What happened to Gil Gerard after Buck Rogers? Inside Actor’s life as he passes away

Gil Gerard rose to widespread recognition in 1978 after being cast as Buck Rogers, a role that became his most enduring. After the series ended in 1981, Gil Gerard soon faced a series of personal struggles.

He spiraled into addiction before eventually getting clean from cocaine, though his challenges continued through overeating. The issue ultimately sidelined Sidekicks, the television series in which he starred between 1986 and 1987. Gerard briefly got a hold of his career and appeared in E.A.R.T.H. Force in 1990 and later hosted Code 3 in 1992. Despite those efforts, overeating remained a recurring obstacle in his life. In 2007, his ongoing battle became the subject of Discovery Health’s Action Hero Makeover, which documented a year of recovery following his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The documentary followed Gil Gerard after he underwent mini-gastric bypass surgery in 2005. He weighed approximately 350 pounds and lost 145 pounds over the next 10 months.

Gil Gerard dies at 82 as wife remembers actor’s final days:

Gil Gerard died following a brief battle with cancer at 82. News of his death was confirmed by his wife Janet, who shared the update in a Facebook post on Tuesday. She described his illness as a rare and aggressively fast-moving form of cancer.

“Early this morning Gil - my soulmate - lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer, from the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days. No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough,” Janet wrote.

She concluded her message with a reminder to others,

“Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”

A separate statement from Janet was later posted on Gerard’s official Facebook page. She said that the actor died while in hospice care and shared a message Gerard had prepared before his death.

“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,” the message read.

“My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years. It’s been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has. Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos,” it continued.

The role Gil Gerard hesitated to take became his defining one:

In the late 1970s, Gil Gerard was steadily expanding his screen presence. He appeared in Airport ’77 opposite Lee Grant and starred as a moonshiner in the comedy Hooch when Universal Television approached him to headline Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a project co-produced by Glen A. Larson.

The light-hearted sci-fi series traced its roots to a popular comic strip character who had previously been immortalized in a 1939 movie serial starring Buster Crabbe. Riding the wave created by Star Wars, the revival debuted as a 1979 feature film before being reshaped for television. At first, Gil Gerard resisted the role.

“I saw what it did to Adam West‘s career with Batman, and this was another cartoon character. I didn’t want to do this campy stuff,” he said during a 2018 interview.

After signing on, Gil Gerard found immediate success. The Buck Rogers movie finished among the year’s top 25 domestic grossers and was subsequently edited into a two-hour pilot episode for television. As Buck Rogers, Gil Gerard played a NASA and U.S. Air Force pilot frozen in 1987 and revived in the year 2491. He starred alongside Erin Gray’s Col. Wilma Deering and Felix Silla’s Twiki, whose voice was provided by Mel Blanc.

How Gil Gerard built a career before and after Buck Rogers:

Gil Gerard was born on January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the youngest of three sons. He graduated from Catholic High School for Boys, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. At 26, he left for New York to try something else.

He enrolled at the American Music and Dramatic Academy and attended for two semesters. Money came from driving a cab at night. Acting came where it could. He appeared on stage in productions such as Stalag 17 and Oklahoma.

One suggestion changed his direction. While driving his cab, a passenger encouraged him to audition for Love Story (1970) as an extra. Gerard did, and he appeared briefly in the film, visible in the background of a scene behind Ryan O’Neal.

Work followed, mostly commercial. Over roughly six years, Gerard appeared in more than 400 advertisements. In 1974, he joined the cast of the daytime soap The Doctors, playing Dr. Allen Stewart. He remained on the show for two years before moving to Hollywood.

Around that period, Gil Gerard formed his own production company, Prudhomme Productions. After Buck Rogers ended in 1981, his career continued primarily in television. He appeared in TV movies including Not Just Another Affair (1982) and Stormin’ Home (1985). In 1983, Gerard produced the musical The Amen Corner, which opened at the Nederlander Theater in New York.

He was involved in several charitable organizations. Gerard served on the board of the national Make-A-Wish Foundation and on the celebrity advisory board for the Childhood Leukemia Foundation. He was also active with the Special Olympics for many years.

Trending

Around 1997, he began attending science fiction conventions, meeting fans in the United States and abroad. In 2007, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Gerard was married four times, including to actress Connie Sellecca from 1979 until their divorce in 1987. He shared a long friendship with former President Bill Clinton. Survivors included his wife of 18 years, Janet, and his son Gib.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback