Clarence Darnell Gilyard Jr. (December 24, 1955 – November 28, 2022) was an American actor. On television, he played private investigator Conrad McMasters on the legal drama series Matlock (1986–95) and Texas Ranger Jimmy Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993–2001).
Gilyard also had supporting roles in the 1980s action films Top Gun, as Radar Intercept Officer "Sundown", and Die Hard, as terrorist computer expert Theo.
Gilyard was an associate professor of acting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 2006 until his death in 2022.
Early life
Gilyard was born into a military family in Moses Lake, Washington, on Christmas Eve, in 1955,
During his young adulthood, Gilyard lived in the San Bernardino suburb of Rialto, California, and attended Eisenhower High School. He was an excellent student, graduating in 1974, and afterward spent a year as an Air Force Academy cadet before leaving the service to attend Sterling College. In college, he played football, and became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He also received a tennis scholarship, but dropped out of school before completing his studies.<!--He has a younger brother who graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1985. Another brother, Milton, suffers from a moderate developmental disability and resides in an assisted-living residence.-->
While living with his parents during his college years, Gilyard was preoccupied with women, alcohol, and occasionally, drugs.
Gilyard worked with a housemate at a clothing store, where he was promoted to manager. He left this to work briefly selling industrial chemicals.
In the 2018 edition of the football video game Madden NFL, Gilyard plays high school coach Devin Wade in the "Longshot" section of the game. Two years later, Gilyard reprised his role as criminal gang member Theo from Die Hard, alongside star Bruce Willis, in a commercial for Advance Auto Parts' DieHard brand of car batteries.
Continued education and teaching work
In 2003, Gilyard returned to school, receiving a Master of Fine Arts in theatre performance at Southern Methodist University.
In 2006, Gilyard took a break from acting and became an associate professor in the College of Fine Arts – Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he taught stage and screen acting. ended in divorce, and he married his second wife, Elena Castillo, in 2001. He served as the consultant of the communications committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Death
After a long illness, Gilyard died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 28, 2022, at the age of 66. He was cremated after a private ceremony.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1986
| Top Gun
| Lieutenant Junior Grade Marcus "Sundown" Williams
|
|-
| The Karate Kid Part II
| G.I. #1
|
|-
| 1987
| Off the Mark
| James B. White
|
|-
| 1988
| Die Hard
| Theo
|
|-
| 2000
| Left Behind: The Movie
| rowspan="2" | Bruce Barnes
|
|-
| 2002
| Left Behind II: Tribulation Force
|
|-
| 2012
| Little Monsters
| Ben Foreman
|
|-
| 2013
| From Above
| Jeremiah Ward
|
|-
| 2014
| A Matter of Faith
| Professor Portland
|
|-
| 2015
| The Track
| Psychiatrist
|
|-
| rowspan=2 | 2016
| The Beast
| Auguste Porter
|
|-
| The Sector
| Reverend Raines
|
|-
| 2019
| The Perfect Race
| Coach Michaels
|
|-
| 2021
| Legacy of a Spy
| Bill Pope
| Short, (final film role)
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1981
| Diff'rent Strokes
| Frank Simpson / The Student
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1982
| Making the Grade
| Unknown
| Episode: Teach Me Tonight
|-
| 1982–83
| CHiPs
| Officer Benjamin Webster
| 20 episodes
|-
| 1983
| The Kid with the 200 I.Q.
| Unknown
| rowspan="2" |TV movie
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1984
| Things Are Looking Up
| Clement McCallister
|-
| The Duck Factory
| Roland Culp
| 13 episodes
|-
| Riptide
| William Collins
| Episode: It's a Vial Sort of Business
|-
| 1985
| Solomon's Universe
| Casey
| TV movie
|-
| 1986
| Simon & Simon
| Wally Stokes
| Episode: A.W.O.L.
|-
| rowspan=2 | 1987
| 227
| Harold Bailey
| Episode: Matchmakers
|-
| The Facts of Life
| Matt
| Episode: The More the Marrier
|-
| 1989
| L.A. Takedown
| Mustafa Jackson
| TV movie
|-
| 1989–93
| Matlock
| Conrad McMasters
| Main cast
|-
| 1990
| The Great Los Angeles Earthquake
| Roy Bryant
| TV movie
|-
| 1993–2001
| Walker, Texas Ranger
| rowspan="4" |Ranger James Trivette
| Main cast
|-
| 1994
| Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion
| TV movie
|-
| 1999
| Sons of Thunder
| Episode: Flighting Back
|-
| 2005
| Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire
| rowspan="3" | TV movie
|-
| 2018
| Christmas on the Coast
| Fletcher Reese
|-
| 2020
| Eleanor's Bench
| Reginald
|}
References
External links
- Clarence Gilyard Net Worth
- Clarence Gilyard At Find A Grave