Ron Harper Dead at 91 Years Old

(RepublicanDaily.org) – Ron Harper, one of Hollywood’s iconic and classic actors, has passed away at the age of 91.

The actor’s death was attributed to natural causes. He passed away in his home in West Hills, California, according to his daughter, Nicole Longeuay. She confirmed her father’s death on a post on social media, also revealing that Harper had been suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia for a number of years, which she said “started to take his mind from him years ago.”

She added, “it’s hard to believe he is physically gone now too.”

Harper was most known for his roles in the old cult classic films “Planet of the Apes” and “Land of the Lost.” Hailing from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania and born on January 12, 1933, Harper attended Princeton University on a scholarship and following his graduation, pursued acting, at the expense of turning down an offer for a fellowship at Harvard Law School.

The actor first exercised his acting chops during a short stint on Broadway, but moved on to television to play Detective Bert Kling on “87^th Precinct”, a police procedural show by NBC. He played the role from 1961 to 1962. The show was his television debut, kicking off a television career that lasted for a decade a half.

After 87^th Precinct, Harper then moved on to the show “Wendy and Me” where he played Jeff Conway, the husband of the titular character, who was in turn played by Connie Stevens. His time on the show was from 1964 to 1965. From then to 1967, Harper then took successive roles in “The Jean Arthur Show” (1966) by CBS, and Garrison’s Gorillas (1967) by ABC. Following the box-office success of the “Planet of the Apes” film in 1968, a series of the same name was launched, with Harper playing astronaut Alan Virdon. His other memorable role, that of Uncle Jack in NBC’s Land of the Lost, was for the show’s third and final season in 1976.