Actor
Ralph Meeker
Born 21 November 1920 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA — died 5 August 1988
Ralph Meeker (1920–1988) was an American actor who moved from Broadway stardom to tough-guy film roles. He is best remembered as a brutal Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly, a landmark of film noir, and for supporting turns in Paths of Glory and The Dirty Dozen.
Key films
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
His brutish Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's film noir became his signature role.
Paths of Glory (1957)
Featured in Stanley Kubrick's anti-war courtroom drama, one of the most acclaimed films of his career.
The Naked Spur (1953)
Early prominent screen role in Anthony Mann's celebrated psychological Western.
Something Wild (1961)
Played a troubled mechanic opposite Carroll Baker in this drama.
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Appeared as a World War II captain in this hit ensemble war film.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here for his film work; his Broadway performance in Mister Roberts earned a Theatre World Award.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 47
- 1951Teresa · as Sgt. DobbsActor
- 1951Four in a Jeep · as Sergeant William LongActor
- 1952Glory Alley · as Socks BarbarrosaActor
- 1952Shadow in the Sky · as BurtActor
- 1952Somebody Loves Me · as Benny FieldsActor
- 1953The Naked Spur · as Roy AndersonActor
- 1953Jeopardy · as Lawson the FugitiveActor
- 1953Code Two · as Chuck O'FlairActor
- 1955Kiss Me Deadly · as Mike HammerActor
- 1955Big House, U.S.A · as Geraldo 'Jerry' Barker aka IcemanActor
- 1955Desert Sands · as Capt. David MalcolmActor
- 1956A Woman's Devotion · as Trevor StevensonActor
- 1957Paths of Glory · as Cpl. Philippe ParisActor
- 1957Run of the Arrow · as Lieutenant DriscollActor
- 1957The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown · as Mike VallaActor
- 1957Four Women in Black · as Carbine WebbActor
- 1961Something Wild · as MikeActor
- 1961Ada · as Colonel YanceyActor
- 1961A Holster Full Of Law · as Frank ClellActor
- 1963Wall of Noise · as Matt RubioActor
- 1967The Dirty Dozen · as Captain Stuart KinderActor
- 1967The St. Valentine's Day Massacre · as George Clarence 'Bugs' MoranActor
- 1967Gentle Giant · as Fog HansonActor
- 1968The Detective · as CurranActor
- 1969The Devil's Eight · as BurlActor
- 1970I Walk the Line · as Carl McCainActor
- 1970Lost Flight · as Glenn WalkupActor
- 1971The Anderson Tapes · as Police Captain 'Iron Balls' DelaneyActor
- 1971The Reluctant Heroes · as Capt. Luke DanversActor
- 1972The Night Stalker · as Bernie JenksActor
- 1972The Mind Snatchers · as The MajorActor
- 1973Birds of Prey · as Jim McAndrewActor
- 1973Angela – Love Comes Quietly · as Ben HoeksemaActor
- 1973You'll Never See Me Again · as Will AldenActor
- 1974Cry Panic · as Chuck BraswellActor
- 1974The Girl on the Late, Late Show · as Inspector DeBiesseActor
- 1974Night Games · as Dutch ArmbreckActor
- 1975Brannigan · as Capt. MorettiActor
- 1975The Dead Don't Die · as Lieutenant ReardonActor
- 1975Johnny Firecloud · as ColbyActor
- 1976The Food of the Gods · as BensingtonActor
- 1978The Alpha Incident · as CharlieActor
- 1978Hi-Riders · as MikeActor
- 1978My Boys Are Good Boys · as Bert MortonActor
- 1979Winter Kills · as Gameboy BakerActor
- 1980Without Warning · as DaveActor
- 2002The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller · as Lt. Driscoll (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.