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Gil Gerard: A Brief Beginning of the Star of ‘Buck Rogers’
Gil Gerard, the charismatic actor best known for blasting into pop culture history as Captain William Anthony “Buck” Rogers, has died at the age of 82. The Arkansas-born star passed away in Georgia after battling what his wife, Janet, described as “a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer.” With his death, Hollywood loses not just a familiar face from television’s golden sci-fi era, but a man whose life story was as layered, complicated, and human as the characters he portrayed.
For many fans, Gerard will forever be the wisecracking, all-American hero of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the NBC series that aired from 1979 to 1981 and helped cement science fiction as mainstream television entertainment. But behind the jumpsuit, laser blasters, and futuristic sets was a deeply reflective actor who wrestled openly with fame, career expectations, personal struggles, and the cost of success.
From Little Rock to the Big Screen
Born Gilbert Cyril Gerard on January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkansas, he was the youngest of three boys in a modest household. His father, Frank, sold knives for a living, while his mother, Gladys, worked as a teacher. Gerard’s upbringing was far removed from Hollywood glamour, but even early on, he carried the restless ambition of someone destined to look beyond the horizon.
After graduating from Little Rock Catholic High School and spending time at Arkansas State Teacher College (now the University of Central Arkansas), Gerard made a bold move in 1969, heading to New York City to chase an acting career. There, he studied under Philip Burton at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, paying the bills by driving a cab at night. One of those cab rides changed his life. A passenger helped arrange an audition for Love Story, the iconic 1970 romance directed by Arthur Hiller. Gerard landed a small role as an extra, worked on the film for about 10 weeks, and even though his scene didn’t make the final cut, the experience opened doors.
The Hustle Years and a Breakthrough
Like many actors of his generation, Gerard paid his dues the hard way. He appeared in more than 400 television commercials, becoming a familiar but often unrecognized face. From 1973 to 1976, he played Dr. Alan Stewart on NBC’s daytime soap The Doctors, gaining steady work and industry respect.
He also appeared in films such as Man on a Swing (1974) alongside Cliff Robertson and Airport ’77, where he played Lee Grant’s romantic interest. But Gerard wasn’t content just to act, he wanted creative control. Through his production company, Prudhomme Productions, he developed and starred in the comedy Hooch, later admitting it was inspired heavily by Smokey and the Bandit. When Gerard was first approached to star in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, he wasn’t enthusiastic. In later interviews, he admitted he feared being typecast, citing what the Batman role had done to Adam West’s career.
“I didn’t want to do this campy stuff,” Gerard said in a 2018 interview. What changed his mind was the character’s humanity. Buck Rogers wasn’t a stiff superhero, he was a regular guy displaced in time, forced to adapt, improvise, and survive. Set in motion by a 1979 feature film inspired by the success of Star Wars, Buck Rogers quickly became a hit, ranking among the top 25 domestic grossing films of the year. The movie was then reworked into the show’s two-hour pilot episode.
As Buck, a NASA/U.S. Air Force pilot frozen in space in 1987 and awakened in 2491 after a nuclear war, Gerard brought humor, charm, and relatability to the role. He starred opposite Erin Gray as the formidable Col. Wilma Deering, with Felix Silla as the robot Twiki, voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc. “I liked that he wasn’t a superhero,” Gerard said in 2017. “He was a guy who could solve problems on his feet.”
Although Buck Rogers ran for just two seasons and 32 episodes, its cultural impact endured. After the show ended in 1981, Gerard continued working steadily, starring in television movies such as Help Wanted: Male (1982) with Suzanne Pleshette and leading the ABC series Sidekicks, where he played a bachelor cop mentoring a young martial arts prodigy.
His career also included appearances on Little House on the Prairie, Days of Our Lives, and the CBS series E.A.R.T.H. Force. In 1983, he produced the Broadway musical Amen Corner, based on the James Baldwin play, further proof of his creative range. Even decades later, Gerard popped up in unexpected places, including the 2016 Ryan Gosling–Russell Crowe comedy The Nice Guys.
Gerard was candid about his lifelong struggle with weight, a battle that cost him both physically and professionally. At one point, his weight reached 350 pounds. In a 1990 People magazine interview, he estimated that overeating had cost him nearly $1 million in lost work. In 2007, he laid his struggles bare in the Discovery Health Channel documentary Action Hero Makeover, where viewers followed his decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery. The project resonated with many fans, offering a rare look at vulnerability from a man once seen as a flawless action hero.
Love, Legacy, and Final Reflections
Gerard was married four times, including a high-profile marriage to actress Connie Sellecca from 1979 to 1987. He is survived by his wife Janet, whom he was married to for 18 years, and his son Gib. Known for his long friendship with former President Bill Clinton, Gerard remained reflective about life and grateful for his journey. In one of his final Facebook posts, he wrote words that now feel like a farewell written for the cosmos:
“My life has been an amazing journey… Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.” Gil Gerard may have played a man out of time, but his legacy remains timeless, an actor who embraced reinvention, faced his struggles head-on, and left behind a body of work that continues to inspire generations of fans across galaxies real and imagined.
