Ralph Meeker
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.
Acting
Movie
Paths of Glory
as Cpl. Philippe Paris
1957
Movie
The Dirty Dozen
as Captain Stuart Kinder
1967
Movie
Kiss Me Deadly
as Mike Hammer
1955
Movie
The Naked Spur
as Roy Anderson
1953
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as Carl Spann
1955
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as Carl Borden
1955
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as Mel Reeves
1955
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as John Forbes
1955
Movie
The Anderson Tapes
as Police Captain 'Iron Balls' Delaney
1971
TV
The Outer Limits
as John Dexter
1963
TV
CHiPs
1977
Movie
Without Warning
as Dave
1980
Movie
The Night Stalker
as Bernie Jenks
1972
Movie
The Food of the Gods
as Bensington
1976
Movie
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
as George Clarence 'Bugs' Moran
1967
Movie
Brannigan
as Capt. Moretti
1975
TV
The Green Hornet
as Earl Evans
1966
Movie
The Detective
as Curran
1968
TV
Ironside
1967
Movie
Winter Kills
as Gameboy Baker
1979
Movie
Run of the Arrow
as Lieutenant Driscoll
1957
Movie
I Walk the Line
as Carl McCain
1970
Movie
Jeopardy
as Lawson the Fugitive
1953
TV
Cannon
1971
