Gil Gerard, the actor from Arkansas, is most known for playing the witty hero in the 1979-81 NBC series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." He passed away on Tuesday at the age of 82.
Gil Gerard lived in Georgia and died after fighting a rare and aggressive type of cancer, according to his wife, Janet, who shared the news on Facebook.
In 1977, Gerard played the love interest of Lee Grant in the movie "Airport '77" and also starred as a moonshiner in the comedy "Hooch," set in Appalachia.
It was during this time that he was offered the role of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a show co-produced by Glen A. Larson at Universal Television.
The show was based on a popular comic strip character, most famously portrayed in a 1939 movie serial with Olympic swimmer Buster Crabbe.
The light-hearted sci-fi series started with a 1979 movie, which was made because of the success of "Star Wars."
Initially, Gerard wasn't interested in the part.
He had seen how playing a cartoon character like Batman affected Adam West's career and didn't want to do something that seemed campy. However, he was eventually convinced to take the role. The movie became a hit, making it one of the top 25 highest-grossing films that year. The film was then retooled to serve as the show's two-hour pilot episode.
The show lasted two seasons and had a total of 32 episodes before it was canceled in April 1981.
After "Buck Rogers," Gerard starred in a number of telefilms, including the highly rated "Help Wanted: Male" in 1982 with Suzanne Pleshette.
He also played a bachelor cop who teaches martial arts to a young boy, Ernie Reyes Jr., in the 1986-87 ABC series "Sidekicks."
Gil Gerard starred with Ernie Reyes Jr. on the 1986-87 ABC series "Sidekicks."
Walt Disney Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Gilbert Cyril Gerard, the youngest of three boys, was born on January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkansas.
His father, Frank, was a knife salesman, and his mother, Gladys, was a teacher.
After graduating from Little Rock Catholic High School and spending a couple of years at Arkansas State Teacher College (now the University of Central Arkansas), he moved to New York in 1969 to study acting with Philip Burton at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.
He also worked as a taxi driver at night to support himself. One of his fares arranged for him to audition for a small role in the film "Love Story," which was being filmed in New York. He ended up working on the movie for about 10 weeks.
Gerard spent the next few years appearing in more than 400 commercials and played the role of Alan Stewart, a former POW turned doctor, on the NBC soap "The Doctors" from 1973-76.
He also appeared with Cliff Robertson in Frank Perry's "Man on a Swing" (1974).
He wrote and produced the film "Hooch" for his own production company, Prudhomme Productions.
He admitted the movie was based on "Smokey and the Bandit."
After playing a carpenter who falls in love with Caroline Ingalls (Karen Grassle) on a 1977 episode of "Little House on the Prairie," Michael Landon hired him to star in "Stone," a series about a man rebuilding his life after a decade in prison.
A pilot was made, but the show wasn't picked up.
As Captain William Anthony "Buck" Rogers, a NASA/U.S. Air Force pilot frozen in space in 1987 and discovered in the year 2491 after a nuclear war, Gerard starred opposite Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering and Felix Silla as the robot Twiki, voiced by Mel Blanc.
Gerard said in 2017 that he thought the character had a realistic sense of humor and humanity.
He felt the character wasn’t a stiff or a superhero, but instead a man who could solve problems on his feet.
In 1983, Gerard produced the Broadway musical "Amen Corner," which was based on the James Baldwin play and starred Rhetta Hughes.
Gerard also appeared in the 1990 CBS series "E.A.R.T.H. Force," hosted the 1992 reality show "Code 3," played Major Dodd on the NBC daytime soap "Days of Our Lives," and appeared in the 2016 comedy "The Nice Guys" with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.
He was the subject of the 2007 Discovery Health Channel documentary "Action Hero Makeover," where he decided to have gastric bypass surgery after his weight had reached 350 pounds.
In a 1990 article in People, he estimated he had lost over $1 million in work due to overeating.
Gerard had a long friendship with former President Bill Clinton and was married four times, including once to actress Connie Sellecca from 1979 until their 1987 divorce.
His surviving family includes his son with Sellecca, Gib.
In a post on his Facebook account, Gerard wrote: "My life has been an amazing journey.
The opportunities I've had, the people I've met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying. ... Don't waste your time on anything that doesn't thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos."
