RIP Agnaldo Rayol

 

With a powerful baritone voice, Agnaldo Rayol echoed Italian singing in Brazil

Dead at the age of 86, the singer from Rio de Janeiro lived his peak in the 1960s and went through periods of low in the 1970s and 1980s until he was reborn in 1993 in the soundtracks of soap operas by his friend Benedito Ruy Barbosa.

 

Globo.com

By Mauro Ferreira

11/4/2024

A friend of Benedito Ruy Barbosa, Agnaldo Rayol was invited by the novelist in 1993 to record the song Em nome do amor (César Augusto and Piska) for the soundtrack of the soap opera Renascer, aired by TV Globo that year with great success.

Even though it did not impose itself on the soundtrack of Benedito Ruy Barbosa's rural plot, the recording of In the name of love promoted the artistic rebirth of Agnaldo Coniglio Rayol (May 3, 1938 – November 4, 2024), a singer, actor and presenter from Rio de Janeiro who had been successful in the 1960s, but who had been forgotten and, At that time, he had not released an album for seven years.

The invitation to the soundtrack of the soap opera Renascer injected encouragement into the artist's phonographic career – who, from then on, began to record better-kept albums such as Agnaldo Rayol (1994) and Todo o sentimento (1997) – and increased the concert schedule of this singer much loved by the public that likes grandiloquent interpreters.

Died in the early hours of today, at the age of 86, as a result of a fall suffered in the house where he lived in the city of São Paulo (SP), Agnaldo Rayol was one of the Brazilian symbols of bel canto, an Italian term that designates the singing of an operatic style, exacerbated, based on vocal technique.

Rayol's powerful baritone voice accredited the singer – of Italian descent on his mother's side – to face themes such as Mia Gioconda (Vicente Celestino, 1946), recorded by the artist with the duo Chrystian & Ralf for the soundtrack of the soap opera O rei do gado (Globo, 1996), another blockbuster plot by Benedito Ruy Barbosa.

Also through his novelist friend, Agnaldo Rayol experienced a peak of popularity when he recorded the then unreleased Italian theme Tormento d'amore (Luiz Schiavon, Marcelo Barbosa and Antônio Scarpellini, 1999) in duo with the Welsh singer Charlotte Church for the opening of the telenovela Terra nostra (1999).

At that moment, Rayol was heard again throughout Brazil almost with the same intensity with which he had been heard in the 1960s, the artist's golden decade

Agnaldo Rayol began singing in the late 1940s, as a teenager, at the Brazilian Post and Telegraph Company, in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). But he had to wait for his baritone voice to gain muscle and reach adult form to release his first album, Agnaldo Rayol, released in 1958 with an old-fashioned romantic repertoire.

Oblivious to the bossa nova revolution in that same year of 1958, Rayol made a name for himself with a sentimental songbook, the keynote of albums such as Sonhos musicais (1959), Maior que a saudade (1960) and Se ela voltar (1961). The artist never abandoned this romantic repertoire that never goes out of style.

Parallel to his singing career, the artist began to act as a presenter – commanding programs on TV Record such as the Côrte Rayol Show (1965) with the comedian and writer Renato Côrte Real (1924 – 1982) – and as an actor in soap operas and films. However, for the Brazilian public, Agnaldo Rayol was above all a singer.

From the 2000s onwards, the singer's recording career again slowed down as in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the artist continued to play shows in Brazil until he began to become debilitated and develop Alzheimer's disease.

Agnaldo Rayol's last work was made in 2020 at the initiative of Thiago Marques Luiz's music producer. It is an audiovisual record of voice and piano of the Voices of the Best Age Festival.

In this recording, Rayol spoke a little about his artistic trajectory and gave voice to songs such as the song Chão de estrelas (Silvio Caldas and Orestes Barbosa, 1937) and the samba-song A noite do meu bem (Dolores Duran, 1958) in the tone that consecrated him as an opulent voice of bel canto, a style that echoed in Brazil with great pride.

RAYOL, Agnaldo (Agnaldo Coniglio Rayol)

Born: 5/3/1938, Niterol, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Died: 11/4/2024, São Paulo, Brazil

 

Agnaldo Rayol’s western – actor:

Pistoleiro Bossa Nova - 1959

RIP Greg Hildebrandt

 

Greg Hildebrandt, Famed ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Marvel Artist, Dies at 85

He and his late twin brother, Tim, painted the famed “Style B” artwork for the U.K. release of the George Lucas classic.

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

November 1, 2024

 

Greg Hildebrandt, the admired artist and illustrator who created movie posters for the original Star Wars and Clash of the Titans, drew Marvel characters and designed iconic 1970s calendars that celebrated the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has died. He was 85.

Hildebrandt died in Denville, New Jersey, his son, Greg Jr., told The Hollywood Reporter. For the past five months, he had been dealing with a serious side effect from a heart medication.

The artist, who frequently partnered with his late twin brother, Tim Hildebrandt, also illustrated covers for DC Comics and trading cards for an epic 1994 Marvel Masterpieces set; painted artwork for Dungeons & Dragons calendars; and designed covers for the 1981 Black Sabbath album Mob Rules and many LPs from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Without having access to film stills and publicity photos and given a very tight deadline by 20th Century Fox, the brothers painted the “Style B” poster for the U.K. release of Star Wars (1977), with Greg’s first wife, Diana Stankowski, serving as the model for Princess Leia.

“Incredibly, the first version of it — without the droids — was created in a feverish, nonstop effort over just 36 hours!” Greg told the Los Angeles Times in 2010. “George Lucas asked for the droids to be added and for our signatures to be larger. We made those changes at the ad agency, and off it went!”

A promotional poster for the U.S. release had already been created by Tom Jung, but execs thought it was too dark and asked the Hildebrandts for a revision.

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt were born in Detroit on Jan. 23, 1939. Their father, George, was a Chevrolet division chief, and their mother, Germaine, a homemaker. They started drawing comic books when they were 6.

“We had our own stories we would write,” Greg said in a 2017 interview. “Thankfully, our mother from an early age used to hammer into our heads that your imagination is the most valuable thing you have.”

They took a six-month class at the Meinzinger Art School in their hometown, began painting professionally in 1959 and worked for the Jam Handy Organization, an industrial film company in Detroit. There, they combined live-action and animation to tell the story of a medical relief ship in the award-winning film Technique for Life.

In 1963, the brothers moved to New York to work for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and made documentary films chronicling world hunger and created art for Sheen’s weekly TV series, Life Is Worth Living.

For the Tolkien Lord of the Rings trilogy calendars that were published by Ballantine Books from 1976-78, “Tim would do some thumbnails and I would do some thumbnails or we would do them together and talk over each other’s shoulders,” he explained. “Then we would end up with a final drawing set-up and composition. We would then do a photo shoot with models and costumes. Then we did the final sketching.

“Tim would probably start one and I would start another final sketch. Then when it came to the painting phase, we literally both sat together on two sides — he would sit on one side and I would sit on the other, and we would paint at the same time on the same painting.”

After their success with the calendars, with Star Wars and with their poster for Ray Harryhausen’s Clash of the Titans (1981), the brothers opted to work separately.

Greg illustrated his own 1984 book, Greg Hildebrandt’s Favorite Fairy Tales; worked on cover artwork for Heavy Metal magazine; and illustrated Wizard of Oz, Aladdin, Robin Hood, Edgar Allan Poe, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dracula and Phantom of the Opera books.

In 1999, he began work on a series of 1940s-’50s-style pin-up paintings — think women in retro clothes and settings — that he dubbed “American Beauties.”

After more than a decade working independently, the brothers reunited and created the 158-card Marvel Masterpieces set that depicted heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. They continued together until Tim’s death in June 2006 at age 67.

Greg also painted Deadpool, Captain America vs. Hitler, Black Panther, Thor and other characters for Marvel.

One of his biggest fans was Michael Jackson; he once spent two weeks with the singer at his Neverland Ranch.

Hildebrandt’s last commercial painting will be published in the program for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s upcoming winter tour. He served as TSO’s exclusive artist for its album covers, tour programs and merchandise since 2003.

In addition to his son, survivors include Jean Scrocco, his wife of 15 years and partner for 33 (she started out as his agent in 1979); his daughter, Mary; his daughter-in-law, Jane, and son-in-law, David; his sister, Jane; and his kittens, Bonnie, Clyde, Katie and Charlie.

Hildebrandt “led a life of creative discipline and was the consummate professional,” his family said in a statement. “Every job was treated with the same level of professionalism. Greg lived his life in the pursuit of ‘getting it right.’”

HILDEBRANDT, Greg (Gregory J. Hildebrandt)

Born: 1/23/1939, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A

Died: 10/31/2024, Denville, New Jersey, U.S.A.

 

Greg Hildebrandt’s western – comic book artist:

Zorro - 2007

RIP Stephanie Collie

 

Stephanie Collie,‘Peaky Blinders’ Costume Designer, Dies at 60

Variety

By Andrés Buenahora

October 31, 2024

 

Stephanie Collie, the costume designer behind film and television projects such as “Peaky Blinders,” died of cancer on Oct. 26 at St Christopher’s Hospice in London.

Over the course of her career, Collie worked with talent including Michael Caine, Henry Cavill, Jessica Chastain, Daniel Craig, Penélope Cruz, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Ryan Reynolds and Michelle Williams.

Collie began her career in the sewing room of the BBC alongside costume designer Susan Coates. Following an introduction from Coates to David Parfitt, she worked as a wardrobe assistant to Branagh on “Much Ado About Nothing.” From there, Collie worked as a costume designer on “Peter’s Friends,” which was directed by Branagh.

In 1988, Collie had her work featured onscreen in Guy Ritchie’s crime comedy film “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”

Of her design for the film, Christopher Laverty said: “You could not pick up a men’s magazine of the time without seeing some guy in slim trousers and a jersey polo shirt. Stephanie Collie invented this look, thus providing one of the clearest examples of how costume design can transcend a movie and become something more. We would go so far as to say Stephanie Collie helped define an era.”

Collie later established herself as one of the world’s top costume designers through “Peaky Blinders,” winning a Royal Television Society Award for Best Costume Design for her work.

Some of her other credits include “Wrath of Man,” “Argylle,” “The Look of Love,” “London Has Fallen,” “Angel Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.”

Director Susanna White said of Collie: “Stephanie had a true originality about her sense of design – there was never anything received about what she did. Her work on Woman Walks Ahead was extraordinary – she went back to primary sources and found references for the clothing the Lakota people and Jessica Chastain wore which both made her costumes absolutely truthful to period detail yet gave the film a very contemporary spin. She told powerful stories through her work but like her personality her costumes never shouted “look at me” – she was always at pains to make sure that what she did fitted seamlessly into the aesthetic of the whole creative endeavour. No matter how stressful a day was she treated everything with her characteristic humour and grace. She will be greatly missed.”

Stephanie’s most recent project was the Amazon drama series “My Lady Jane.”

Cillian Murphy remembered her, saying, “Stephanie was a ferocious talent. She invented the ‘Peaky Blinders’ look and silhouette that has become iconic across the world.”

COLLIE, Stephanie

Born: 11/16/1963, Cheshire, England U.K.

Died: 10/26/2024, London, England, U.K.

 

Stephanie Collie’s western – costume designer:

Woman Walks Ahead - 2017

RIP Ken Wood

 

"Goodbye to you too". Mourning in Italian cinema, another symbolic actor leaves

la Republica

October 31, 2024

 

Actor and stuntman Giovanni Cianfriglia, famous face of Italian action films and beloved spaghetti westerns, has passed away at the age of 89 in Anzio, the city that had given him birth on April 5, 1935. With an impressive career behind him, Cianfriglia was a central figure of Italian entertainment cinema, embodying a versatility that made him known in the detective genres, Italian westerns and peplum films, of which he was one of the main interpreters and stunt doubles in the golden years of Cinecittà.

His debut in the world of cinema took place with the film "The Labors of Hercules" (1958), where Cianfriglia lent his athletic physique as a stunt double for Steve Reeves, protagonist of the famous peplum. From that moment, his stage presence and ability to take on physically demanding roles led him to achieve a solid career both as an actor and as a stuntman. "Cianfriglia often acted under several pseudonyms, including Ken Wood and John Richmond", expedients with which he adapted to various genres and roles, winning the admiration of directors and colleagues for his professionalism.

Throughout his career, Cianfriglia shared the set with big names in Italian action cinema, such as Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, to whom he remained linked for 17 films, often playing secondary characters but of great impact in the memorable fight scenes. Among his most famous appearances are roles in iconic films such as "Even Angels Eat Beans" (1973), the films of the series "Piedone" (1973-1980), "... otherwise we get angry!" (1974), "The Two Almost Flat Superfeet" (1977), "They Call Me Bulldozer" (1978), "Odd and Even" (1978), "Watch the Pen" (1981), "Who Finds a Friend Finds a Treasure" (1981) and "Banana Joe" (1982).

"He shared the set with his brother Domenico, also a stuntman and actor," building a family legacy in the world of stunts, which characterized the Italian action cinema of the time. With a repertoire of 173 films shot in Italy, France and the United States, Cianfriglia collaborated with important directors such as Sergio Corbucci, Michele Lupo, Enzo G. Castellari and Umberto Lenzi, great exponents of genre cinema that exploded in Italy in those years.

Giovanni Cianfriglia was a silent protagonist of a golden age of Italian cinema, bringing the grit and physicality of the classic action hero to the screen. His roles ranged from the period films of his beginnings — such as "The Pirate of the Black Sparrowhawk" (1958), "Morgan the Pirate" (1960), "The Trojan War" (1961), "Romulus and Remus" (1961), "The Son of Spartacus" (1962) and "A Queen for Caesar" (1962) — to the spaghetti westerns of the Sixties such as "The Gunslinger Marked by God" (1968), "To the Last Blood" (1968) and "Three Crosses not to die" (1968), and to the subsequent detective films where he joined the actor Maurizio Merli, a symbol of Italian detective stories.

His long career and ability to adapt to different film genres have made him an admired figure for generations of viewers, who continue to remember him as a symbol of Italian entertainment cinema. Giovanni Cianfriglia leaves a rich legacy in the world of Italian cinema, a tribute to the versatility and passion he dedicated to each of his performances, giving fans an impressive series of films that will remain in the history of the big screen.

WOOD, Ken (Giovanni Cianfriglia)

Born: 4/5/1935, Anzio, Lazio, Italy

Died: 10/30/2024, Anzio, Lazio, Italy

 

Ken Wood’s westerns – stuntman, actor:

The Relentless Four – 1965 (deputy)

5 Giants from Texas – 1966 (Jesus/Indios)

Ringo and His Golden Pistol – 1966 (Sebastian) [as Ken Wood]

The Tramplers – 1966 (Cordeen henchman)

Ballad of a Gunman – 1967 (gambler)

If You Want to Live... Shoot! – 1967 (Stark) [as Ken Wood]

Killer Kid – 1967 (Ramirez) [as Ken Wood]

Bury Them Deep – 1968 (Billy Gunn) [as Ken Wood]

Kill Them All and Come Back Alone – 1968 (Blade) [as Ken Wood]

No Graves on Boot Hill – 1968 (Reno) [as Ken Wood]

Three Crosses Not to Die – 1968 (Reno) [as Ken Wood]

Two Pistols and a Coward – 1968 (Ron Eloy) [as Ken Wood]

Western, Italian Style – 1968 [archive footage]

The Unholy Four – 1969 (saloon brawler)

Adiós, Sabata – 1970 (Austrian agent)

Amen – 1970 [as Ken Wood]

Durango Is Coming, Pay or Die - 1970 (stagecoach robber)

The Unholy Four – 1970

Wanted Sabata – 1970 (Mexican bounty hunter)

You're Jinxed, Friend You've Met Sacramento – 1970 (Murdock henchman)

Blindman – 1971 (Mexican soldier) [stunts]

Django... Adios! - 1971 (Spirito Santo henchman)

Drummer of Vengeance – 1971 (Blackie) [as Ken Wood]

A Man Called Django – 1971 (Blackie)

Return of Sabata – 1971 (McIntock henchman)

Bada alla tua pelle Spirito Santo! - 1972 (Garibaldino) [as Ken Wood]

The Ballad of Ben and Charlie – 1972 (casino bouncer)

The Grand Duel – 1972

Gunmen and the Holy Ghost – 1972 (Garibaldi/Il Garibaldino) [as Ken Wood]

Life Is Tough, Eh Providence? – 1972 (The Challenger) [as Ken Wood]

Man of the East – 1972 (saloon brawler)

Return of the Holy Ghost – 1972 (Garibaldi/‘Il Garibaldino’) [as Ken Wood]

Sentence of God – 1972 [as Ken Wood]

They Call Me Providence – 1972 (‘The Challenger’) [as Ken Wood]

Where the Bullets Fly – 1972 (barn brawler)

Blood River – 1973 (Indian)

Keoma – 1975 (Caldwell henchmen) [as Ken Wood]

Buddy Goes West – 1981 (Jack Bold) [stunts]

America in Rome – 1998 [himself]

Denn sie kennen kein erbarmen - Der Italowestern (TV) – 2005 [himself]

RIP Paul Morrissey

 

Paul Morrissey, Cult Director, Andy Warhol Collaborator, Dies at 86

The American auteur's film credits include 'Andy Warhol's Frankenstein,' ‘Mixed Blood,’ ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ and ‘News From Nowhere.’

 The Hollywood Reporter

By Etan Vlessing

October 28, 2024

Paul Morrissey, a cult film director and early Andy Warhol collaborator, has died. He was 86 years of age.

Morrissey’s archivist Michael Chaiken told The Hollywood Reporter the filmmaker died in the early morning of Oct. 28 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City after a bout with pneumonia. His most celebrated films as an auteur include Flesh, Trash, Heat, Flesh for Frankenstein and the classic B-picture Blood for Dracula, which starred Joe Dallesandro.

Morrissey’s films also included classics like Women in Revolt and the 1980s New York City trilogy Forty Deuce, Mixed Blood and Spike of Bensonhurst. But it’s Morrissey’s early association with pop artist Andy Warhol that helped establish him as a director and kept his cult status alive throughout his career.

The two artists first met in 1965 and Morrissey signed on to run the publicity and filmmaking for Warhol at The Factory under a contract until 1973. Early cinematic collaborations full of colorful characters like drug addicts and street hustlers include in 1965 Space and My Hustler, a year later with The Velvet Underground and Nico: A Symphony of Sound and San Diego Surf and Lonesome Cowboys in 1968.

Morrissey in recent years became defensive over Warhol having taken too much credit for their film collaborations at The Factory.

“Don’t say ‘Warhol films’ when you talk about my films! Are you so stupid, you talk to people like that? I have to live through this for fifty years. Everything I did, it’s Warhol this, or he did them with me. Forget it. He was incompetent, anorexic, illiterate, autistic, Asperger’s — he never did a thing in his entire life. He sort of walked through it as a zombie and that paid off in the long run. But I just cannot take that shitty reference. What were you gonna say, if you can get past that?” Morrissey told Sam Weinberg during an interview in the Bright Lights Film Journal in Feb. 2020.

Typical of the movie posters for their joint films was a top billing for Warhol – as in “Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein” or “Andy Warhol’s Dracula, followed with “A Film By Paul Morrissey” just below  — to catch the eye of cinema-goers.

Morrissey was more generous in an earlier March 1975 interview in Oui with Jonathan Rosenbaum, where he allowed that Warhol had at least operated the camera at times, while he did the rest of the logistics and creative decisions. “I just understood what Andy was doing and helped him do it. Andy usually operated the camera. I always did the lights, organized the film, got the actors together, told them what to do. We never ever told actors just to be themselves. That’s a lot of crap,” Morrissey insisted. 

Among the other contributions Morrissey made to Warhol’s cult status was helping discover and manage The Velvet Underground and co-founding the Interview magazine. Born in New York City on Feb. 23, 1938, Morrissey graduated from the Fordham Preparatory School in 1955 and four years later from Fordham University.

After a stint in the U.S. military, Morrissey moved to the East Village in late 1960 and opened the Exit Gallery. There he screened underground films like Brian De Palma’s debut short, Icarus, and made his own first films.

In 1975, after his collaboration with Warhol had run its course, Morrissey moved for a short period to Los Angeles and set about to finance and make his own films. Among those was a studio film, The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Sherlock Holmes parody that starred Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore, and his last film, News From Nowhere in 2010.

MORRISSEY, Paul (Paul J. Morrissey)

Born: 2/23/1938, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 10/28/2024, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

 

Paul Morrissey’s western – director, writer, cinematographer:

Lonesome Cowboys - 1968

RIP Nancy St. John

 

Nancy St. John, VFX Producer on ‘Gladiator,’ Dies at 70

Variety

By Carolyn Giardina

October 24, 2024

 

Veteran visual effects producer Nancy St. John, whose credits include the films “Babe” and “Gladiator” (both of which won VFX Oscar kudos), has died at the age of 70, the Visual Effects Society confirmed.

St. John held a career in VFX and computer animation that spanned more than four decades. She was a former VES executive board committee member who received the distinction of Fellow in 2021.

“Nancy and I served together on the Society’s executive committee, and she passionately represented the worldwide members,” past VES chair Jeffrey A. Okun said in a statement. “She was a vibrant, creative person and a knowledgeable practitioner who helped so many individuals and VFX companies along the way – always generous with her wit and wisdom, but also always aware of the bottom line. She will be sorely missed, and the world is now a little colder because she has moved on.”

St. John’s career in VFX and computer animation included stints at Robert Abel & Associates, Digital Productions, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Pacific Data Images, Industrial Light & Magic, Rhythm & Hues, Mill Film and Prime Focus. Her credits also includes VFX Oscar-nominated “I, Robot” and a string of films including “Bill & Ted Face the Music, “Ender’s Game,” “Men in Black 3,” “Immortals,” “James and the Giant Peach,” 2016’s “Ghostbusters” and 2012’s “Total Recall.”

Her contributions to the community included terms as both first and second vice chair of the VES board of directors, membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences VFX branch and VFX executive committee, and membership in the Producers Guild.

St. JOHN, Nancy

Born: 1954, U.S.A.

Died: 10/23/2024, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.

 

Nancy St. John’s western – VFX producer:

And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (TV) - 2003

RIP Ron Ely

 

Ron Ely, Star of the First Tarzan Series for Television, Dies at 86

He also starred as the pulp adventurer Doc Savage in a 1975 film and replaced Bert Parks as host of the Miss America pageant.

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

October 23, 2024

 

Ron Ely, the hunky and handsome Texas native who portrayed the Lord of the Jungle on the first Tarzan series for television, has died, his daughter Kirsten told Fox News Digital. He was 86.

He died Sept. 29 at the home of one of his daughters near Santa Barbara, The New York Times reported.

Ely also hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981, stepping in for longtime emcee Bert Parks, and presided over a syndicated game show called Face the Music around that time.

The 6-foot-4, blue-eyed Ely had appeared opposite Clint Walker in The Night of the Grizzly and with Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die in films released in 1966 when he was hired to don the loincloth in a new NBC series executive produced by Sy Weintraub.

Ely was offered the Tarzan gig after former NFL linebacker Mike Henry, who had played the Edgar Rice Burroughs creation in three ’60s films, abruptly quit after he was bitten in the jaw by a chimp. (He would go on to sue over unsafe working conditions.)

“I met with [producers] on a Monday, and when they offered me the role, I thought, ‘No way do I want to step into that bear trap. You do Tarzan and you are stamped for life.’ Was I ever right!” he recalled in a 2013 interview. “But my agent convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So on the [next] Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot the first episode.”

The show, which also filmed in Central America and Mexico, premiered in September 1966, and Ely had to perform his own stunts during the two-season, 57-episode run. (Since he was wearing hardly any clothing, it was hard to find a look-alike stunt double, he said.)

Ely was not unhappy when the series ended in March 1968. “Quite frankly, I don’t know that I could have even done anymore,” he said. “I was mentally and physically worn out. At the very least I would have needed a few months to recover. My body was a wreck. I had so many muscle pulls and tears and busted shoulders, wrists and bones. Every part of me had been hurt.”

Ely portrayed another legendary hero when he starred in the Warner Bros. film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975), produced and co-written by George Pal. He had high hopes for that, but a regime change at the studio torpedoed any chance the movie had for success, he said.

Ronald Pierce Ely was born on June 21, 1938, in Hereford, Texas. He graduated from Amarillo (Texas) High School in 1956 and then attended the University of Texas at Austin for a year before heading to California.

“I felt like a fish out of water in college. I felt like I was spinning my wheels,” he said. “Actually, I had a fraternity brother who asked me if I ever had any inclination to go to Los Angeles and act. I told him, ‘Yes, I’d thought about it.’ So we began to talk about it. … I ended up driving a car to San Jose and hitchhiking back to L.A.”

He made his screen debut playing a pilot in the 1958 film adaptation of South Pacific, then signed a contract with 20th Century Fox.

A year later, he tried to smooch Betty Anderson (Elinor Donahue) on an episode of Father Knows Best, played the older brother of Dwayne Hickman‘s character in the pilot for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and appeared with Barbara Eden on the syndicated TV version of How to Marry a Millionaire.

He then starred on The Aquanauts, a 1960-61 CBS adventure series about deep-sea divers salvaging sunken wrecks off the coast of Southern California.

After Tarzan, he did several films in Europe, portrayed Mike Nelson (Lloyd Bridges’ character) on a 1987 syndicated revival of Sea Hunt and worked on other TV shows like The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Wonder Woman, L.A. Law and Sheena.

In the 1990s, he played a retired Superman on Superboy and a big-game hunter in the syndicated Tarzan the Hunted and had published two novels that featured private eye Jake Sands.

On Oct. 15, 2019, his second wife, former Miss Florida Valerie Lundeen Ely, 62, was stabbed to death in their Santa Barbara-area home by their son, Cameron, 30, who deputies found outside the house and fatally shot.

“My father was someone that people called a hero,” his daughter Kirsten said. “He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader. 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.”

Survivors include his other daughter, Kaitland.

ELY, Ron (Ronald Pierce Ely)

Born: 6/21/1938, Hereford, Texas, U.S.A.

Died: 9/29/2024, Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.

 

Ron Ely’s westerns – actor:

The Fiend Who Walked the West – 1958 (Deputy Jim Dyer)

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (TV) - 1960 (Arleigh Smith)

The Night of the Grizzly – 1966 (Tad Curry)

Alleluia and Sartana, Sons of God – 1972 (Alleluia/Hallelujah)

Cry of the Black Wolves – 1972 (Bill Robin/Robinson)

Hawkeye (TV) – 1994 (Harry March)