Celebrity Biographies
Clarence Gilyard Jr.
He gave life to the African-American terrorist in “Die Die,” among many other roles. Clarence Gilyard Jr. died on November 28, 2022, at age 66, at his Las Vegas residence. The news has been confirmed by the University of Nevada, where he taught film and theater classes at the Faculty of Fine Arts. “Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength to everyone around him,” said Heather Addison, director of the campus film department.
Born on December 24, 1955 in Moses Lake, Washington, Clarence Gilyard Jr. was the son of a military man who spent his childhood commuting to various air bases across the United States before his family settled down permanently. in California. After spending a year at the Air Force Academy as a cadet, Gilyard attended Sterling College and later California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Dominguez Hills, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in performance.
After several television appearances, he made his film debut as Lieutenant Sundown, one of Tom Cruise ‘s fellow pilots , in Top Gun. Air idols , one of the biggest hits on the big screen in the 80s. Later, Clarence Gilyard Jr. gave life to Theo, a computer genius who helped the terrorists in Die Hard . In 1989, he landed a regular role on primetime television in Matlock , where he played private detective Conrad McMasters.
He left the series because he was given a larger role in another, Walker, Texas Ranger , where Clarence Gilyard Jr. played Jimmy Trivette, right-hand man to the tough sergeant played by Chuck Norris . Fiction made him a quite popular face around the world.
Divorced from Catherine Dutko, Clarence Gilyard Jr. has been together with Elena Gilyard since 2001.