At the age of 66, Clarence Gilyard Jr. passed away. He was most remembered for playing the title character in the television series Walker, Texas Ranger.
He made his acting debut in Top Gun in 1986, and the following year, he was cast in Die Hard as computer hacker Theo.
After that, the veteran of film and television spent four seasons as a series regular on Matlock before getting his big break on Walker, Texas Ranger, where he appeared in all eight seasons.
“I’ve been lucky,” Tony Scott, John Avildsen, and Michael Mann were among the former collaborators of Gilyard.
“The filmmakers who were after me stated, “This kid should be in my movie,” despite the fact that there are actors who are more intelligent and appear better physically.”
“He reassured me that working in this field would enable me to accomplish my dreams, even if I would need to be adaptable and face the realities of the industry.”
Gilyard was born in Moses Lake, Washington, but before ending up in California, he and his family moved to a number of air bases all across the country.
Gilyard was a member of the American Air Force. The actress from “Matlock,” Elena, had been happily married to him since 2001.
California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Dominguez Hills are where Gilyard earned his acting bachelor’s degree.
He taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ College of Fine Arts during the last part of his career and has been there since 2006.
In a statement announcing his passing, the facility referred to him as “a source of light and strength for everyone around him.”
“He would enthusiastically exclaim, “Blessed!” whenever we inquired about his wellbeing. However, we were the ones who were fortunate enough to work with him and learn under him for such a long time.”
“We adore you and will miss you tremendously.” Professor, g! The UNLV film department’s chair, Heather Addison, stated.
According to a statement from Nancy J. Uscher, dean of the UNLV School of Medicine, “his students and those who knew him were profoundly inspired by him.”
He had a good reputation within the institution because of his passion for teaching and his achievements in the workplace.
Gilyard’s death’s circumstances have not yet been made public.
