‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ star Gil Gerard dead at 82
Gil Gerard, the actor best known for his role in the NBC series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, has died aged 82.
Gerard’s wife, Janet, announced the news on Facebook. Her post began, “Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer.”
She continued, “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.”
His wife ended with words of caution, writing, “Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”
Later in the day, Janet posted another message. This one was written by Gerard himself, and was intended to be shared posthumously. He began, “My life has been an amazing journey.”
The actor continued, “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.”
Gerard finished, “Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.”
Gerard was born in Arkansas and lived in Georgia. He moved to New York City in 1969, where he drove a taxi at night to make ends meet; through this venture, he was offered an audition for Arthur Hiller’s Love Story, after which he was hired as an extra.
His acting career began in earnest in 1977 with Airport ’77, in which he played the romantic interest of Lee Grant.
He also starred as a moonshiner in the comedy Hooch, after which he was approached to star in the light-hearted sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
However, at first, Gerard had no interest in the part. In 2018, he deemed the role too “campy” for his liking. Nonetheless, the franchise first kicked off with a 1979 movie, which he finally agreed to be a part of. Thankfully, it was a huge box office success.
Gerard also appeared on the 1990 CBS series E.A.R.T.H. Force and hosted the 1992 reality show Code 3. He also played Major Dodd in 1997 on the NBC daytime soap Days of Our Lives, and showed up in the Ryan Gosling-Russell Crowe 2016 comedy The Nice Guys.
A 2007 documentary on the Discovery Health Channel, titled Action Hero Makeover, depicted his choice to have gastric bypass surgery after it was estimated that he had lost almost $1 million worth of work due to overeating.
He is survived by his wife, Janet, and his son with actor Connie Sellecca, Gib.
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