Ronald Pierce Ron Ely (born June 2, 1938) is 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 won the role of Tarzan in 1966 after playing various bit-parts, including an airplane navigator in the 1958 film South Pacific and a guest-starring role on Barbara Edens first television series, the romantic comedy How to Marry a Millionaire. Elys 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 Anthony 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, as well as the 1980 and 1981 Miss America Pageants, replacing longtime host Bert Parks. Later in the decade, Ely starred in a 1987-88 revival of the 1960s adventure series Sea Hunt as Mike Nelson, the role played by Lloyd Bridges in the original series. In the 1990s, Ely’s roles included a retired Superman from an alternate reality 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). Until about 2001, Ely made appearances on popular TV shows, his most recent being Sheena and Renegade. He is now retired from acting.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 10:46:48 +0000
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