Ex-Generations Patriarch Ron Harper Dead At 91

Ron Harper, who appeared on Another World, Capitol, and Generations, has passed away. He was 91 years old. The actor died of natural causes at his home in West Hills, Calif. on Thursday, March 21.

Acting In Lieu Of Law

Harper’s death was confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter by his daughter, Nicole Longeuay. The actor was born Ronald Robert Harper on January 12, 1936, to George and Maple Harper in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. A gifted student, he earned a fellowship to Harvard to study law but he was bit by the acting bug instead. 

While performing in a play at Princeton University, Professor Albert Einstein paid a backstage visit and asked Harper what he was going to do in the future. He told the famed physicist that he was going to practice law. Einstein told the young lad, “You’ll have a good life if you decide to do what you love.” [interview with Classic Film and TV Café in 2015] Inspired, he went on to study with the late Lee Strasberg.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Harper continued his studies in New York. In 1959, he landed his first major gig as an understudy for Paul Newman for the Broadway production of Sweet Bird of Youth. The budding actor relocated to Hollywood where his career picked up momentum.

Harper quickly began beefing up his resume with guest appearances on shows such as Tales of Wells Fargo, Thriller, Wagon Train, The Deputy, The Tall Man, Shotgun Slade, 87th Precinct, Laramie, Garrison’s Gorillas, and The Big Valley.

The 70s started with a bang as the actor landed his first starring role in a movie as Steve Blaine in The Wild Season, opposite Victor Buono, Diane McBain, and Slim Pickens. He was a series regular on the TV shows Planet of the Apes and Land of the Lost.

In 1971, he added daytime serials to his repertoire as Steve Prescott in the soap opera, Where the Heart Is. He added other daytime roles in the 80s such as Dr. Andrew Marriott on Love of Life, Taylor Halloway on Another World, Charles Hartman on Loving, and the roles of Jarrett Morgan and Baxter McCandless on Capitol.

Harper would take on the role of patriarch Peter Whitmore in 1990 on the short-lived serial Generations where he starred opposite Joan Pringle (Ruth); the series also starred Dorothy Lyman (Rebecca), Debbi Morgan (Chantal), Kelly Rutherford (Sam), and Kristoff St. John (Adam).

The actor stayed busy with roles on such series as Remington Steele, Dragnet, Beverly Hill 90210, Melrose Place, Boy Meets World, Walker Texas Ranger, Malibu CA, The West Wing, and Cold Case.

Film credits included Below Utopia, Freedom Strike, The Odd Couple II, Pearl Harbor, Venomous, Glass Trap, Touched, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Uncorked, American Bandits: Frank and Jesse James, Whoa!, and Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story.

Ron Harper is survived by a daughter, Nicole. Soap Hub sends its sincere condolences to his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.