Miles O'Keeffe
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Miles O'Keeffe (born June 20, 1954) is an American film and television actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the
title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
in the 1981 version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man''.


Youth

O'Keeffe was born in Ripley,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. A star
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
athlete, he attended the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...
and played halfback on the freshman football team in 1972. However, in 1973 he transferred to
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
under a football scholarship, playing as an
offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...
. During this time, he bulked up to . Subsequently, he transferred to University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee and became a small college
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
playing both
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
and
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
. After studying
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
and
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
, O'Keeffe became a prison counselor in the Tennessee penal system for a year or two where he became manager of playground activities and inmate weightlifting programs. He left for
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
to play in a
semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...
rugby team before becoming involved with
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
.


Acting career

Although O'Keeffe is known for his big break as Tarzan, he is also remembered for his performances in the title role of the first three '' Ator''
sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of Romance (love), romance, Magic (fantasy), magic, and the supernatural are also ...
films produced in Europe in the 1980s. The series gained attention in 1991 after a re-edited version of the second installment, released as '' Cave Dwellers'', was lampooned on the television series ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' (''MST3K''). The episode, which soon became immensely popular among fans, included one of the most-quoted quips in the show's history: "How much Keeffe is in this movie anyway?" "''Miles'' O'Keeffe!" Unlike some of ''MST3K's'' subjects (such as Sandy Frank), O'Keeffe is considered to be a "good sport" and is a fan of the series. He enjoyed the ''MST3K'' treatment of the film so much that he requested a copy of the episode. O'Keeffe gained cult status in the UK between 1999 and 2002 as a result of being targeted by
chat show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (20 ...
host
Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...
for prank calls, eventually appearing on the show '' So Graham Norton'' to great acclaim.


Selected filmography

*'' Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (1981), as
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
*'' Ator, The Fighting Eagle'' (1982) *'' S.A.S. à San Salvador'' (1983), as Malko Linge *'' The Blade Master'' (a.k.a. ''Ator 2 - L'invincibile Orion'', a.k.a. ''Cave Dwellers'') (1984) *'' Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' (1984) *''The Bengal Lancers!'' (1984, unfinished) *'' Lone Runner'' (1986) *'' Iron Warrior'' (a.k.a. ''Ator 3'') (1987) *'' Double Target'' (1987) *'' Campus Man'' (1987) *'' Waxwork'' (1988) *'' The Drifter'' (1988) *''Phantom Raiders'' (1988), as Python *'' Dead On: Relentless II'' (1992) *''
Zero Tolerance A zero-tolerance policy is one which imposes a punishment for every infraction of a stated rule.zero tolerance, n.' (under ''zero, n.''). The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. 1989. Retrieved 10 November 2009. Italy, Japan, Singapore China, I ...
'' (1995) *''Millennium Day'' (1995) *''Silent Hunter'' (1995) *'' Pocahontas: The Legend'' (1995), as
Captain John Smith John Smith ( – 21 June 1631) was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, admiral of New England, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, and his friend Mózes Székely. Followin ...
*''Marked Man'' (1996) *''Tiger'' (1997) *'' True Vengeance'' (1997) *''Dead Tides'' (1997) *''Diamondbacks'' (1999) *''Unconditional Love'' (1999) *''Moving Targets'' (1999) *''Blood and Honor'' (2000) *''Out of the Black'' (2001) *''The Unknown'' (a.k.a. ''Clawed: The Legend of
Sasquatch Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...
'') (2005)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okeeffe, Miles American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Tennessee 1954 births Living people People from Ripley, Tennessee