Beloved Hollywood actor Ron Harper from Planet of the Apes dead at 91

A beloved Hollywood actor who played a leading role in Planet of the Apes has passed away at his Los Angeles home.

Hollywood film star Ron Harper has passed away aged 91.

The American actor, who starred in Planet Of The Apes and Land Of The Lost, died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, his daughter Nicole Longeuay, told Hollywood Reporter.

His notable career spanned decades, serving in the U.S. Navy before returning to New York City to serve as Paul Newman’s understudy in Sweet Bird of Youth on Broadway.

He then moved to Los Angeles later on to pursue a career in television, getting his foot in the door with a 1960 role in NBC’s Tales of Wells Fargo before booking spots in shows such as

Wagon Train, Shotgun Slade and 87th Precinct, in which he played Det. Bert Kling on multiple episodes.

Hollywood actor Ron Harper has died aged 91. Picture: Getty Images

Other regular gig at the time included a run on Garrison’s Gorillas, as well as Where the Heart Is and one of his most famous roles, Alan Virdon, one of the astronauts on Planet of the Apes (1974) television series.

Harper later found success in daytime dramas, being cast at Taylor Holloway on Another World in 1980. Three years later, he joined Loving as Charles Hartman.

In 1990, he played Peter Whitmore on Generations, while other credits include acting in Pearl Harbor and playing a chairman on The West Wing.

He was best known for his role in Planet of the Apes. Picture: 20th Century Fox

Some of Harper’s famous movie roles included starring in Below Utopia (1997), The Odd Couple II (1998), Freedom Strike (1998), Glass Trap (2005) and The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007).

He retired from acting nine years ago, with his last role being on Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story (2015).

Harper was born in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania on January 12, 1933, and was described as a smart straight-A student who went to Princeton University, an ivy league college.

He was even offered a chance to study at Harvard Law School but turned it all down to pursue a career in acting instead.

He starred as astronaut Alan Virdon on the show. Picture: 20th Century Fox

“I kept saying to myself, ‘Should you waste your good education being an actor?’ And that little voice within me kept saying things like, ‘What do you want to take that fellowship to Harvard Law for? Be an actor. Starving is fun,’” he said in 1966.

“And like the fool that any actor has to be, I listened to that dumb little voice.”

In addition to his daughter, Harper will also be missed by his son-in-law, Daniel; granddaughters Ronnie and Harper; and ex-wife Shirley.

His first wife was actress Sally Stark.