Actor Ron Harper, who starred in Land of the Lost and Planet of the Apes, died Thursday, March 21, 2024, of natural causes at his home. He was 91 years old.

He played astronaut Alan Virdon in the short-lived Planet of the Apes TV series in 1974, then went on to play Uncle Jack on Land of the Lost for the show’s final season in ’76.

Harper was born in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania on January 12, 1933. He studied at Princeton University and was awarded a fellowship to study at Harvard Law School, but chose to pursue acting instead.

Primarily a TV actor, Harper’s first onscreen appearance was in an episode of Kraft Theatre. He appeared in episodes of Tales of Wells Fargo, Wagon Train, and The Tall Man, he played Detective Bert Kling in 87th Precinct, was Jeff Conway in Wendy and Me, had a recurring role in The Jean Arthur Show, and played Lt. Craig Garrison in Garrison’s Gorillas.

His first prominent film role was in The Wild Season, then he had a recurring role in Another World, starred in The Soldier, played Peter Witmore on the soap opera Generations, and had guest spots in Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Boy Meets World, and Walker, Texas Ranger. He starred in Freedom Strike, Pearl Harbor, Glass Trap, Touched, and The Poughkeepsie Tapes, and he guest starred in Cold Case. His final role was 2015’s Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story.