Ralph Meeker
Also Known As: Ralph Rathgeber
Biography: Ralph Meeker (born Ralph Rathgeber; November 21, 1920 – August 5, 1988) was an American actor. He first rose to prominence for his roles in the Broadway productions of Mister Roberts (1948–1951) and Picnic (1953), the former of which earned him a Theatre World Award for his performance. In film, Meeker is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mike Hammer in Robert Aldrich's 1955 Kiss Me Deadly. Meeker went on to play a series of roles that used his husky and macho screen presence, including a lead role in Stanley Kubrick's military courtroom drama Paths of Glory (1957), as a troubled mechanic opposite Carroll Baker in Something Wild (1961), as a World War II captain in The Dirty Dozen (1967), and in the gangster film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967). Other credits include supporting roles in I Walk the Line (1970) and Sidney Lumet's The Anderson Tapes (1971). He also had a prolific career in television, appearing as Sergeant Steve Dekker on the series Not for Hire (1959–1960), and in the television horror film The Night Stalker (1972). After suffering a stroke in 1980, Meeker was forced to retire from acting, and died eight years later of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ralph Meeker, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Adult: No
Birthday: November 21, 1920
Age: 104 years old
Gender: Male
Deathday: August 05, 1988
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Known For:
Paths of Glory
Overview: A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
Genres: War Drama History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-10-25
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The Dirty Dozen
Overview: 12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. The soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, agree to the mission and the possible commuting of their sentences.
Genres: Action Adventure War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-06-15
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The Naked Spur
Overview: A bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.
Genres: Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-01-30
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The Anderson Tapes
Overview: Thief Duke Anderson—just released from ten years in jail—takes up with his old girlfriend in her posh apartment block, and makes plans to rob the entire building. What he doesn't know is that his every move is being recorded on audio and video, although he is not the subject of any surveillance.
Genres: Crime Thriller Drama Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-06-17
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Run of the Arrow
Overview: When the South loses the war, Confederate veteran O'Meara goes West, joins the Sioux, takes a wife and refuses to be an American but he must choose a side when the Sioux go to war against the U.S. Army.
Genres: Western
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-09-05
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A Woman's Devotion
Overview: An artist suffering from mental problems from his experiences during the war goes to Acapulco on his honeymoon. Soon young women are turning up dead in the area, and the ex-GI comes to believe he might be responsible, as he has long stretches where he can't remember anything.
Genres: Adventure Crime Drama Mystery Romance Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-11-16
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The Alpha Incident
Overview: A microorganism from Mars, brought to Earth by a space probe, terrorizes passengers in a railroad office.
Genres: Horror Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-05-24
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Jeopardy
Overview: A woman is kidnapped when she goes to get help for her husband who is trapped on a beach with the tide coming in to surely drown him.
Genres: Crime Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-03-30
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Winter Kills
Overview: The younger brother of an assassinated US President is led down a rabbit hole of conspiracies and dead ends after learning of a man claiming to be the real shooter.
Genres: Drama Mystery Thriller Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1979-05-11
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The Food of the Gods
Overview: Morgan and his friends are on a hunting trip on a remote Canadian island when they are attacked by a swarm of giant wasps. Looking for help, Morgan stumbles across a barn inhabited by an enormous killer chicken. After doing some exploring, they discover the entire island is crawling with animals that have somehow grown to giant size. The most dangerous of all of these, however, are the rats, who are mobilizing to do battle with the human intruders.
Genres: Horror Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1976-06-18
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The Dead Don't Die
Overview: In the 1930s, a sailor trying to prove that his brother was wrongly executed for murder finds himself becoming drawn into the occult world.
Genres: Horror Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-01-14
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The Detective
Overview: Police detective Joe Leland investigates the murder of a gay man.
Genres: Crime Mystery Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1968-05-28
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The St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Overview: Chicago February 14th 1929. Al Capone finally establishes himself as the city's boss of organised crime. In a north-side garage his hoods, dressed as policemen, surprise and mow down with machine-guns the key members of Bugs Moran's rival gang. The film traces the history of the incident, and the lives affected and in some cases ended by it.
Genres: History Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-06-30
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The Night Stalker
Overview: Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Genres: Mystery Horror Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1972-01-11
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Big House, U.S.A
Overview: A tough and realistic crime drama unfolds as merciless kidnapper Jerry Barker (Ralph Meeker) demands ransom paid against a young runaway whose fate lands Barker in Casabel Island Prison.
Genres: Action Thriller Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-03-03
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Without Warning
Overview: Sandy and Greg are teenagers who go camping, despite warnings not to, with their friends. They soon encounter aliens, who are using the area as a hunting ground.
Genres: Horror Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1980-09-26
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Code Two
Overview: Three young men train to become motorcycle cops.
Genres: Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1953-04-24
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Kiss Me Deadly
Overview: One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to semi-consciousness, he hears Christina being tortured until she dies. Hammer, both for vengeance and in hopes that "something big" is behind it all, decides to pursue the case.
Genres: Mystery Thriller Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-04-28
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Johnny Firecloud
Overview: An American Indian war veteran avenges the hanging of his grandfather by local thugs.
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-08-01
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Los Angeles Plays Itself
Overview: From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-07-28
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Something Wild
Overview: A young rape victim tries desperately to pick up the pieces of her life, only to find herself at the mercy of a would-be rescuer.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-12-23
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I Walk the Line
Overview: Henry Tawes, a middle-aged sheriff in a rural Tennessee town, is usually the first man to criticize others for their bad behavior. Miserable in his marriage, Henry falls in love with teenage seductress Alma, who is the daughter of local criminal and moonshiner Carl McCain. Henry's moral character comes further into question when he is tempted to conceal Carl's crimes in order to prolong his relationship with Alma.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1970-11-18
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The Girl on the Late, Late Show
Overview: A television producer decides to find out the whereabouts of a former movie actress whose career has long since faded, then discovers that his inquiries have set off a string of murders.
Genres: Mystery TV Movie Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1974-04-01
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Birds of Prey
Overview: Harry Walker, a former military pilot, works as a helicopter pilot and traffic reporter for a Salt Lake City radio station. One day while working he observes a bank robbery in progress and the kidnapping of a young woman who worked at the bank. Harry goes into pursuit which leads to an exciting conclusion.
Genres: Action Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-01-30
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The Mind Snatchers
Overview: A German scientist works on a way of quelling overly aggressive soldiers by developing implants that directly stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain.
Genres: Science Fiction Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1972-06-28
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The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown
Overview: When beautiful blonde movie star Laurel Stevens is kidnapped on the verge of the premiere of her film “The Kidnapped Bride”, everyone thinks it's a publicity stunt. It's not.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1957-05-09
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Ada
Overview: A popular but naive country singer is elected governor of a southern state and, once in office, decides to dismantle the corrupt political machine that got him elected. Director Daniel Mann's 1961 political drama stars Susan Hayward, Dean Martin, Wilfred Hyde-White, Martin Balsam, Ralph Meeker, Connie Sawyer, William Walker, Ray Teal, Larry Gates and Kathryn Card.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1961-08-25
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Shadow in the Sky
Overview: Burt, a Marine suffering from Battle Fatigue, is deathly afraid of rain and confined to an asylum, but showing improvement. He wants to live with his sister's family, but they have young children.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-07-18
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The Devil's Eight
Overview: The Devil's 8 is a 1969 film from American International Pictures. It is about a Federal agent (Christopher George) who recruits six convicts to bust a moonshine ring.
Genres: Thriller Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1969-05-14
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Desert Sands
Overview: The French Foreign Legion battles rebellious Arabs in North Africa.
Genres: Adventure
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1955-11-18
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Somebody Loves Me
Overview: Backstage musical biography of nightclub star Blossom Seeley that charts her rocky relationship with vaudeville singer Benny Fields.
Genres: Romance Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-09-24
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My Boys Are Good Boys
Overview: Teenagers at a correctional facility devise a plan to rob an armored van.
Genres: Drama Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-01-01
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Teresa
Overview: An Italian war bride has problems dealing with her husband's possessive mother.
Genres: Drama War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1951-04-05
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Glory Alley
Overview: A New Orleans boxer backs out of a bout and leaves his girlfriend for Korea.
Genres: Drama Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-06-06
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You'll Never See Me Again
Overview: After a couple have an argument, the wife disappears. The husband searches for her, only to discover evidence that implicates him in her murder.
Genres: Mystery TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-03-01
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Lost Flight
Overview: The captain of a downed airliner must help his crew and passengers survive on a deserted jungle island in the midst of a power struggle - an adult version of "Lord of the Flies."
Genres: TV Movie Drama Action
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1970-08-13
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Overview: Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.
Genres: Documentary TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-07-02
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Gentle Giant
Overview: The Story of a boy and his bear.
Genres: Adventure Family
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-10-25
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The Reluctant Heroes
Overview: An army tale about an egghead ninety-day-wonder who relies on ancient tactics he remembers from the history books to save his beleaguered squad on an important mission in Korea.
Genres: War Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1971-11-23
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Hi-Riders
Overview: Story of a group of drag races and the young boy and girl who join them.
Genres: Drama Action Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-03-17
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Wall of Noise
Overview: The lives and loves behind the scenes at the racetrack are detailed in this thoroughbred soap opera. An ambitious young trainer, Joel Tarrant (Ty Hardin), enters into an illicit affair with the stable owner's wealthy wife, hot-to-trot Laura Rubio (Suzanne Pleshette), in the hope that someday he'll have enough dough to buy his own horses and stable.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1963-09-04
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Brannigan
Overview: A hard-nosed Chicago cop is sent to London to bring back an American mobster being held for extradition. Brannigan in his Irish-American way brings American law to the people of Scotland Yard but has to contend with a stuffy old London first.
Genres: Action Crime Drama Thriller Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-03-21
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Four in a Jeep
Overview: Soviet, British, French and American allies patrol post-war Vienna.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 1951-03-30
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A Holster Full Of Law
Overview: Slaughter’s cattle are rustled, and when the sheriff is powerless to do anything about it, Slaughter is elected sheriff himself. With a band of skilled deputies, he brings law and order to Tombstone, and eventually settles his feud with the cattle rustler.
Genres: Western
Original Language: de
Release Date: 1961-09-30
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Cry Panic
Overview: A man accidentally runs over and kills a pedestrian outside a small town. He begins to suspect that the locals, including the sheriff, are keeping secrets about the victim.
Genres: Mystery Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1974-02-06
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Love Comes Quietly
Overview: Love Comes Quietly (aka Angela) tells the story of a free-spirited girl who was born in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the 1920s, even the somewhat more tolerant people of the Netherlands (relative to the rest of Europe) did not easily suffer the open flouting of the rules of society. Cheerful and optimistic, Angela (Barbara Hershey) defied the conventions of her conservative Dutch family by traipsing about the countryside with her lover, living on what turned up each day. However, even for the sunniest of optimists such an idyll can have tragic consequences.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1973-09-07
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Night Games
Overview: A Harvard-educated, big-city lawyer moves to a small Arizona town to set up practice. His first case is defending a beautiful socialite accused of murdering her husband. This is the pilot TV movie for what would become the Petrocelli TV series.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1974-03-16
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