Junior Clarence Gilyard. , who was best known for playing the title character in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger, passed away at age 66.
He made his acting debut in Top Gun in 1986, and the following year, Die Hard cast him as computer hacker Theo in a supporting role.
After that, the film and television veteran 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.
“Luck has been on my side. Gilyard has previously worked with Tony Scott, Michael Mann, and John Avildsen.
The filmmakers interested in me said, “This kid should be in my movie. There are actors who are more intelligent and have a better physical appearance. ‘”.
He reassured me that working in this field would enable me to realise my aspirations, even though I would need to be flexible and face the realities of the business. “.
Gilyard was born in Moses Lake, Washington, but he and his family relocated to several different air bases before ending up in California.
In the American Air Force, Gilyard served. He had been happily married to Elena, the actress from “Matlock,” since 2001.
California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Dominguez Hills, are where Gilyard obtained his acting bachelor’s degree.
He taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Fine Arts, for the last part of his career and has been there since 2006.
The institution confirmed his passing in a statement that referred to him as “a source of light and strength for everyone around him. “.
However, we were the ones who were truly blessed to work with him and be his students for so many years. Whenever we inquired about his well-being, he would cheerfully exclaim, “Blessed! “.
“We will sincerely miss and love you. The UNLV film department’s chair, Heather Addison, uttered, “G, Professor.
Deborah J. According to Uscher, dean of the UNLV School of Medicine, “his students and all who knew him were tremendously inspired by him. “.
“His love of teaching and his professional accomplishments made him quite well known in the university,”.
The details of Gilyard’s passing have yet to be revealed.
