Linda Harrison (1945- ) is an American actress. She is world-famous, though not by name, for one part in one film where she spoke no lines at all: she played Nova, Charlton Heston’s girlfriend in “Planet of the Apes” (1968). She was also in “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) where she said just one word: “Taylor!”, the name of Heston’s character.
I think she is one of the most beautiful white women ever. I was reminded of her when I was on Zaius Nation the other day.
She grew up in Berlin, Maryland on the Delmarva Peninsula. In the early 1960s she won a string of beauty contests in Maryland, becoming Miss Maryland in 1965 – and coming close to winning Miss USA.
In 1965 she came to New York to become a model and maybe an actress. She did a screen test for 20th Century Fox and landed a seven-year contract!
In 1966 she played a cheerleader twice on the television show “Batman” and was in a Jerry Lewis film, “Way… Way Out”.
In 1967 she was in “A Guide for the Married Man”: she appears for five minutes with blonde hair but says no lines. She also became the first woman ever to play Wonder Woman for television (the show failed).
In 1968 she was in “Planet of the Apes”. Again no lines, but this time there was a good reason: her character lives in a world where apes talk and humans do not!
I felt very intuitive that my particular personality and nature were like Nova. Automatically, I’d say that’s about 80% of the part. The director, the producer and the writer talked with me about her, and they described her as “sub-human.” We hadn’t really had an actress play “sub-human” before. Nova’s not like Raquel Welch’s character in “One Million Years B.C.” (1966). She was more primitive because of the apes’ suppression. We played it by ear and experimented. It was really a moment-to-moment thing.
The trope is Nubile Savage, kissing cousin of the Jungle Princess.
In 1969 she played a regular character on the television show “Bracken’s World”, which was cancelled in the second season. About this time she made the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine and became friends with editor Helen Gurley Brown.
Also in 1969 she married Richard Zanuck, a producer whose father ran Fox. After “Bracken’s World” Harrison dropped out of sight to become a mother to two sons, Harrison and Dean. She divorced in 1978.
She later appeared in some other films, like “Airport 1975″ (1974) and “Cocoon” (1985), but nothing to top Nova.
She almost played Roy Scheider’s wife in “Jaws” (1975). Her husband produced “Jaws” and wanted her for the part, but unfortunately he was overruled by the head of Universal who put in his own wife instead.
Harrison appeared briefly in Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of “Planet of the Apes” as Woman In Cart.
These days you can still see her at science fiction conventions!
See also:
Whoa!!!! I’m now very hard!!!
She’s hot!!!
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No wonder your ex?-wife gives you grief!
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she looks a bit like natalie wood
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She is a gorgeous woman and clearly Abagond’s type. Check out her hourglass figure.
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abagond
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Never heard of her. She is very pretty.
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Yes, Peanut, I am here. Were you going to say something?
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She does look kind of like Natalie Wood.
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WOW!!! So that’s her name. I remember watching this movie for my drama class in high school. All the guys were blown away by her beauty. These pics don’t do her justice. You really have to see the movie to get it. She one of the many reasons I like the this version more than that lame remake.
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she is very plain. looks like a regular white girl. shes probaly all wrinkled up now too.
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Jasmine, you’re not too jealous are you. I can only imagine what you look like. Black women are so jealous of white women.
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I still don’t understand why back in days actresses and actors( of any race) were far more gorgeous than the actual ones.
Igor Says:
Jasmine, you’re not too jealous are you. I can only imagine what you look like. Black women are so jealous of white women.
LMAO!!! Igor
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@Igor
Igor Says:
“Jasmine, you’re not too jealous are you. I can only imagine what you look like. Black women are so jealous of white women.”
Jasmine is entitled to her opinion. This has nothing to do with jealousy. Personally, I always thought she was attractive, but her shapely figure (no plastic surgery) impressed me further.
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Igor’s back again!!!
Just ignore him. He’ll soon go back to his master, Dracula.
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I agree with Igor. Jasmine did sound jealous, but I don’t agree with the statement of black women being jealous of white women in general.
What’s there to be jealous about? Everyone’s unique and how boring it would be if we were all the same.
Black women are just AS beautiful as white women. They just don’t receive the attention they deserve.
Just my worthless 2 pennies.
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I think she is pretty and I’m black. But we all have different tastes and if someone doesn’t appeal to us, it’s not always jealousy. That just may be Jasmine’s opinion.
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In answer to Jasmine, her looks have held up remarkably well. Here is how she looked in 2000 at age 55:
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The picture of her on the cover of cosmo looks like Leah Remini from King of Queens
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@ Mandy
Your ignorant ass comment is uncalled for. If Jasmine dont find the woman attractive thats her opinion and she have that right. What the hell is a black twit? You racist ass whites say the dumbest things.
Back to the post
Linda Harrison is very pretty in the top photo she reminds me of Raquel Welch. I find Raquel Welch more beautiful because I like her reddish brown hair.
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I wouldn’t pull out. Even now in the present.
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I love her so much. I wish I could marry her when she was 24 again lol
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she’s like the megan fox of the 70’s wow, well except linda is naturally beautiful
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