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, C…
Movies & TV Shows
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Paths of Glory (1957) — Cpl. Philippe Paris
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The Dirty Dozen (1967) — Captain Stuart Kinder
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Kiss Me Deadly (1955) — Mike Hammer
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The Naked Spur (1953) — Roy Anderson
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Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) — Carl Spann
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The Anderson Tapes (1971) — Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
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The Outer Limits (1963) — John Dexter
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CHiPs (1977)
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Without Warning (1980) — Dave
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The Night Stalker (1972) — Bernie Jenks
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The Food of the Gods (1976) — Bensington
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Brannigan (1975) — Capt. Moretti
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The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) — George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
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The Green Hornet (1966) — Earl Evans
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The Detective (1968) — Curran
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Ironside (1967)
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Winter Kills (1979) — Gameboy Baker
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Run of the Arrow (1957) — Lieutenant Driscoll
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I Walk the Line (1970) — Carl McCain
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Jeopardy (1953) — Lawson the Fugitive
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Cannon (1971)
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Something Wild (1961) — Mike
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Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958) — Martin Ash
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Police Woman (1974)
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The High Chaparral (1967) — Tracy Conlin
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Big House, U.S.A (1955) — Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka Iceman
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The F.B.I. (1965) — King Hogan
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Tarzan (1966)
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The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) — Self
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The Rookies (1972)
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The Alpha Incident (1978) — Charlie
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Route 66 (1960)
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Room 222 (1969)
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Police Story (1973)
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Ada (1961) — Colonel Yancey
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The Mind Snatchers (1972) — The Major
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A Woman's Devotion (1956) — Trevor Stevenson
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Glory Alley (1952) — Socks Barbarrosa
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Studio One (1948) — Steve Windom
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The Name of the Game (1968) — Senator Goddard