Donald Richard Gibb (August 4, 1954 – May 12, 2026) was an American actor, best known for his roles as the hulking, dimwitted fraternity brother Frederick “Ogre” Palowaski in several installments of the Revenge of the Nerds film series, as Kumite fighter Ray Jackson in Bloodsport, and as Leslie "Dr. Death" Krunchner on the HBO sitcom 1st & Ten.
Early life
Gibb was born in New York City on August 4, 1954. He was raised in California and Gibb attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. Upon graduation he went to the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship, where he joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He then transferred to the University of San Diego, where he played football on scholarship. Gibb played professional football briefly for the San Diego Chargers before suffering an injury in an automobile accident.
Career
Gibb turned to acting following the automobile accident that prevented him from having a football career.
He is best known for his Frederick “Ogre” Palowaski character portrayed first in Revenge of the Nerds and later in Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love. Chugging beer from a trophy, throwing nerds off fraternity buildings and competing in belching contests, Gibb gleefully played up his former days as a college football jock. Gibb "experienced a life makeover" between the first and second films in the series, objecting to a proposed scene in the second film in which the script called for the character "to threaten somebody with a piece of wood," with Gibb saying "I personally didn't want to be associated with that kind of action, and I didn't think Ogre would do it, either". The sequel ends with Ogre joining Lambda, Lambda, Lambda, the titular Nerds' fraternity.
Gibb's other most famous recurring role was in a string of martial arts pictures. As an American entrant named Ray Jackson, he starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport, and alone in the 1996 sequel Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite. In all, Gibb appeared in more than 25 movies including Jocks, Hancock, and Amazon Women on the Moon. He also played a small role in several video games, including the PC game Zork: Grand Inquisitor, as the man in the third portal with Lucy.
On TV, Gibb gained notoriety on HBO's 1st & Ten, as linebacker Leslie "Dr. Death" Krunchner. Gibb played the role from 1984 until 1991, making him one of the few members of the fictional California Bulls to last the entire seven-year run. Among other roles, he played the illiterate biker Scab on the 1992 Fox sitcom Stand by Your Man, which co-starred Melissa Gilbert and Rosie O'Donnell, and played small roles in Quantum Leap, MacGyver, Magnum, P.I., Night Court, Cheers, Renegade, The X-Files, The A-Team, Step by Step, and Early Edition.
Gibb served as the spokesman for Chicago bar Trader Todd's, through which Gibb marketed "Ogre Beer," named after his iconic character in Revenge of the Nerds.
Death
Gibb died from complications of throat cancer at his home in Texas on May 12, 2026, at the age of 71. Weeks before his death, Gibb had also had a heart attack.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| 1980
| Any Which Way You Can
| Henchman
| Uncredited
|