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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
June 21, 1938
Died
September 29, 2024
Place of Birth
Hereford, Texas, USA
Also Known As
- Ronald Pierce Ely
- Ronald Ely
Ron Ely
0.5 Popularity
Biography
Ronald Pierce "Ron" Ely (born June 21, 1938) was an American actor and novelist born in Hereford, Texas. Ely is best known for having portrayed Tarzan in the 1966 NBC series Tarzan and for playing the lead role in the 1975 film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze. Ely obtained the role after playing various bit-parts, including an airplane navigator in the 1958 film South Pacific and a guest-starring role on Barbara Eden's first television series, the romantic comedy How to Marry a Millionaire. Ely's height (6' 4") and athletic build also won him the title role in the 1975 film Doc Savage, as well as various guest shots. In a 1978 Fantasy Island episode, for example, Ely portrayed Mark Antony in a Roman military short tunic and breastplate that displayed almost as much of his physique as his Tarzan costume had. From 1960-61, Ely starred in the series The Aquanauts. In the 1980s, Ely hosted the musical game show Face the Music. Additionally, Ely hosted the 1980 and 1981 Miss America Pageants, replacing longtime host Bert Parks. In the 1990s, Ely’s roles included a retired Superman in the 1991 two-part episode "The Road to Hell" of the Superboy syndicated television series, and a big game hunter named Gordon Shaw in the 1992 episode "Tarzan the Hunted" of the syndicated Tarzán TV series (starring Wolf Larson). In recent years Ely has embarked on a successful writing career and has penned two mystery novels featuring private eye Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995). Until about 2001, Ely made appearances on popular TV shows, his most recent being Sheena and Renegade. He is now retired from acting. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ron Ely, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
6.5
Self
Tarzan Revisited
2017
0.0
Tarzan (Archive Footage)
Tarzan: Lord of the Movies
2017
6.6
Elder Miller
Expecting Amish
2014
7.2
Ron (archive footage)
Underground Entertainment: The Movie
2011
5.3
Bixby
Sheena
2000
0.0
Self
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
1998
0.0
Tarzan (archive footage)
Tarzan at the Movies, Part 2: The Many Faces of Tarzan
1996
4.0
Marker
1995
6.7
Renegade
1992
6.7
Reverend McClain
Renegade
1992
Credits
Tarzan Revisited
as Self
2017
6.5
Tarzan: Lord of the Movies
as Tarzan (Archive Footage)
2017
0.0
Expecting Amish
as Elder Miller
2014
6.6
Underground Entertainment: The Movie
as Ron (archive footage)
2011
7.2
Sheena
as Bixby
2000
5.3
In Search of Tarzan with Jonathan Ross
as Self
1998
0.0
Tarzan at the Movies, Part 2: The Many Faces of Tarzan
as Tarzan (archive footage)
1996
0.0
Marker
1995
4.0
Renegade
1992
6.7
Renegade
as Reverend McClain
1992
6.7
The Hat Squad
as Carl Strong
1992
6.8
Sea Hunt
as Mike Nelson
1987
0.0
L.A. Law
as Mr. McIntyre
1986
7.0
Blacke's Magic
1986
6.0
Matt Houston
1982
6.2
Slavers
as Steven Hamilton
1978
3.0
The Love Boat
as Jim
1977
6.3
The Love Boat
as Ted Cole
1977
6.3
The Love Boat
as Steve Swaggart / Darryl Brewster
1977
6.3
Mitgift
as Kurt
1976
3.8
Wonder Woman
as Bill Michaels
1975
7.0
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze
as Clark 'Doc' Savage Jr.
1975
5.0
Alleluja & Sartana Are Sons... Sons of God
as Hallelujah
1972
1.5
Cry of the Black Wolves
as Bill Robinson
1972
4.9
Tarzan and the Perils of Charity Jones
as Tarzan
1971
0.0
Tarzan's Deadly Silence
as Tarzan
1970
4.0
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
as Ronald
1969
6.0
Tarzan and the Four O'Clock Army
as Tarzan
1968
0.0
The Mountains of the Moon
as Tarzan
1967
0.0
Tarzan's Jungle Rebellion
as Tarzan
1967
5.0
Ironside
as Scott Bradley
1967
6.8
Once Before I Die
as Soldier
1966
2.5
Tarzan
as Tarzan
1966
6.7
The Night of the Grizzly
as Ted Curry
1966
5.8
Die Rudi Carrell Show
1965
7.5
The Aquanauts
as Mike Madison
1960
5.5
Thriller
as Lt. Mike Hudson
1960
6.6
Stars in the Ring
as Self
1959
5.3
The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
as Wilbur Fielding
1959
6.0
Steve Canyon
as Pete Randall
1958
7.5
The Fiend Who Walked the West
as Deputy Jim Dyer
1958
6.0
South Pacific
as Navigator
1958
6.1
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp
1955
6.8
The Millionaire
as Jim Phillips
1955
5.0