Ron Ely

Died at 87

born June 21, 1938

male17 suggestions0 votes

Ronald Pierce "Ron" Ely (June 21, 1938 – September 29, 2024) was an American actor and novelist born in Hereford, Texas. Ely is best known for having portrayed Tarzan in the 1966 NBC series Tarzan and for playing the lead role in the 1975 film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze. Ely obtained the role after playing various bit-parts, including an airplane navigator in the 1958 film South Pacific and a guest-starring role on Barbara Eden's first television series, the romantic comedy How to Marry a Millionaire. Ely's height (6' 4") and athletic build also won him the title role in the 1975 film Doc Savage, as well as various guest shots. In a 1978 Fantasy Island episode, for example, Ely portrayed Mark Antony in a Roman military short tunic and breastplate that displayed almost as much of his physique as his Tarzan costume had. From 1960-61, Ely starred in the series The Aquanauts. In the 1980s, Ely hosted the musical game show Face the Music. Additionally, Ely hosted the 1980 and 1981 Miss America Pageants, replacing longtime host Bert Parks. In the 1990s, Ely’s roles included a retired Superman in the 1991 two-part episode "The Road to Hell" of the Superboy syndicated television series, and a big game hunter named Gordon Shaw in the 1992 episode "Tarzan the Hunted" of the syndicated Tarzán TV series (starring Wolf Larson). In recent years Ely has embarked on a successful writing career and has penned two mystery novels featuring private eye Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995). Until about 2001, Ely made appearances on popular TV shows, his most recent being Sheena and Renegade. He is now retired from acting. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ron Ely, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

South Pacific

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

The Night of the Grizzly

Top Casting Suggestions

Ron Ely has been suggested to play 17 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.

Ron Ely

1980

Actors who could have played Conan the Barbarian from every decade

1980

Ron Ely

Thor

80's Thor Movie Trilogy

Thor

Ron Ely

Late 1930s

Face Claims Based on Early/Late Decade Births

Late 1930s

Ron Ely

Silent Generation

Generation Face Claims

Silent Generation

Ron Ely

John Clayton II/Tarzan

Most Accurate Castings of Characters

John Clayton II/Tarzan

Ron Ely

Superman

Best Actors For Every Comic Book Character

Superman

Ron Ely

Tarzan

Best portrayal of fictional characters

Tarzan

Ron Ely

Kal

The adventures of superboy “season 5”

Kal

Ron Ely

Preacher

Torchwood; miracle day (2023)

Preacher

Ron Ely

2024

Deceased Celebrities Face Claims Sorted by Year of Death

2024

Ron Ely

In Memorian

2024 Awards

In Memorian

Ron Ely

Superman #16

DC : MULTIVERSUS

Superman #16

Ron Ely

Tarzan

Actors Sorted By Public Domain Characters

Tarzan

Ron Ely

Tarzan/John Clayton/Viscount Greystoke

Multiple Actors Playing the Same Characters

Tarzan/John Clayton/Viscount Greystoke

Ron Ely

Superboy (1991)

Every actor that played Superman

Superboy (1991)

Ron Ely

Honorable mentions

Personal superman rankings (without ever having watched Smallville)

Honorable mentions

Ron Ely

Super-Soldier

Amalgamverse tv show

Super-Soldier

Ron Ely

Known for

Related Talent

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