girl on the Late, Late Show 5.5

The Girl on the Late, Late Show

as Inspector DeBiesse

1974
Four Women in Black

Four Women in Black

as Carbine Webb

1957
Desert Sands 5.0

Desert Sands

as Capt. David Malcolm

1955
A Woman's Devotion 4.5

A Woman's Devotion

as Trevor Stevenson

1956
The Mind Snatchers 5.9

The Mind Snatchers

as The Major

1972
Shadow in the Sky 7.0

Shadow in the Sky

as Burt

1952
Four in a Jeep 6.2

Four in a Jeep

as Sergeant William Long

1951
The Reluctant Heroes 8.0

The Reluctant Heroes

as Capt. Luke Danvers

1971
Somebody Loves Me 8.8

Somebody Loves Me

as Benny Fields

1952
Birds of Prey 5.8

Birds of Prey

as Jim McAndrew

1973
Lost Flight 4.2

Lost Flight

as Glenn Walkup

1970
Cry Panic 6.9

Cry Panic

as Chuck Braswell

1974
Night Games 6.5

Night Games

as Dutch Armbreck

1974
Ada 6.5

Ada

as Colonel Yancey

1961
Angela – Love Comes Quietly 5.4

Angela – Love Comes Quietly

as Ben Hoeksema

1973
A Holster Full Of Law 8.0

A Holster Full Of Law

as Frank Clell

1961
My Boys Are Good Boys 7.8

My Boys Are Good Boys

as Bert Morton

1978
Code Two 6.3

Code Two

as Chuck O'Flair

1953
Wall of Noise 4.1

Wall of Noise

as Matt Rubio

1963
The Alpha Incident 3.8

The Alpha Incident

as Charlie

1978
You'll Never See Me Again 7.0

You'll Never See Me Again

as Will Alden

1973
Teresa 6.1

Teresa

as Sgt. Dobbs

1951
Glory Alley 5.9

Glory Alley

as Socks Barbarrosa

1952
Johnny Firecloud 5.0

Johnny Firecloud

as Colby

1975
Gentle Giant 8.5

Gentle Giant

as Fog Hanson

1967

TV Shows 53

Ironside 6.8

Ironside

1967
Climax! 3.8

Climax!

as Alex Hill

1954
Climax! 3.8

Climax!

as 'Griff' Griffith

1954
Studio One 5.4

Studio One

as Steve Windom

1948
Studio One 5.4

Studio One

as Larry Sheridan

1948
Cannon 6.8

Cannon

1971
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre 6.2

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

as Steve Elkins

1956
Police Woman 6.5

Police Woman

1974
Route 66 6.7

Route 66

1960
The Ed Sullivan Show 6.8

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self

1948
Wanted: Dead or Alive 7.1

Wanted: Dead or Alive

as Martin Ash

1958
The F.B.I. 5.6

The F.B.I.

as King Hogan

1965
The F.B.I. 5.6

The F.B.I.

as Scott Martin

1965
The F.B.I. 5.6

The F.B.I.

as Graham Newcomb

1965
The Defenders 6.3

The Defenders

as Floyd Cooper

1961
The High Chaparral 6.7

The High Chaparral

as Tracy Conlin

1967
The Rookies 6.9

The Rookies

1972
The Name of the Game 7.0

The Name of the Game

as Senator Goddard

1968
The Outer Limits 7.8

The Outer Limits

as John Dexter

1963
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 7.8

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Carl Spann

1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 7.8

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Carl Borden

1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 7.8

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as John Forbes

1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents 7.8

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Mel Reeves

1955
Room 222 6.1

Room 222

1969
Kraft Suspense Theatre 6.5

Kraft Suspense Theatre

as Harly Clay

1963
The Texan 6.0

The Texan

1958
Police Story 7.0

Police Story

1973
Harry O 5.2

Harry O

1974
Tarzan 6.9

Tarzan

1966
The 20th Century Fox Hour 6.0

The 20th Century Fox Hour

1955
CHiPs 6.8

CHiPs

1977
The Green Hornet 7.4

The Green Hornet

as Earl Evans

1966
Lux Video Theatre 6.7

Lux Video Theatre

as Nicky Hanks

1950
Lux Video Theatre 6.7

Lux Video Theatre

as Mike

1950
Going My Way 5.8

Going My Way

1962
Letter to Loretta 6.6

Letter to Loretta

as Joe Martin

1953
Letter to Loretta 6.6

Letter to Loretta

as Ed James

1953
Letter to Loretta 6.6

Letter to Loretta

as Pilot Duke Cavanaugh

1953
Letter to Loretta 6.6

Letter to Loretta

as Willis Cooper

1953
Kaz 7.0

Kaz

1978
Not for Hire

Not for Hire

as US Army Sergeant Steve Dekker

1959
Toma 6.7

Toma

1973
The Evil Touch 6.0

The Evil Touch

1973
Barbary Coast 8.3

Barbary Coast

as Big Lou Hobart

1975
Run, Joe, Run 6.7

Run, Joe, Run

1974
Custer 6.4

Custer

1967
Tallahassee 7000 8.5

Tallahassee 7000

1961
Hallmark Hall of Fame 8.8

Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Wally Walters

1951
The Eddie Capra Mysteries 6.5

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

1978
Primus 6.0

Primus

1971
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars 7.2

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

as Rich Adams

1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars 7.2

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

as Barry Brannon

1951
Faraday and Company 7.0

Faraday and Company

as Ed Kelso

1973

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