Hollywood legend Clarence Gilyard Jr. just passed away at the age of 66, find out more about his cause of death, first wife, brief bio and early life, and acting career
Clarence was best known for his iconic roles in hit movies like Die Hard and Top Gun besides his appearance on several TV shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, and Matlock, etc.
Clarence Gilyard Jr Cause Of Death, Net Worth, Bio, Age, First Wife, Mother, Movies List
Clarence Gilyard, Jr. 'Walker Texas Ranger' and 'Die Hard' star, dies at 66. MORE: https://t.co/Cm7TvMsvA3 pic.twitter.com/D4PMx71wJO
— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) November 29, 2022
The famous Hollywood star had one of the most successful acting careers spanning over 30 years.
Clarence Gilyard Jr. Cause Of Death
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ College of Fine Arts, announced the sad news about Clarence’s death. Gilyard served as a film and theater professor at the University. Clarence was aged 66 at the time of his death.
According to reports, Clarence died after enduring a long struggle with an illness. As of now, however, neither the university nor his family has revealed the exact cause of Clarence’s death.
Clarence Gilyard Jr. Brief Bio And Early Life
Clarence Gilyard Jr. was born on Christmas Eve, in the year 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington. His mother’s name Barbara and father was Clarence Gilyard Sr., who was a U.S. Air Force officer. Clarence belonged to a family of six kids of which he was the second child.
Clarence lived in the San Bernardino suburb located in Rialto, California during his childhood. Although Clarence’s family was originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, he grew up across a number of Air Force bases located in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida.
Clarence was initially raised as a Lutheran, following which he became a Catholic in the 1990s. He attended the Eisenhower High School during his schooldays where he was a brilliant student. Clarence graduated in 1974, following which he attended the Sterling College.
At college, Clarence played football and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He was also awarded with a tennis scholarship but he ended up dropping out of school before he managed to complete his studies. Clarence eventually completed his bachelor’s degree after some few years at the California State University, Dominguez Hills.
His first marriage, to Catherine Dutko, ended in divorce, and he married his second wife, Elena Castillo in 2001 with his net worth at $5 million.
Acting Career
Clarence made a move to Los Angeles back in the year 1979 to pursue an acting career. He had an impressive acting career, which spanned over 30 years. Besides acting in movies, Clarence also made several guest appearances on TV shows like Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, 227, Simon & Simon, and Riptide.
Gilyard made his acting debut with the hit 1986 movie Top Gun. There, he played the role of an F-14 Tomcat radar intercept officer named Lt. (jg) Marcus “Sundown” Williams. Clarence then starred in the hit 1988 action film titled Die Hard. In the movie, the back-then rising actor portrayed the role of Theo, a criminal computer expert.
Besides his successful Hollywood career, Clarence also appeared in several TV shows. He featured on TV Shows like The Facts of Life, Walker, Texas Ranger, Sons of Thunder, etc. He was widely regarded to have had “a legendary screen presence”.