Cornelius (Planet of the Apes)

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Cornelius
Planet of the Apes character
Roddy McDowall as Cornelius
First appearance	Planet of the Apes (1963)
Last appearance	Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Created by	Pierre Boulle
Portrayed by	Roddy McDowall David Watson (Beneath the Planet of the Apes)
In-universe information
Species	Evolved chimpanzee
Occupation	Archeologist Historian
Family	Caesar (son)
Spouse	Zira (wife)

Cornelius is a fictional character in the Planet of the Apes universe. He first appears in Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète des singes, and goes on to appear in the first three films of the franchise: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971). He was portrayed by actor Roddy McDowall in the first and third films; owing to McDowall's absence, he was played instead by David Watson in Beneath.

Cornelius is an ape historian, archeologist, and scientist, and the fiancé (later husband) of Zira.^[1] He is the inventor of a theory which states that apes evolved from a more primitive species, possibly humans. Along with Zira, he befriends George Taylor, the human astronaut stranded in the future, and later accepts that apes did not evolve from humans. In Beneath the Planet of the Apes, he later befriends Brent, another astronaut who has been sent to rescue Taylor. Later, he, along with Zira and Dr. Milo, take Taylor's time machine back to the 1970s to escape the destruction of Earth. He is the father of Caesar.