Ralph Meeker
Acting
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.
TV Shows(41)
Kaz
1978
The Eddie Capra Mysteries
1978
CHiPs
1977
Barbary Coast
Big Lou Hobart
1975
Police Woman
1974
Harry O
1974
Run, Joe, Run
1974
Toma
1973
Faraday and Company
Ed Kelso
1973
The Evil Touch
1973
Police Story
1973
The Rookies
1972
Primus
1971
Cannon
1971
Room 222
1969
The Name of the Game
Senator Goddard
1968
The High Chaparral
Tracy Conlin
1967
Custer
1967
Ironside
1967
The Green Hornet
Earl Evans
1966
Tarzan
1966
The F.B.I.
King Hogan
1965
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Harly Clay
1963
The Outer Limits
John Dexter
1963
Going My Way
1962
The Defenders
Floyd Cooper
1961
Tallahassee 7000
1961
Route 66
1960
Not for Hire
1959
The Texan
1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Martin Ash
1958
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Steve Elkins
1956
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Carl Spann
1955
Climax!
Alex Hill
1954
Letter to Loretta
Joe Martin
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Wally Walters
1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Rich Adams
1951
Lux Video Theatre
Nicky Hanks
1950
Studio One
Steve Windom
1948
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Movies(48)
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (archive footage)
2004
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)
2002
Without Warning
Dave
1980
Winter Kills
Gameboy Baker
1979
The Alpha Incident
Charlie
1978
Hi-Riders
Mike
1978
My Boys Are Good Boys
Bert Morton
1978
The Food of the Gods
Bensington
1976
Johnny Firecloud
Colby
1975
Brannigan
Capt. Moretti
1975
The Dead Don't Die
Lieutenant Reardon
1975
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
Inspector DeBiesse
1974
Night Games
Dutch Armbreck
1974
Cry Panic
Chuck Braswell
1974
Angela - Love Comes Quietly
Ben Hoeksema
1973
You'll Never See Me Again
Will Alden
1973
Birds of Prey
Jim McAndrew
1973
The Mind Snatchers
The Major
1972
The Night Stalker
Bernie Jenks
1972
The Reluctant Heroes
Capt. Luke Danvers
1971
The Anderson Tapes
Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
1971
I Walk the Line
Carl McCain
1970
Lost Flight
Glenn Walkup
1970
The Devil's Eight
Burl
1969
The Detective
Curran
1968
Gentle Giant
Fog Hanson
1967
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
1967
The Dirty Dozen
Captain Stuart Kinder
1967
Wall of Noise
Matt Rubio
1963
Something Wild
Mike
1961
A Holster Full Of Law
Frank Clell
1961
Ada
Colonel Yancey
1961
Paths of Glory
Cpl. Philippe Paris
1957
Run of the Arrow
Lieutenant Driscoll
1957
The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
Mike Valla
1957
Four Women in Black
Carbine Webb
1957
A Woman's Devotion
Trevor Stevenson
1956
Desert Sands
Capt. David Malcolm
1955
Kiss Me Deadly
Mike Hammer
1955
Big House, U.S.A
Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman
1955
Code Two
Chuck O'Flair
1953
Jeopardy
Lawson the Fugitive
1953
The Naked Spur
Roy Anderson
1953
Somebody Loves Me
Benny Fields
1952
Shadow in the Sky
Burt
1952
Glory Alley
Socks Barbarrosa
1952
Teresa
Sgt. Dobbs
1951
Four in a Jeep
Sergeant William Long
1951