American actor, novelist, and academic Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr. He was best known to television viewers for his portrayals of Texas Ranger Jimmy Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001) and private eye Conrad McMasters on the courtroom drama series Matlock (1986–95).
Gilyard was also well-known for his supporting parts as terrorist computer guru Theo and pilot “Sundown” in the 1980s action movies Top Gun and Die Hard. From 2006 until his passing in 2022, he served as an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Here are more details about the actor.
Clarence Gilyard Cause of De@th
Actor Clarence Gilyard Jr., known for his roles in Die Hard and Top Gun, passed away on Monday. He was 66. He has been a professor of film and television at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, since 2006. There are currently no other facts available regarding his passing.
Gilyard, a well-known face in movies and television for many years, played the roles of Sundown in TopGun from 1986 and the evil computer genius Theo in Die Hard from 1989.
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The University of Nevada, Las Vegas issued a statement confirming Gilyard’s passing. At the UNLV College of Fine Arts, Gilyard was a professor of theater and film.
“Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him at UNLV,” added UNLV film chair Heather Addison. “Whenever we asked him how he was, he would cheerfully declare that he was ‘Blessed!’ But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years. We love you and will miss you dearly, Professor G!”
He returned to the Die Hard character in 2020 for a commercial for Advanced Auto Parts honoring the firm’s acquisition of the DieHard battery brand.
In an interview with Nevada Public Radio, Gilyard described the experience as “surreal” and added that the commercial also featured Bruce Willis’ John McClane.
Gilyard co-starred alongside Andy Griffith in 85 episodes of the crime drama Matlock from 1989 to 1993 as private eye Conrad McMasters. Later, Gilyard played Jimmy Trevette opposite Chuck Norris in the CBS action-adventure series Walker, Texas Ranger, which ran from 1993 until 2001.
He finished his MFA in Theatre Performance at Southern Methodist University after the performance, and he later started teaching theater and film at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Gilyard was still actively acting at the time of his passing and was busy filming the television movie Eleanor’s Bench. Although no other information was immediately available, The Guardian reported Tuesday that he has been ailing for a while.
The publication also stated that he had six children and had wed Elena Gilyard, his second wife, in 2001.
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