Born in Turtle Creek, a small town just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Harper became valedictorian of his senior class and won an academic scholarship to Princeton where he supplemented his academic studies by appearing in a number of plays and musical comedies. He then earned a fellowship to study law at Harvard but the "acting bug" lured him instead to New York where he studied with Lee S ...
show all Born in Turtle Creek, a small town just east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Harper became valedictorian of his senior class and won an academic scholarship to Princeton where he supplemented his academic studies by appearing in a number of plays and musical comedies. He then earned a fellowship to study law at Harvard but the "acting bug" lured him instead to New York where he studied with Lee Strasberg. Next came a stint in the U.S. Navy, (mostly spent in Panama), followed by a return to New York. After several disappointments he earned a job as Paul Newman's understudy in "Sweet Bird of Youth". Hollywood soon beckoned and he appeared in a succession of TV series: "87th Precinct" (1961)", "Jean Arthur Show, The" (1966)", "Wendy and Me" (1964)", "Garrison's Gorillas" (1967)" and "Planet of the Apes" (1974)".
Following "Apes", Harper appeared in several soap-operas and guest-starred on various TV shows. He now lives in California.
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