Ron Harper (actor)

Ron Harper
Born	Ronald Robert Harper January 12, 1936 Turtle Creek, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA
Residence	California
Alma mater	Princeton University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1959–present

Ronald Robert "Ron" Harper^[1] (born January 12, 1936) is an American television and film actor.

Life and career

Harper was born in Turtle Creek in Allegheny County near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Mabel Grace (Champion) and George Harper.^[1] Harper became valedictorian of his senior class and won an academic scholarship to Princeton University in New Jersey, where he supplemented his academic studies by appearing in a number of plays and musical comedies, before moving to New York City, where he studied with Lee Strasberg.

After serving in the US Navy, Harper returned to New York. After several disappointments, he earned a job as Paul Newman's understudy in the Tennessee Williams play Sweet Bird of Youth in 1959.^[2] Moving to Hollywood, his first role was in 1960 in the NBC western series Tales of Wells Fargo starring Dale Robertson. Steady television guest appearances followed, including a spot on NBC's The Tall Man. In December 1960, Harper appeared in the episode "Duel at Parkison Town" of NBC's Laramie.^[3] He also appeared in soap operas, including CBS's Where the Heart Is and Love of Life.

Harper appeared as a regular performer on several TV series, including Planet of the Apes, and as Uncle Jack on the third season of Land of the Lost.

Television series

• 87th Precinct (1961–1962), a police drama with Robert Lansing
• Wendy and Me (1964–1965), a comedy with George Burns, Connie Stevens, J. Pat O'Malley, and James T. Callahan
• The Jean Arthur Show (1966), a comedy, as Paul Marshall, the son of fictitious attorney Patricia Marshall, played by Jean Arthur
• Garrison's Gorillas (1967–1968), a World War II drama series
• Planet of the Apes (1974) as Alan Virdon, one of the astronauts
• Land of the Lost (third season, 1976) as Uncle Jack Marshall
• Generations, a soap opera, as Peter Whitmore (1990–1991)

He resides in California and continues to act.^[4]

References

1. Ron Harper Biography (1936-)
2. Sweet Bird of Youth at IBDB
3. "Duel at Parkison Town". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
4. imdb.com

External links

• Ron Harper at the Internet Movie Database
• Ron Harper at the Internet Broadway Database
• Garrison's Gorillas Headquarters (Chinese Website for Garrison's Gorillas)
• Interview with Ron Harper at Classic Film & TV Cafe