Ron Ely net worth: Fortune explored as Tarzan star dies aged 86

Ron Ely, the 86-year-old actor known for his role in NBC's Tarzan, passed away on September 29, 2024, at his home in Los Alamos, California. His daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, confirmed the news. Ely had also appeared in The Aquanauts and Fantasy Island, and his net worth was $7 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Kirsten also took to her Instagram page to share a tribute post for Ron Ely on Wednesday, October 23, adding a few photos where the latter was posing with his family members. Kirsten described Ron as a talented "actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader", adding that he left an impact on everyone's lives.

Kirsten continued praising her father by writing:

"My father was my world – and what an incredible world he created. He was strong and protective. He was brilliant and ridiculously funny. He was stoic and sensitive. He was dynamic and powerful. He was my role model and inspiration. He was humble and inherently received respect – the respect he so deserved."

Kirsten mentioned that Ron Ely always did the right thing and that he also sacrificed a lot to help those who were close to him. Kirsten further stated:

"I am doing my best to walk this path of loss with the strength and grace that I know he would want for me. I picking up the pieces of my heart that feel like pieces of him – and cementing those firmly in place before I pick up the rest of the broken bits. It makes me feel like part of him is still here – and I need that – and the world needs that."

Kirsten said she was satisfied since her father was now with her mother and brother. She said she would miss him as she would carry the best moments she spent with him over the years.

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Ron Ely accumulated a lot of wealth from his career in the entertainment industry: Earnings and other details explained

Also known as Ronald Pierce Ely, he built a huge fanbase among the public while appearing in the NBC series Tarzan. But apart from this, many other projects contributed to making him a popular face, with his roles being praised by critics and audiences.

Although Tarzan premiered in 1966, Ely started his career with the romantic musical film, South Pacific. He played a minor role in the 1958 film which turned out to be successful at the box office. Ron Ely slowly expanded his career to television where he was seen in TV shows like Father Knows Best, Playhouse 90, and How to Marry a Millionaire.

He was then cast in Tarzan, where the lead role was originally played by Mike Henry. However, Henry left the show after being injured by a chimp. While Ron Ely originally hesitated to play the character, he was convinced by his agent for the same, as per The Express.

In an interview with the outlet in 2013, Ron Ely even recalled the time when he was working on the show, saying that there was an episode where his character had to capture a tiger who was terrorizing villagers in Africa. He said that the script featured a fight scene between him and the tiger and continued:

"You can imagine what must have gone through my veins. I thought the writers were trying to get me killed. I knew the dangers on set. We had already an elephant go berserk and kill three people on our show some weeks ago."

Although the show ended in 1968, Ron Ely's success continued with his appearances in other series and films. He was the host of the game show Face the Music and appeared as Mike Nelson in 22 episodes of Sea Hunt. He additionally played a few characters in The Love Boat.

He appeared on a show titled Sheena and exited the entertainment industry to spend more time with his family members. Furthermore, he had several films in his credits such as The Night of the Grizzly, Once Before I Die, and Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.