Ralph Meeker
Meeker in a photo for the MGM filmCode Two (1953)
Born	Ralph Rathgeber (1920-11-21)November 21, 1920 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	August 5, 1988(1988-08-05) (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1945–1980
Spouses	Salome Jens ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1966)​ Millicent Meeker ​ ​ (before 1988)​

Ralph Meeker (bornRalph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 – August 5, 1988)^[1] was an American film, stage, and television actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions ofMister Roberts (1948–1951) andPicnic (1953),^[1] the former of which earned him aTheatre World Award for his performance. In film, Meeker is known for his portrayal ofMike Hammer inRobert Aldrich's 1955Kiss Me Deadly and as condemned infantryman Cpl. Philippe Paris in Stanley Kubrick’sPaths of Glory.

Meeker went on to play a series of roles that used his husky andmacho screen presence, including a lead role inStanley Kubrick's military courtroom dramaPaths of Glory (1957), as a troubled mechanic oppositeCarroll Baker inSomething Wild (1961), as a World War II captain inThe Dirty Dozen (1967), and in the gangster filmThe St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). Other credits include supporting roles inI Walk the Line (1970) andSidney Lumet'sThe Anderson Tapes (1971).

He also had a prolific career in television, appearing as Sergeant Steve Dekker on the seriesNot for Hire (1959–1960), and in the television horror filmThe 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.

Meeker was born Ralph Rathgeber in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 21, 1920,^[1][2] the son of Ralph and Magnhild Senovia Haavig Meeker Rathgeber. He spent his early life in Michigan and Chicago.^[3] Meeker attendedthe Leelanau School in Glen Arbor Township, Michigan, and later was made a member of its hall of fame. He graduated fromNorthwestern University in 1942, where he majored in music.^[1]

Meeker served in the United States Navy duringWorld War II, but was discharged after a few months with a neck injury.^[3]

Meeker began his career on stage, appearing in minor roles in the Broadway production ofStrange Fruit (1946) directed byJosé Ferrer, which ran for 60 performances.^{[citation needed]}

He followed it with a minor part inCyrano de Bergerac (1946), starring Ferrer and directed byMel Ferrer which went for 163 performances.^[4]

Meeker then starred on Broadway inMister Roberts (1948–1951), directed byJoshua Logan and produced byLeland Hayward. Theatre World said he was one of the 12 most promising actors from the 1947–48 season.^[5][2][6] He was understudy forHenry Fonda.^{[citation needed]}

Meeker's big breakthrough came when he took over the role ofStanley Kowalski fromMarlon Brando in the second year of the original Broadway production ofA Streetcar Named Desire, directed byElia Kazan. Logan and Hayward had Meeker under personal contract but agreed to release him fromMister Roberts. He started appearing in June 1949.^[7] He played the role until the Broadway run ended in December and then toured on the road with it.^{[citation needed]}

Meeker made his film debut in the Swiss-madeFour in a Jeep (1951), directed byLeopold Lindtberg. He played a starring role alongsideViveca Lindfors.^[8]

Meeker was then signed to a term contract byMGM. which put him inTeresa (1951), directed byFred Zinnemann. Meeker played a support role, a sergeant, and the film was very popular.^[9]

MGM then cast him in the leading role inShadow in the Sky (1952), alongsideNancy Davis, later Nancy Reagan. The studio then tried him inGlory Alley (1952), billed aboveLeslie Caron and directed byRaoul Walsh. Both films flopped.^[9]

Paramount borrowed him to playBetty Hutton's leading man inSomebody Loves Me (1952), a musical. It was a minor hit.

Meeker's next two MGM films were very popular. He had a supporting role as a misfit ex-cavalryman in the classic WesternThe Naked Spur (1953) directed byAnthony Mann starring James Stewart. He was then inJeopardy (1953), a well-received thriller withBarbara Stanwyck and Barry Sullivan. His final film for MGM was the crime movieCode Two (1953), which made a small loss.^[2][10]

Meeker also appeared on TV shows likeThe Revlon Mirror Theater andLux Video Theatre.

In 1954, Meeker was cast in a Broadway production ofWilliam Inge'sPicnic, directed by Logan and also starringPaul Newman andJanice Rule. The play was a critical and commercial success, running for 477 performances.^[11] Meeker was awarded the New York Critic's Circle Award in 1954.^{[citation needed]}

Picnic became a classic film in 1955, withWilliam Holden andKim Novak starring in the roles originated by Meeker andJanice Rule. According toTurner Classic Movies, Meeker turned down the lead role because he did not wish to sign a long-term contract with the production company, and he never was offered a role of similar stature again.^[3]

Meeker returned to films playing a cold-blooded convict inBig House, U.S.A. (1955).

In perhaps his most-remembered role, Meeker starred as private detectiveMike Hammer in the 1955Robert Aldrich film ofMickey Spillane'sKiss Me Deadly. Many years later, this film acquired cult status and was seen as an influence onFrench New Wave directors such asJean-Luc Godard.^[12]

He then played a member of the French Foreign Legion inDesert Sands (1955). He was discussed to star in a Spillane sequelMy Gun Is Quick.^[13]

On television, Meeker starred in the 1955 premiere episode, "Revenge", ofAlfred Hitchcock Presents, along withVera Miles. (He later appeared in three otherAlfred Hitchcock segments.) He also guest-starred on shows likeStudio One in Hollywood,Star Stage,The Alcoa Hour,Goodyear Playhouse,Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre,Studio 57,Zane Grey Theater,Playhouse 90, andThe 20th Century Fox Hour.

In 1957, he portrayed an ex-convict who kidnaps and then falls forJane Russell in the romantic comedyThe Fuzzy Pink Nightgown,^[14] which failed at the box office.^{[citation needed]}

More popular was theSam Fuller WesternRun of the Arrow (1957), with Meeker in a supporting role.^{[citation needed]}

He produced the filmKindergarten in Germany.^[15]

That same year, he appeared inStanley Kubrick'sPaths of Glory, playing a soldier, Corporal Paris, accused of cowardice during battle in World War I.

Meeker returned to Broadway in 1958 to appear inCloud 7 but it only ran 11 performances.

He continued to work heavily in TV on such shows asClimax!,Wagon Train,Kraft Theatre,Pursuit,Wanted: Dead or Alive,Schlitz Playhouse,The Loretta Young Show andAlfred Hitchcock Presents. Meeker was cast withDorothy Provine in the 1959 episode "Blood Money" of the Western seriesThe Texan, starringRory Calhoun.^{[citation needed]} He had the title role in the TV movieDillinger (1960).^[16]

From 1959 to 1960, Meeker had the leading role as Army Sergeant Steve Dekker in the 39-episode television seriesNot for Hire.^[17]

For Disney TV, he didTexas John Slaughter: Frank Clell's in Town (1961) withTom Tryon. He also was seen inTallahassee 7000.

In 1961, he starred in the political storyAda withDean Martin, and inJack Garfein's experimental dramaSomething Wild, in which he portrayed a mechanic who saves a young woman (Carroll Baker) from committing suicide, but then holds her captive in his apartment.^[18]

Meeker went back to Broadway to replaceEli Wallach in the production ofRhinoceros starringZero Mostel. He was then inSomething About a Soldier (1962) withSal Mineo directed byDore Schary; it ran 12 performances.^[19]

In 1962, Meeker portrayed Jack Slade in the episode "The Crooked Angel" of the drama seriesGoing My Way, starringGene Kelly as a Catholic priest in New York City and loosely based on1944 film of the same name. He was also cast in 1962 as Barney Swanton in the episode "Walk Like a King" of the Western seriesEmpire, starringRichard Egan. He was also in episodes ofThe United States Steel Hour, andRoute 66.^[20]

In 1963, he appeared as Murray Knopf in "The Bull Roarer" onBreaking Point, starringPaul Richards andEduard Franz.

During theCold War, he appeared in a 1963U.S. Department of Defense informational filmTown of the Times, which encouraged the construction of publicfallout shelters.^[21] He was in the feature filmWall of Noise (1963) at Warners.

Meeker guest-starred as Frank Marin in the 1964 episode "Swing for the Moon" ofChanning, co-starringJason Evers andHenry Jones. He was also inThe Outer Limits,The Defenders,Suspense,The Doctors and the Nurses, andKraft Suspense Theatre.

He returned to Broadway in 1964 forAfter the Fall byArthur Miller, directed by Kazan and starringJason Robards Jr. andBarbara Loden. It ran for 208 performances. The play was done in repertory withBut For Whom Charlie, also directed by Kazan with Meeker (andFaye Dunaway), but it was not as successful.^{[citation needed]}

In 1965 Meeker was inMrs. Dally Had a Lover on Broadway, which ran 53 performances.^[22] He guest-starred onThe Long, Hot Summer,Seaway,The Green Hornet, andTarzan.

Meeker later appeared in the 1967 crime dramaThe St. Valentine's Day Massacre, in which he played gangsterGeorge "Bugs" Moran.

Meeker was also in the 1967 war filmThe Dirty Dozen as Captain Stuart Kinder, a military psychologist who attempts to analyze the men. Meeker portrayed police officers inThe Detective (1969) withFrank Sinatra andThe Anderson Tapes (1970) withSean Connery.

Meeker also starred inGentle Giant (1967),A Punt, a Pass, and a Prayer (1968), andThe Devil's 8 (1968) and guest starred onDundee and the Culhane,The High Chaparral, andThe Name of the Game.

Meeker worked steadily through the 1970s. He was in the TV filmLost Flight (1970), the featureI Walk the Line (1970), and episodes ofThe Virginian andThe F.B.I., as well as the TV movieThe Reluctant Heroes of Hill 656 (1971).^[23]

In 1971, he appeared on television as Kermit Teller in the episode "Glory Rider" of the WesternCuster, withWayne Maunder in the title role.

That year, he was a replacement cast member in a stage production ofThe House of Blue Leaves.

Meeker was in episodes ofPrimus,Room 222,Faraday & Company,Ironside,Toma,The Evil Touch,Police Surgeon,Cannon,The Rookies,Movin' On,Barbary Coast,Police Story,Run, Joe, Run,Harry O,Police Woman,The Eddie Capra Mysteries, andCHiPs.

In 1971, Meeker played FBI agent Bernie Jenks in the TV movieThe Night Stalker. He was in TV moviesThe Mind Snatchers (1972),Birds of Prey (1973),You'll Never See Me Again (1973),Cry Panic (1974),Night Games (1974),The Girl on the Late, Late Show (1974), andThe Dead Don't Die (1975).

He madeLove Comes Quietly (1973) in Holland and worked in the John Wayne filmBrannigan (1974). He was second-billed inJohnny Firecloud (1975) and had a part inThe Food of the Gods (1976).

He was also inHi-Riders (1978) and starred inThe Alpha Incident (1978).

Meeker was an executive producer onMy Boys Are Good Boys (1978), which he also appeared in. He had a role inWinter Kills (1979).^[24]

Meeker's final screen role was in the independent science-fiction-horror filmWithout Warning (1980), about an alien landing.^[25] The film received negative reviews from critics, with Tom Buckley ofThe New York Times calling the film "illogical and predictable."^[26]

Meeker married actressSalome Jens on July 20, 1964, and they were divorced in 1966.^[27] He also married Millicent Meeker.^[3]

In 1980, he suffered a severe stroke, which forced him to retire from acting. His health steadily declined, punctuated by several more strokes. He spent the last year of his life in theMotion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Los Angeles, and died there, age 67, of a heart attack.^[28]

• Hoberman, J. (2007). "Review ofKiss Me Deadly". In Lim, Dennis (ed.).The Village Voice Film Guide – 50 Years of Movies from Classics to Cult Hits. New York City: John Wiley & Sons.ISBN 978-0-471-78781-5.
• Maltin, Leonard (1994).Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide: 1990 Edition. Plume.ISBN 978-0-452-26316-1.
• Keaney, Michael F. (2010).Film Noir Guide: 745 Films of the Classic Era, 1940–1959. McFarland.ISBN 978-0-786-46366-4.
• Monush, Barry (2003).Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the Silent Era to 1965. Vol. 1. Applause.ISBN 978-1-557-83551-2.
• Muir, Kenneth (2012).Horror Films of the 1980s. Vol. 1. McFarland.ISBN 978-0-786-47298-7.

• Ralph Meeker at theAmerican Film Institute Catalog
• Ralph Meeker at theBritish Film Institute^{[better source needed]} at theBritish Film Institute
• Ralph Meeker atFind a Grave
• Ralph Meeker at theInternet Broadway Database
• Ralph Meeker atIMDb
• Ralph Meeker at theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Ralph Meeker at theTCM Movie Database
• Ralph Meeker papers, donated by Meeker in 1983 to theMargaret Herrick Library
• Town of the Times, 1963United States Department of Defense informational film atInternet Archive starring Ralph Meeker

• 1920 births
• 1988 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• Male actors from Los Angeles
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• United States Navy personnel of World War II
• Film producers from California
• Male actors from Minneapolis
• Military personnel from Minneapolis
• Northwestern University alumni
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• Film producers from New York (state)
• Film producers from Minnesota
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from October 2012
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from August 2024
• Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021
• Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata
• All articles lacking reliable references
• Articles lacking reliable references from October 2023
• IBDB name template using Wikidata
• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• TCMDb name template using non-numeric ID from Wikidata