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Royal Dano (1922-1994) was a respected American character actor. Paul Dehn, when writing a first draft outline for the movie that would become Battle for the Planet of the Apes, described 'Nimrod', leader of the human resistance (and later revealed to be 'General Mendez', founder of the mutant dynasty) as "a grizzled giant by John Wayne out of Royal Dano".

Dano was not involved in that movie, but he went on to feature in the following year's Planet of the Apes television series, playing the role of Farrow in the pilot episode, "Escape from Tomorrow". Ron Harper was happy to be acting alongside the actor: "Royal Dano, who was in 'Escape from Tomorrow', I always admired because somewhere along the line I'd seen him play Abe Lincoln - and he looked like Abe Lincoln! He was gaunt and everything, and I always thought of him as Abe."[1]

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  1. I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews With 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-Fi by Tom Weaver (2008)
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