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.
Media of
Ralph Meeker
Photos (21)
Filmography of
Ralph Meeker
Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (archive footage)
... 2004
Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)
... 2002
Dave
... 1980
Gameboy Baker
... 1979
Charlie
... 1978
Mike
... 1978
Bert Morton
... 1978
Bensington
... 1976
Colby
... 1975
Capt. Moretti
... 1975
Lieutenant Reardon
... 1975
Inspector DeBiesse
... 1974
Dutch Armbreck
... 1974
Chuck Braswell
... 1974
Ben Hoeksema
... 1973
Will Alden
... 1973
Jim McAndrew
... 1973
The Major
... 1972
Bernie Jenks
... 1972
Capt. Luke Danvers
... 1971
Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
... 1971
Carl McCain
... 1970
Glenn Walkup
... 1970
Burl
... 1969
Curran
... 1968
Fog Hanson
... 1967
George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
... 1967
Captain Stuart Kinder
... 1967
Matt Rubio
... 1963
Mike
... 1961
Frank Clell
... 1961
Colonel Yancey
... 1961
Cpl. Philippe Paris
... 1957
Lieutenant Driscoll
... 1957
Mike Valla
... 1957
Carbine Webb
... 1957
Trevor Stevenson
... 1956
Capt. David Malcolm
... 1955
Mike Hammer
... 1955
Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman
... 1955
Chuck O'Flair
... 1953
Lawson the Fugitive
... 1953
Roy Anderson
... 1953
Benny Fields
... 1952
Burt
... 1952
Socks Barbarrosa
... 1952
Sgt. Dobbs
... 1951
Sergeant William Long
... 1951