Ronald Pierce Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist, best known for portraying Tarzan in the 1966–1968 NBC series Tarzan and playing the lead role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). He hosted the Miss America pageant telecast in 1980 and 1981.
Career
Ely won the role of Tarzan in 1966 after playing supporting roles in films such as South Pacific (1958), as an airplane navigator, The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959).
During the filming of Tarzan, Ely did almost all of his own stunts, and received over two dozen injuries, including two broken shoulders and several lion bites.
During the first week of July 1969, Ely, who had recently wrapped up his work as television's Tarzan (1966 TV series), starred in a production of "The Teahouse of the August Moon" at the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan, Illinois. He was also hired to serve as grand marshal for the Fourth of July parade in nearby Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; during the parade, spotting a nine-year-old boy on crutches on the sidewalk, Ely swiftly alighted from his convertible to chat with the boy, Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir, who grew up to be a medical doctor and surgeon, jungle explorer and benefactor of The National Geographic Society.
Ely's height (6'4") and athletic build also won him the title role in the film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975), as well as various guest shots. He was in five episodes of the series Fantasy Island; in one, in 1978, he portrayed Mark Antony in a Roman military short tunic and breastplate and starred in the Wonder Woman two-part episode, "The Deadly Sting".
Ely starred on the series The Aquanauts in 1960–1961, in the western adventure film The Night of the Grizzly (1966) opposite Clint Walker, and later appeared in Jürgen Goslar's slavery movie Slavers (1978). In the 1980s, he hosted the musical game show Face the Music, as well as the 1980 and 1981 Miss America Pageants, replacing longtime host Bert Parks. He starred in a 1987–1988 revival of the 1960s adventure series Sea Hunt as Mike Nelson, the role played by Lloyd Bridges in the original series.
In the 1990s, Ely's roles included a retired alternate universe variant of Superman in the Superboy episode "The Road to Hell", and hunter Gordon Shaw in the Tarzán episode "Tarzan the Hunted". Until about 2001, he appeared on such shows as Sheena and Renegade. He wrote two mystery novels featuring private investigator Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995).
Ely retired from acting in 2001, returning with an appearance in the television film Expecting Amish (2014).
Personal life and death Ely was born in Hereford, Texas on June 21, 1938, and raised in Amarillo. He married his high school sweetheart, Helen Janet Triplet, in 1959. Both natives of Hereford, Texas, they divorced in July 1961.
In 1984, Ely married Valerie Lundeen, who won the Miss Florida USA title in 1981, and they had three children.
Murder of wife and death of son On October 15, 2019, Ely's son Cameron, 30 years old, stabbed Valerie Ely to death at the family's home in Hope Ranch, California, a coastal residential community in Santa Barbara. Police officers were called to the scene for a "family disturbance" and killed Cameron Ely, claiming he posed a threat to officers.
The Santa Barbara district attorney ruled the police shooting a justifiable homicide. No charges were filed, and an attorney representing Ely disputed the police account of Cameron's death. An autopsy found Cameron was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy before he died.
Death
Ely died at the home of one of his daughters in Los Alamos, California, on September 29, 2024, at age 86. His death was not announced until October 23, 2024.
Filmography
Source:
Film Year Title Role Notes 1958 South Pacific Navigator 1958 The Fiend Who Walked the West Deputy Jim Dyer 1959 The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker Wilbur Fielding 1966 The Night of the Grizzly Tad Curry 1966 Once Before I Die Soldier 1972 Der Schrei der schwarzen Wölfe Bill Robinson 1972 Alleluja & Sartana are Sons... Sons of God Hallelujah 1975 Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze Clark Savage Jr. aka Doc 1976 MitGift Dr. Kurt Jahn 1978 Slavers Steven Hamilton 1981 The Seal 2014 Expecting Amish Elder Miller
Television Year Title Role Notes 1959 Father Knows Best Jerry Preston Episode: "Crisis Over a Kiss" 1959 Steve Canyon Pete Randall Episode: "The Sergeant" 1959 Playhouse 90 Buddy Episode: "The Second Happiest Day" 1959 How to Marry a Millionaire Philip Jackson Episode: "The Method" 1959 The Millionaire Jim Phillips Episode: "Millionaire Sergeant Matthew Brogan" 1959 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis Dobie's Older Brother Episode: "Pilot" 1960 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Arleigh Smith Episode: "The Posse" 1961 The Aquanauts Mike Madison 18 episodes 1962 Thriller Lt. Mike Hudson Episode: "Waxworks" 1966–1968 Tarzan Tarzan 57 episodes 1969 The Courtship of Eddie's Father Ronald Episode: "Pain" 1971 Ironside Scott Bradley Episode: "A Killing at the Track" 1974 Marcus Welby, M.D. Ben Brecht Episode: "To Father a Child" 1978 Wonder Woman Bill Michaels Episode: "The Deadly Sting" 1979–1984 Fantasy Island Fred Spenser / Burt Hunter / Kevin Lansing Eric Williams / Marc Anthony / Baron Manfred von Richthofen 5 episodes 1980–1981 Face The Music Host Main role 1980–1981 The Love Boat Ted Cole / Jim / Steve Swaggart / Darryl Brewster 3 episodes 1983 Matt Houston Winston Fowler Episode: "A Deadly Parlay" 1983 Hotel Evan Paige Episode: "Charades" 1987 Sea Hunt Mike Nelson 22 episodes 1991 Superboy Alternate Superman Episode: "The Road to Hell" 1992 Tarzán Gordon Shaw Episode: "Tarzan, the Hunted" 1992 The Hat Squad Carl Strong Episode: "Family Business" 1993 L.A. Law Episode: "Book of Renovation" 1993–1994 Renegade Gen. Howard Bird / Reverend McClain 2 episodes 1994 Hawkeye Harry March Episode: "Out of the Past" 2001 Sheena Bixby Episode: "The Feral King"
References
External links
Ron Ely at Brian's Drive-In Theater