biography
Born in Ripley, Tennessee, on June 20, 1954, handsome 6'3" Miles O'Keeffe played football as a wide receiver at Mississippi State and Sewanee, graduating in 1977. He earned a degree in psychology and briefly worked as a prison counselor. In the late 1970s, O'Keeffe headed for California and played semi-professional rugby; afterward he drifted into working as a stunt man and, in the meanwhile, taking a few bit parts in films. His big break in 1981 came when he was cast as Tarzan in the film
Tarzan, the Ape Man.
Beefcake photo of Miles O'Keeffe from the early 1980s
Released in 1981,
Tarzan, the Ape Man was a vehicle for director
John Derek's wife, Bo Derek. Upon its release, the film generated poor reviews by critics, primarily because the character Tarzan wasn't the focus of the film; rather, Jane (Bo Derek) has the majority of screen time. The film chalked up no fewer than six Razzie nominations in 1982. Bo Derek won the Razzie Award for worst actress (actually, she tied with Faye Dunaway), but the nod for Worst Film went to
Mommie Dearest (1981; with Faye Dunaway, Steve Forrest, and
Diana Scarwid).
the films of miles o'keeffe
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)




LEFT and CENTER: Miles O'Keeffe as Tarzan. RIGHT: With Bo Derek on the December 1981 cover of Muscular Development
Ator the Invincible, aka Cave Dwellers (1984)
Joel Hodgson, Tom Servo, and Crow T. Robot watch Miles O'Keeffe in Cave Dwellers (aka Ator the Invincible) during episode #301 of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Sword of the Valiant (1984)


O'Keeffe as Sir Gawain in the adventure Sword of the Valiant
Ator the Iron Warrior (1987)
From O'Keeffe's last outing as Ator in Ator the Iron Warrior
Waxwork (1988)
As Dracula in the comedy/horror flick Waxwork
Liberty & Bash (1990)

From the action thriller Liberty & Bash. LEFT: O'Keeffe as Liberty. RIGHT: Home video poster with Lou Ferrigno
Cartel (1990)
As Chuck Taylor in the action thriller Cartel
Unconditional Love (1999)
With Mette Holt in the action flick Unconditional Love
miles o'keeffe today
After acting in
S.A.S. San Salvador and
Sword of the Valiant, both released in 1982, O'Keeffe headed to Italy to shoot
Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1983). Through 1987, he made a number of films in Italy, such as
Ator the Invincible (1984),
Lone Runner (1986), and
Double Target (1987). Since then, O'Keeffe has made more than 20 films; in the year 2000 alone, he starred in four features. After a five-year hiatus, O'Keeffe returned to acting in the short film
King of the Road, which was shot in the Pittsburgh area in the summer of 2008. Now 63 years old, he appears to be retired from acting.
miles o'keeffe dvds available from amazon.com
miles o'keeffe downloads available
filmography
FILM
King of the Road (2010)
Clawed: The Legend of Sasquatch (2005) with Dylan Purcell and Lee Purcell
Savage Season (2001) with Wings Hauser
Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000) with Dan Haggerty and Jan-Michael Vincent
Fatal Conflict (2000) with Kari Wuhrer
Out of the Black (2000) with Sally Kirkland and Sally Struthers
Blood and Honor (2000)
Unconditional Love (1999) with Henry Silva, Adrian Zmed, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Antonio Fargas, and Robert Culp
Diamondbacks (1998) with Christopher Mitchum and Timothy Bottoms
Moving Targets (1998) with Burt Ward
Shoot (1998) with Christopher Atkins and Dedee Pfeiffer
Dead Tides (1997) with Roddy Piper and Tawny Kitaen
True Vengeance (1997) with Beverly Johnson
Marked Man (1995) with Roddy Piper
Millenium Day (1995) with Dana Plato
Pocahontas: The Legend (1995)
Silent Hunter (1995) with Fred Williamson
Zero Tolerance (1994) with Robert Patrick and Mick Fleetwood
Acting on Impulse (1993) with Peter Lupus, Paul Bartel, Adam Ant, and Cassandra Peterson
Sins of the Night (1993) with Richard Roundtree
Relentless II: Dead On (1991) with Ray Sharkey
King's Ransom (1991) with Christopher Atkins
Cartel (1990) with Don Stroud and William Smith
Liberty & Bash (1990) with Lou Ferrigno and Gary Conway
Fashion Crimes (1989)
The Drifter (1988) with Kim Delaney and Timothy Bottoms
Waxwork (1988) with Deborah Foreman
Campus Man (1987) with Kim Delaney and Morgan Fairchild
Double Target (1987) with Donald Pleasence and Bo Svenson
Inglorious Bastards 2: Hell's Heroes (1987) with Fred Williamson and Chuck Connors
Ator the Iron Warrior (1987)
Colombian Connection (1987)
Lone Runner (1986)
Ator the Invincible (1984) with Lisa Foster
Ator, the Fighting Eagle (1983) with Edmund Purdom
S.A.S. San Salvador (1982) with Sybil Danning
Sword of the Valiant (1982) with Sean Connery and Peter Cushing
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981) with Bo Derek, Richard Harris, and John Phillip Law; directed by John Derek
Watch the trailer for Miles O'Keeffe's 1987 film
Iron Warrior

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This page premiered July 3, 2001.