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
All Movies (47)
- The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller2002 · as Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)
- Without Warning1980 · as Dave
- Winter Kills1979 · as Gameboy Baker
- The Alpha Incident1978 · as Charlie
- Hi-Riders1978 · as Mike
- My Boys Are Good Boys1978 · as Bert Morton
- The Food of the Gods1976 · as Bensington
- Johnny Firecloud1975 · as Colby
- Brannigan1975 · as Capt. Moretti
- The Dead Don't Die1975 · as Lieutenant Reardon
- The Girl on the Late, Late Show1974 · as Inspector DeBiesse
- Night Games1974 · as Dutch Armbreck
- Cry Panic1974 · as Chuck Braswell
- Angela – Love Comes Quietly1973 · as Ben Hoeksema
- You'll Never See Me Again1973 · as Will Alden
- Birds of Prey1973 · as Jim McAndrew
- The Mind Snatchers1972 · as The Major
- The Night Stalker1972 · as Bernie Jenks
- The Reluctant Heroes1971 · as Capt. Luke Danvers
- The Anderson Tapes1971 · as Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
- I Walk the Line1970 · as Carl McCain
- Lost Flight1970 · as Glenn Walkup
- The Devil's Eight1969 · as Burl
- The Detective1968 · as Curran
- Gentle Giant1967 · as Fog Hanson
- The St. Valentine's Day Massacre1967 · as George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
- The Dirty Dozen1967 · as Captain Stuart Kinder
- Wall of Noise1963 · as Matt Rubio
- Something Wild1961 · as Mike
- A Holster Full Of Law1961 · as Frank Clell
- Ada1961 · as Colonel Yancey
- Paths of Glory1957 · as Cpl. Philippe Paris
- Run of the Arrow1957 · as Lieutenant Driscoll
- The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown1957 · as Mike Valla
- Four Women in Black1957 · as Carbine Webb
- A Woman's Devotion1956 · as Trevor Stevenson
- Desert Sands1955 · as Capt. David Malcolm
- Kiss Me Deadly1955 · as Mike Hammer
- Big House, U.S.A1955 · as Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman
- Code Two1953 · as Chuck O'Flair
- Jeopardy1953 · as Lawson the Fugitive
- The Naked Spur1953 · as Roy Anderson
- Somebody Loves Me1952 · as Benny Fields
- Shadow in the Sky1952 · as Burt
- Glory Alley1952 · as Socks Barbarrosa
- Teresa1951 · as Sgt. Dobbs
- Four in a Jeep1951 · as Sergeant William Long
All TV Shows (53)
- Kaz1978
- The Eddie Capra Mysteries1978
- CHiPs1977
- Barbary Coast1975 · as Big Lou Hobart
- Police Woman1974
- Harry O1974
- Run, Joe, Run1974
- Toma1973
- Faraday and Company1973 · as Ed Kelso
- The Evil Touch1973
- Police Story1973
- The Rookies1972
- Primus1971
- Cannon1971
- Room 2221969
- The Name of the Game1968 · as Senator Goddard
- The High Chaparral1967 · as Tracy Conlin
- Custer1967
- Ironside1967
- The Green Hornet1966 · as Earl Evans
- Tarzan1966
- The F.B.I.1965 · as King Hogan
- The F.B.I.1965 · as Scott Martin
- The F.B.I.1965 · as Graham Newcomb
- Kraft Suspense Theatre1963 · as Harly Clay
- The Outer Limits1963 · as John Dexter
- Going My Way1962
- The Defenders1961 · as Floyd Cooper
- Tallahassee 70001961
- Route 661960
- Not for Hire1959
- The Texan1958
- Wanted: Dead or Alive1958 · as Martin Ash
- Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Steve Elkins
- The 20th Century Fox Hour1955
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents1955 · as Carl Spann
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents1955 · as Carl Borden
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents1955 · as Mel Reeves
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents1955 · as John Forbes
- Climax!1954 · as Alex Hill
- Climax!1954 · as 'Griff' Griffith
- Letter to Loretta1953 · as Joe Martin
- Letter to Loretta1953 · as Ed James
- Letter to Loretta1953 · as Pilot Duke Cavanaugh
- Letter to Loretta1953 · as Willis Cooper
- Hallmark Hall of Fame1951 · as Wally Walters
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Rich Adams
- Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Barry Brannon
- Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Nicky Hanks
- Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Mike
- Studio One1948 · as Steve Windom
- Studio One1948 · as Larry Sheridan
- The Ed Sullivan Show1948 · as Self