A hydraulic damper for a high speed actuator is provided to bring the actuator to rest with minimum oscillation around a target position. The hydraulic damper comprises a hydraulic circuit to communicate with the actuator over its entire positional range for the purpose of dampening a sudden stop of the actuator about a target position. The actuator is connected by a cable to a reel, the reel being connected to a shaft movement of the actuator produces rotation of the shaft. The shaft is also connected to a hydraulic motor which pumps hydraulic fluid through a hydraulic damper too, in effect, dampen the movement of the actuator.