Clarence Gilyard
Clarence Gilyard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Clarence Darnell Gilyard, Jr. December 24, 1955 |
| Spouse | Catherine (divorced) Elena (2001–present) |
Clarence Darnell Gilyard, Jr. (born December 24, 1955) is a former American actor and a current college professor who has been featured in movies and television since 1980. He is sometimes credited as Clarence A. Gilyard.
Gilyard is best-known for his roles as Ben Matlock's (played by Andy Griffith) second private investigator (and right-hand man) Conrad McMasters, on the 1980s legal drama series, Matlock: (a role he played from 1989 to 1993), as Pastor Bruce Barnes in the Left Behind movie trilogy, and as Cordell Walker's (played by Chuck Norris) partner and best friend, Texas Ranger James "Jimmy" Trivette, on the 1990s crime drama, Walker, Texas Ranger.
Biography
In 1980, Gilyard moved to Los Angeles to become an actor. He became the first black actor to undertake the role of the cheerleader in the play Bleacher Bums[1][2] before he segued into television roles. As a character actor, Gilyard has made guest appearances on TV shows such as Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, 227, Simon & Simon and Riptide. Gilyard was cast on the final season of the NBC TV series CHiPs as Officer Benjamin Webster from 1982-1983. He co-starred with Jim Carrey in the 1984 NBC sitcom The Duck Factory.
Aside from acting, in 1987, he did at least 1 commercial for McDonald's.
Gilyard's movie debut was in 1986 as Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Sundown in Top Gun. He was also a military man in the 1986 film The Karate Kid, Part II. His most famous movie role is in the 1988 action film Die Hard as Theo, a computer expert and one of the terrorists. His character is one of only two terrorists not killed. He also appeared in Left Behind: The Movie, and its sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force as Reverend Bruce Barnes.
Gilyard returned to series television as a young private investigator, Conrad McMasters, for his first co-starring role on the drama series, Matlock, opposite Andy Griffith (who was said to be one of his childhood television heroes as he watched The Andy Griffith Show as a four-year-old boy in the 1960s.)[citation needed] Gilyard stayed on the program from 1989 to 1993.
His predecessor on Matlock, Kene Holliday, was fired shortly after he had reached three months soberiety from his drug and alcohol abuse, along other with developmental concerns. Gilyard was one of the three candidates to audition for and accept the role. Unlike many other actors, he was one of the few stars ever to form a close bond with the series' lead, for four years both on-screen and off.[citation needed] This is in spite of Andy Griffith having somewhat of a reputation for being difficult to work with. Like Griffith's Matlock character, Conrad McMasters also in time gained popularity across America.
On the show, Gilyard even performed some of his own stunts. Unlike many of his 'Matlock' co-stars, with the exception of both Holliday and Daniel Roebuck (who replaced Gilyard in 1993), Gilyard appeared in almost every Matlock episode during his three seasons on the show. After the show moved from NBC to ABC for the series' seventh season, Gilyard departed to work on a pilot for another series at CBS.
In 1993, he began another longtime co-starring role, opposite Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger. Gilyard portrayed fellow Texas Ranger and best friend of the Walker, James "Jimmy" Trivette. The show proved to be a big hit. Gilyard again enjoyed the chance to perform stunts and take part in dangerous work both on and off the set.
During a 2005 interview with A&E Biography, he said that Norris' Walker character was a cult-classic Western hero. Gilyard also recalled that when he and Norris were growing up, other Westerns they watched were often led by characters that served as surrogate father figures. He noted that both Norris & Gilyard had served in the Air Force, although not during the same time period, despite almost being 16 years apart from each other. Near the end of the Walker series, Norris' character married his longtime-girlfriend, a lawyer; while Gilyard's character got a girlfriend. Gilyard remained in the Trivette role for the entire run of the series. In his television career, Clarence has been fortunate enough to co-star with two TV legends on two successful series, over the course of 12 total seasons.
Gilyard briefly appeared in the 2005 television movie, Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire. Gilyard had only a cameo appearance due to the filming's conflict with a long-planned family vacation.
Personal life
Gilyard was born to a poor family in Moses Lake, Washington, the son of Clarence Gilyard, Sr., an U.S. Air Force officer.[3] His family was originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. Gilyard grew up on Air Force bases in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida. Raised primarily as a Lutheran, he became Catholic in the 1990s.[2][4][5]
Later, he was raised in San Bernardino's suburb of Rialto, California, where he attended Eisenhower High School and was an excellent student, before graduating in 1974. He spent one year as an Air Force Academy cadet before leaving the service to attend Sterling College.[6] He played football in college and is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He also earned a tennis scholarship, but dropped out of school before completing his studies.
Clarence Jr. is the second of six children.[2] 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 house.
While living with his parents in their new home during his high school years, Gilyard was preoccupied with women and alcohol, and occasionally drugs.[2] For this reason, his parents urged him to move out, and he relocated to Long Beach, California with a friend. He also attended California State University, Long Beach, majoring in acting. While attending school, he worked as a waiter at restaurants where other actors worked, constantly seeking out acting opportunities. Eventually he earned his bachelors degree at California State University, Dominguez Hills.[7]
His first job was working with a housemate at a clothing store, where Gilyard was soon promoted to manager. While successful, he quit and worked at another job selling industrial chemicals; he has admitted that he did not perform well in this job.[2]
In 2003, Gilyard returned to school, receiving a masters degree in teaching theater at Southern Methodist University. He is currently an Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts - Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.[7]
Currently, Gilyard serves as the consultant of the Communications Committee of the U.S. Catholic Bishops.
He has been married twice and has four children. He and his second wife, Elena, have been married since 2001.[2]
References
- ^ Profile at Hollywood.com
- ^ a b c d e f Feister, John. "The Eucharistic Faith of Actor Clarence Gilyard", St. Anthony Messenger, April 2009.
- ^ Clarence Gilyard, Jr. Biography (1955-)
- ^ Profile at TV.com
- ^ Pattison, Mark (2005-06-10). "Actor Gilyard finds Catholicism is role for a lifetime". The Tidings. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
- ^ Clarence Gilyard Biography - Yahoo! Movies
- ^ a b "Faculty/Staff Bios". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Retrieved 2009-03-12.