Ron Ely, the actor who played Tarzan in the hit 1960s NBC series, has died at age 86. Ely’s passing was announced by his daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, who told the Associated Press on Wednesday, October 23 that Ron Ely had passed away on September 29 in his home in Los Alamos California.
While Ely did not achieve the fame that Olympic swimmer Johnny Weismuller achieved while portraying Tarzan in the 1930s and 40s, he helped shape the image of the character as we know it today.
In an Instagram post, his daughter Kristen said “He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader.” Adding “He created a powerful wave of positive influence wherever he went. The impact he had on others is something that I have never witnessed in any other person – there was something truly magical about him.”
Ron Ely’s recent years have been tragic
The late ‘Tarzan’ actor had tragically returned to mainstream news after his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death at their Santa Barbara home in California. She was stabbed by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who was shot and killed by law enforcement on the spot.
Ron Ely was home during the incident and challenged the prosecutor’s claim that Cameron Ely’s shooting was justified. His attorney, John Burris said in a 2020 statement, “If he didn’t have a gun or he didn’t have a weapon, what was the basis of shooting him?” Adding, “They may have very well thought he was involved in some other activity involving the mom. But that’s not a basis to shoot and kill him. You have to have a lawful basis to do that.”
It was announced this evening by his family that actor Ron Ely passed away at the end of last month at the age of 86.
To a generation of TV viewers, he was Tarzan in all 57 episodes made by NBC from 1966 – 1968.
Ronald Pierce Ely
1938 – 2024 pic.twitter.com/AwkSA304jv— TVARK (@tvark) October 23, 2024
The former Tarzan actor retired from acting in 2001 to focus on his family
In the early 80’s Ron Ely hosted the Miss America Beauty Pageant. That’s where he met Valerie, who was Miss Florida when they first met. The pair eventually married in 1984 and had three children, which prompted former Tarzan actor, Ron Ely to retire from acting in 2001 to focus on his family.
In a 2013 interview, he told the London Express “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 would have a brief spell back on the small screen in 2014 when he appeared in the TV movie “Expecting Amish.”
Remarkably, Ely’s interpretation of Tarzan is somewhat different from the version of the character we know today from the Disney movies.
In the 1960s T.V. show, Ely portrayed a version of Tarzan that featured him as an educated bachelor who was tired of civilization and decided to go back to the African jungle where he was raised. Ron Ely has also said on numerous occasions that he performed his own stunts in the show, working with tigers and chimpanzees that were featured on the show.
