Actor and author Ron Ely, best known for playing Tarzan on TV, has died at the age of 86.

Ely was born in Hereford, Texas on June 21, 1938. He was raised in Amarillo, Texas. He died of natural causes in Los Alamos, California, on September 29, 2024, but his family kept their grief private and only released the news of his loss October 23, 2024.

Ron Ely’s first acting role was in the Rogers and Hammerstein movie South Pacific (1958), which starred Mitzi Gaynor, France Nuyen (Elaan of Troyius on Star Trek), and Ray Walston (Uncle Martin in My Favorite Martian).

Ron Ely was hesitant at first to accept the role that brought him fame. “I met with them 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’,” Ely said in an interview. “Was I ever right! But my agent convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So, on the Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot the first episode.”

The role of Tarzan was hard on him. He said, “[on the ending of the Tarzan TV series] Quite frankly, I don’t know that I could have even done anymore. 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.” After several broken bones, and a few lion bites, Ely stepped away from acting to concentrate on being a father to his three young children and writing.

In addition to starring in the 1966-1968 television show Tarzan, he also starred as Doc Savage in the somewhat controversial film Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975).

Ely penned wrote two mystery novels about private detective Jake Sands: Night Shadows (1994) and East Beach (1995), both featuring a detective named Jake Sands.

Ely’s last acting rolewas as Elder Miller in the film Expecting Amish (2014). Naturally, once he was typecast as the world’s most famous action/adventure hero, he was cast in similar roles. He played Superman on one episode of Superboy. He guest starred in Sheena and on Wonder Woman. He guest starred once on the 1990s TV show Tarzán. He appeared on Hawkeye, the ’90s show about the James Fenimore Cooper woodsman, not the Disney Plus show about the archer. He appeared on Steve Canyon.

Before Tarzan, Ely starred in The Aquanauts as Mike Madison. He played a deputy in the western thriller The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958). He had a role in the western adventure Night of the Grizzly (1966).

Ely was involved in a controversy when his son killed his wife in 2019. Valerie Lundeen Ely was stabbed to death in their Santa Barbara home by their 30 year old son Cameron Ely. Ron Ely was home at the time of the stabbling. Cameron was shot and killed by police after being identified as the suspect. Ely contested the police report, asking why the police felt the need to shoot him if he was carrying no visible weapons at the time.

Ron Ely is survived by his daughters, Kirsten and Kaitland. His son, Cameron, predeceased him in 2019. He was married twice, first to his high school sweetheart, Helen Janet Triplet in 1959. They divorced in 1961. His second marriage was to Valerie Lundeen, Miss Florida, 1981. They married in 1984, and had three children together.