Ron Ely, Actor Who Played Tarzan In The 1960s, Dies At 86

Ron Ely, tall, musclebound actor who played title character in 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has died at 86.

Ely's daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, told Associated Press on Wednesday that her far died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Alamos, California, an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County.

While Ron Ely was t quite as well-kwn as Johnny Weismuller, Olympic swimmer who played Tarzan in movies in 1930s and 1940s, Ely helped form im of shirtless, loincloth-wearing character furr immortalized by Disney.

In 2019, he tragically returned to news when his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death at ir Santa Barbara, California, home by ir 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who was subsequently shot and killed by police . Ron Ely, who was home during stabbing, challenged prosecutor's report that his son's shooting was justified.

“If he didn’t have a gun or he didn’t have a weapon, what was basis of shooting him?” Ely's attorney John Burris said in 2020. “y may have very well thought he was involved in some or activity involving mom. But that’s t a basis to shoot and kill him. You have to have a lawful basis to do that.”

In early 1980s, Ely was host of Miss America pant and met Valerie, a Miss Florida, re. y married in 1984. couple h three children, and Ely retired from acting to focus on his family in 2001.

“Late in life I h a young family. I decided to stop acting and work at home, as an author, that way I could be with kids all through school and be able to attend ir sports games and things,” he told London's Daily Express in 2013, expressing interest in time at reentering acting. He would return briefly in 2014 TV movie “Expecting Amish.”

Ely’s Tarzan didn’t speak in mosyllabic grunts often associated with character, originally created by velist Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was inste an educated bachelor who h grown sick of civilization and h returned to African jungle where he was raised.

Ely said in interviews that he did his own stunts on show, working directly and precariously with tigers, chimpanzees and or wild animals that were Tarzan’s friends and servants.

“y first tried to cast a former American football player called Mike Henry but he didn’t like chimpanzees and from moment he got on set, things went south in a hurry,” Ely told London’s Daily Express in 2013.

A chimp attacked Henry and injured his jaw when show’s pilot was being filmed, and Ely was cast in his place at last moment.

“I met with m on a Monday and when y offered me role I thought: ‘ way do I want to step into that bear trap. You do Tarzan and you are stamped for life’,” Ely told Daily Express. “Was I ever right! But my nt convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So on Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot first episode.”

Ely also played title character in 1975 action film “Doc Sav: Man of Bronze,” but orwise h mostly small roles in TV and films, including 1958 movie musical “South Pacific.”

He also wrote a pair of mystery vels featuring a detective named Jake Sands, 1994’s “Night Shows” and 1995’s “East Beach.”

Born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo, he married his high school sweeart in 1959, but divorced two years later.

Along with Kirsten Casale Ely, he is survived by daughter Kaitland Ely Sweet.