
Ralph Meeker
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, California.
Acting (48 movies)

Paths of Glory
1957

The Dirty Dozen
1967

The Naked Spur
1953

The Anderson Tapes
1971

Run of the Arrow
1957

A Woman's Devotion
1956

The Alpha Incident
1978

Jeopardy
1953

Winter Kills
1979

The Food of the Gods
1976

The Dead Don't Die
1975

The Detective
1968

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
1967

The Night Stalker
1972

Big House, U.S.A
1955

Without Warning
1980

Code Two
1953

Kiss Me Deadly
1955

Johnny Firecloud
1975

Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004

Something Wild
1961

I Walk the Line
1970

The Girl on the Late, Late Show
1974

Birds of Prey
1973

The Mind Snatchers
1972

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
1957

Ada
1961

Shadow in the Sky
1952

The Devil's Eight
1969

Desert Sands
1955

Somebody Loves Me
1952

My Boys Are Good Boys
1978

Teresa
1951

Glory Alley
1952

You'll Never See Me Again
1973

Lost Flight
1970

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
2002

Gentle Giant
1967

The Reluctant Heroes
1971

Hi-Riders
1978

Wall of Noise
1963

Brannigan
1975

Four in a Jeep
1951

A Holster Full Of Law
1961

Cry Panic
1974

Angela - Love Comes Quietly
1973

Night Games
1974

Four Women in Black
1957
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| My Boys Are Good Boys | 1978 | Executive Producer |