Ralph Meeker

Ralph Meeker

Acting
Born 1920-11-21 Died 1988-08-05 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 88 credits Theatre World Award 1

Awards

Won 1 Theatre World Award Award

Theatre World Award 1 won

  • 1948 Theatre World Award Won

Award data from Wikidata (CC0). Coverage may be incomplete.

Read 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.
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Filmography — top 60 of 88
Acting 39 credits
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956 · Steve Elkins
Climax!
Climax!
1954 · Alex Hill, 'Griff' Griffith
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958 · Martin Ash
The Defenders
The Defenders
1961 · Floyd Cooper
The F.B.I.
The F.B.I.
1965 · King Hogan, Scott Martin, Graham Newcomb
Studio One
Studio One
1948 · Steve Windom, Larry Sheridan
The High Chaparral
The High Chaparral
1967 · Tracy Conlin
The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits
1963 · ★ 7.8 · John Dexter
The Name of the Game
The Name of the Game
1968 · Senator Goddard
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948 · Self
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963 · Harly Clay
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955 · ★ 7.8 · Carl Spann, Carl Borden, John Forbes
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet
1966 · ★ 7.4 · Earl Evans
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
1967 · ★ 7.6 · Captain Stuart Kinder
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory
1957 · ★ 8.3 · Cpl. Philippe Paris
Lux Video Theatre
Lux Video Theatre
1950 · Nicky Hanks, Mike
Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
1975 · Big Lou Hobart
The Night Stalker
The Night Stalker
1972 · ★ 6.9 · Bernie Jenks
Not for Hire
Not for Hire
1959 · US Army Sergeant Steve Dekker
Letter to Loretta
Letter to Loretta
1953 · Joe Martin, Ed James, Pilot Duke Cavanaugh
Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly
1955 · ★ 7.2 · Mike Hammer
The Detective
The Detective
1968 · ★ 5.9 · Curran
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
1967 · ★ 6.3 · George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
Without Warning
Without Warning
1980 · ★ 5.2 · Dave
The Naked Spur
The Naked Spur
1953 · ★ 7.0 · Roy Anderson
The Anderson Tapes
The Anderson Tapes
1971 · ★ 6.1 · Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
Faraday and Company
Faraday and Company
1973 · Ed Kelso
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 · Wally Walters
Winter Kills
Winter Kills
1979 · ★ 5.7 · Gameboy Baker
The Food of the Gods
The Food of the Gods
1976 · ★ 5.0 · Bensington
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
1974 · Inspector DeBiesse
Brannigan
Brannigan
1975 · ★ 6.0 · Capt. Moretti
I Walk the Line
I Walk the Line
1970 · ★ 5.9 · Carl McCain
Hi-Riders
Hi-Riders
1978 · Mike
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · Rich Adams, Barry Brannon
Run of the Arrow
Run of the Arrow
1957 · ★ 6.1 · Lieutenant Driscoll
Jeopardy
Jeopardy
1953 · Lawson the Fugitive
The Devil's Eight
The Devil's Eight
1969 · Burl
Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey
1973 · Jim McAndrew
Other credits 21 credits
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