Ron Ely, the towering and muscular actor famed for portraying the titular character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has passed away at the age of 86.
Ely’s daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, shared with the press that her father died on September 29 in his residence located in Los Alamos, California, a community situated in Santa Barbara County.
Although Ely was not as widely recognized as Johnny Weismuller, the Olympic swimmer who famously played Tarzan in the films of the 1930s and 1940s, he contributed significantly to shaping the image of the iconic character, further solidifying it within popular culture, especially through Disney portrayals.
In 2019, Ely’s life took a tragic turn when he became embroiled in a heartbreaking incident that involved the murder of his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely. She was fatally stabbed by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, in their Santa Barbara home, an event that ended with police shooting Cameron.
Ron Ely was present during this tragic event and publicly disputed the prosecutor’s assessment regarding the justification of his son’s shooting.
His attorney, John Burris, raised critical questions in 2020, arguing that without a weapon, the reasons for the police’s actions lacked a lawful basis.
Ely first met Valerie, a Miss Florida, when he hosted the Miss America pageant in the early 1980s. The couple wed in 1984 and welcomed three children together. Subsequently, Ely chose to retire from acting in 2001 to devote more time to his family.
“Towards the later years of my life, I had a young family. I decided to stop acting, focusing on my writing at home to be present for my children during their school years and sporting events,” he reflected in a 2013 interview. He briefly returned to acting in the 2014 television film “Expecting Amish.”
Unlike the traditionally grunting depiction of Tarzan, Ely’s version of the character presented him as an educated man, disillusioned with civilization, returning to the wilderness of Africa, where he was originally raised.
Ely often recounted his dedication to doing his own stunts for the series, fearlessly interacting with various wild animals such as tigers and chimpanzees, all of whom played pivotal roles alongside Tarzan.
Ely shared that the casting process originally aimed for a former football player named Mike Henry, who was ultimately unsuitable for the role due to a dislike of chimpanzees, which led to an unfortunate incident where a chimp injured Henry. Thus, Ely was cast in the role just before production began.
He initially hesitated to accept the part, fearing that taking on such a role would typecast him permanently. However, with encouragement from his agent about the show’s quality, he decided to accept the offer, resulting in his rapid travel to Brazil to begin filming.
In addition to his work as Tarzan, Ely starred as the lead character in the 1975 action movie “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.” He predominantly played minor roles in various television shows and films, including the 1958 musical “South Pacific.”
Additionally, Ely penned two mystery novels, “Night Shadows” in 1994 and “East Beach” in 1995, featuring a detective named Jake Sands.
Born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo, Ely experienced a brief marriage to his high school sweetheart in 1959, which ended in divorce two years later.
He is survived by his daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, and his other daughter, Kaitland Ely Sweet.
