As Actor
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
2002
5.8
Ralph Meeker
Acting
Born
November 21, 1920
Born In
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Died
August 5, 1988
About
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.
All Their Awesome Movies & Shows!
As Actor
Winter Kills
1979
5.9
As Actor
The Alpha Incident
1978
3.6
As Actor
The Food of the Gods
1976
5.0
As Actor
Brannigan
1975
6.0
As Actor
The Dead Don't Die
1975
5.9
As Actor
Night Games
1974
6.0
As Actor
Cry Panic
1974
6.8
As Actor
Birds of Prey
1973
5.0
As Actor
The Night Stalker
1972
6.9
As Actor
The Anderson Tapes
1971
6.2
As Actor
I Walk the Line
1970
5.8
As Actor
Lost Flight
1970
3.7
As Actor
The Detective
1968
6.0
As Actor
The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
1967
6.3
As Actor
The Dirty Dozen
1967
7.6
As Actor
Wall of Noise
1963
3.6
As Actor
Something Wild
1961
6.2
As Actor
Ada
1961
6.4
As Actor
Paths of Glory
1957
8.3