Where Is He Now: Ron Ely (Actor) as Tarzan - Tarzan.
Updated: 10/1/2006
Name: Ron Ely
Birth Name: Ronald Pierce
Born: June 21, 1938 in Hereford, Texas
Claim To Fame: Ron is best known for his role as Tarzan.
He was the 15th actor to play Tarzan. He went on to play
Doc Savage too.
Family Life: Valerie (1983 - present)
Cathy ? (1959 - 1961) (divorced)
Info: Prior to Tarzan he had played only bit parts in movies, e.g., the copilot in South Pacific (1958) and had co-starred in TV's brief series "Malibu Run". He played the title role in the TV series "Tarzan" (1966), and in two movies made from that series in 1970. It has been noted that Ron's physical appearance and dialogue were much more like those of Edgar Rice Burroughs' character than could be said for any other Tarzan.
Trivia: Ron did his own stunts and also all the on-air work with the animals. This got him often-injured.
He hosted the "Miss America" pageant on television 1979-81, replacing Bert Parks.
In the early 1970s, Ely made a number of films in Germany, where he became very popular in a brief series of adventure films.
Quotable: "Ever read the original Tarzan stories? They're beautiful. About an educated man who returns to the environment he knows best, the jungle. There he seeks truth, honor, and man's lost humanity to man. This Tarzan is the part I've been waiting for all my life." - Ron Ely
Where Is He Now: Ron hasn't shown up in any acting roles lately. His last acting
appearance was in 2001 in an episode of "Sheena."
In the mid-90's he wrote a serious of mystery novels, featuring the character
Jake Sands. They did very well and he enjoyed a little different type of
popularity at that time.
Throughout the past few years Ron has been known to show up at some various fan
conventions around the country.
