Original 'Tarzan' Actor Ron Ely Dies at 86... Bitten by Lion During Filming

Performing Action Scenes Personally Without Stunts

Ron Ely, the actor who played the main character Tarzan in the 1960s American drama 'Tarzan,' passed away last month at the age of 86.

According to AP, AFP, and other news agencies on the 24th (local time), Ely's daughter Kirsten Ely announced through her social media accounts that he died on the 29th of last month at his home in Los Angeles (LA).

Ron Ely, who played Tarzan in a 1960s American TV series. The photo shows him in 1987. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

Ely was an actor who gained fame by playing the lead role of Tarzan in the Tarzan TV series and movies from the 1960s to the 1970s. The Tarzan he portrayed was depicted not just as a character who relied on physical strength but as an intellectually educated figure closer to the original novel. Standing at 193 cm tall with a robust physique, his appearance?shirtless and wearing only a cloth around his thighs?greatly influenced the typical image of Tarzan that was later solidified through Disney animations and other adaptations. The TV series featuring Ely was also broadcast in South Korea during the 1980s.

Ely was also famous for performing all the action scenes himself without using stunt doubles while filming 'Tarzan.' During this process, he sustained various injuries, including being bitten by a lion, but he completed all the action scenes to the end.

Later, Ely married Valerie Ely, a former beauty pageant contestant, in 1984 and had three children. He retired in 2001 to focus on spending time with his family. After retirement, he authored and published several detective novels and made a brief appearance in a TV movie in 2014.

[Image source=Ron Eli Instagram]

However, he experienced a tragedy in 2019 when he lost his wife and son first. At that time, Ely's 30-year-old son Cameron killed his mother Valerie. Cameron was also shot dead after a standoff with the police who arrived at the scene. It was reported that the police fired shots after Cameron resisted.

Ely's daughter Kirsten paid tribute to her father in a post on Instagram, saying he was "a man people called a hero" and that "he was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, head of the family, and leader."