Linda Melson Harrison (born July 26, 1945) is an American television and film actress. She is best remembered for portraying Nova alongside co-star Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes. She went on to appear in many films and then made a cameo in 2001's Planet of the Apes film directed by Tim Burton. She retired from acting for family reasons until returning to co-star in 2018's Midnight Massacre, a modern day version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar directed by Travis Bowen. Linda is considered Hollywood royalty as her family created 20th Century Fox.