American actor Ron Ely, the towering 6ft4 (1m93) muscle-bound performer who portrayed the iconic character in the 1960s NBC series Tarzan, has passed away at the age of 86. Although not as widely recognized as Johnny Weismuller, the Olympic swimmer who brought Tarzan to life in the 1930s and 1940s, Ely played a pivotal role in shaping the enduring image of the shirtless, loincloth-clad hero popularized by Disney.
Ely's life was tragically marked by a series of events in 2019, when his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was fatally stabbed at their Santa Barbara home by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely. The latter was subsequently shot and killed by police. Ron Ely, who was present during the incident, questioned the prosecutor's justification for his son's shooting. His attorney, John Burris, argued in 2020 that there was no lawful basis for the fatal shooting.
Ely's portrayal of Tarzan was notably different from the monosyllabic grunts typically associated with the character, originally conceived by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs. Instead, Ely's Tarzan was an educated bachelor disillusioned with civilization and returned to the African jungle where he was raised. Ely also starred in the 1975 action film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze and had various small roles in TV and films, including the 1958 musical South Pacific.
In addition to his acting career, Ely authored two mystery novels featuring detective Jake Sands, titled 'Night Shadows' (1994) and 'East Beach' (1995). He met his wife, Valerie, a former Miss Florida, while hosting the Miss America pageant in the early 1980s. They married in 1984 and had three children. Ely retired from acting in 2001 to focus on his family, expressing a desire to spend more time with his children and attend their school events.
Reflecting on his decision to retire, Ely told London's Daily Express in 2013, 'Late in life I had a young family. I decided to stop acting and work at home, as an author, that way I could be with the kids all through school and be able to attend their sports games and things.' He briefly returned to acting in the 2014 TV movie Expecting Amish.
Ely's daughter, Kirsten Ely, paid tribute to her father on Instagram, describing him as a hero who created a powerful wave of positive influence. 'To me, he hung the moon,' she wrote.
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