Ralph Meeker

Acting • Born 1920-11-21 – Died 1988-08-05

Acting1Minneapolis, 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.

Filmography

100 credits

Paths of Glory

Movie • 1957

Cpl. Philippe Paris

The Dirty Dozen

Movie • 1967

Captain Stuart Kinder

The Naked Spur

Movie • 1953

Roy Anderson

The Anderson Tapes

Movie • 1971

Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney

Run of the Arrow

Movie • 1957

Lieutenant Driscoll

A Woman's Devotion

Movie • 1956

Trevor Stevenson

The Alpha Incident

Movie • 1978

Charlie

Jeopardy

Movie • 1953

Lawson the Fugitive

Winter Kills

Movie • 1979

Gameboy Baker

The Food of the Gods

Movie • 1976

Bensington

The Dead Don't Die

Movie • 1975

Lieutenant Reardon

The Detective

Movie • 1968

Curran

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Movie • 1967

George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran

The Night Stalker

Movie • 1972

Bernie Jenks

Big House, U.S.A

Movie • 1955

Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman

Without Warning

Movie • 1980

Dave

Code Two

Movie • 1953

Chuck O'Flair

Kiss Me Deadly

Movie • 1955

Mike Hammer

Johnny Firecloud

Movie • 1975

Colby

Los Angeles Plays Itself

Movie • 2004

Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (archive footage)

Something Wild

Movie • 1961

Mike

I Walk the Line

Movie • 1970

Carl McCain

The Girl on the Late, Late Show

Movie • 1974

Inspector DeBiesse

Birds of Prey

Movie • 1973

Jim McAndrew

The Mind Snatchers

Movie • 1972

The Major

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown

Movie • 1957

Mike Valla

Ada

Movie • 1961

Colonel Yancey

Shadow in the Sky

Movie • 1952

Burt

The Devil's Eight

Movie • 1969

Burl

Desert Sands

Movie • 1955

Capt. David Malcolm

Somebody Loves Me

Movie • 1952

Benny Fields

My Boys Are Good Boys

Movie • 1978

Bert Morton

Teresa

Movie • 1951

Sgt. Dobbs

Glory Alley

Movie • 1952

Socks Barbarrosa

You'll Never See Me Again

Movie • 1973

Will Alden

Lost Flight

Movie • 1970

Glenn Walkup

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

Movie • 2002

Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)

Gentle Giant

Movie • 1967

Fog Hanson

The Reluctant Heroes

Movie • 1971

Capt. Luke Danvers

Hi-Riders

Movie • 1978

Mike

Wall of Noise

Movie • 1963

Matt Rubio

Brannigan

Movie • 1975

Capt. Moretti

Four in a Jeep

Movie • 1951

Sergeant William Long

A Holster Full Of Law

Movie • 1961

Frank Clell

Cry Panic

Movie • 1974

Chuck Braswell

Angela - Love Comes Quietly

Movie • 1973

Ben Hoeksema

Night Games

Movie • 1974

Dutch Armbreck

Four Women in Black

Movie • 1957

Carbine Webb

CHiPs

TV • 1977

The Rookies

TV • 1972

Kraft Suspense Theatre

TV • 1963

Harly Clay

The F.B.I.

TV • 1965

King Hogan

Route 66

TV • 1960

Kaz

TV • 1978

Room 222

TV • 1969

Studio One

TV • 1948

Steve Windom

The Evil Touch

TV • 1973

Cannon

TV • 1971

Run, Joe, Run

TV • 1974

Hallmark Hall of Fame

TV • 1951

Wally Walters

Ironside

TV • 1967

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

TV • 1955

Carl Spann

Going My Way

TV • 1962

Harry O

TV • 1974

Police Woman

TV • 1974

Police Story

TV • 1973

The High Chaparral

TV • 1967

Tracy Conlin

Lux Video Theatre

TV • 1950

Nicky Hanks

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

TV • 1951

Rich Adams

Climax!

TV • 1954

Alex Hill

The 20th Century Fox Hour

TV • 1955

Tarzan

TV • 1966

Wanted: Dead or Alive

TV • 1958

Martin Ash

Barbary Coast

TV • 1975

Big Lou Hobart

Toma

TV • 1973

The Texan

TV • 1958

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

TV • 1956

Steve Elkins

Custer

TV • 1967

The Defenders

TV • 1961

Floyd Cooper

The Outer Limits

TV • 1963

John Dexter

Letter to Loretta

TV • 1953

Joe Martin

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

TV • 1978

Tallahassee 7000

TV • 1961

Not for Hire

TV • 1959

The Green Hornet

TV • 1966

Earl Evans