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Gil Gerard | |
|---|---|
 Gerard at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, October 17, 2009 | |
| Born | Gilbert Cyril Gerard January 23, 1943 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 2025 (aged 82) Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Central Arkansas (withdrawn) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–2019 |
| Known for | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1[1] |
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Gilbert Cyril Gerard (January 23, 1943 – December 16, 2025) was an American actor, whose roles include that of Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979–1981 television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Early life
Gerard was born on January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the youngest of three sons[2] to a college instructor mother and a salesman father.[3] In 1960, he attended a Maryknoll seminary in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and played the title role in an all-male production of The Music Man. He graduated from Little Rock Catholic High School for Boys,[4] and later attended the University of Central Arkansas but dropped out before graduation.[3]
Career
Gerard traveled to New York City, where he studied drama by day and drove a taxicab at night. Gerard picked up a fare who showed a lively interest in the problems of unknown, unemployed actors. Before he left the cab, he told Gerard to report in a few days to the set of Love Story, which was being filmed on location in New York. When Gerard arrived on the Love Story set, he was hired as an extra. Later that day, he was singled out for a "bit" part, but he was not included in the finished film.[citation needed]
During the next few years, he did most of his acting in television commercials, almost 400, including a stint as spokesman for the Ford Motor Company. After small roles in the gay-themed film Some of My Best Friends Are... (1971), and the thriller Man on a Swing (1974), Gerard gained a prominent role in the daytime soap opera The Doctors for two years. Gerard formed his own production company in partnership with a writer-producer, co-authored a screenplay called Hooch (1977) and filmed it as a starring vehicle for himself. With Hooch completed, he traveled to California to co-star with Yvette Mimieux in Ransom for Alice! (1977) and to play Lee Grant's youthful lover in Universal's Airport '77 (1977). He appeared in a 1977 episode of Hawaii Five-O ("The Ninth Step") as Marty Cobb, a former cop and recovering alcoholic. A guest appearance in Little House on the Prairie impressed producer-star Michael Landon, who cast him in the leading role in the 1978 TV movie Killing Stone.
Gerard then landed his best-known role, as Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which ran from 1979 to 1981, with the feature-length pilot episode being released theatrically some months prior to the first broadcast of the series. After this, he was featured in a number of other TV shows and movies, including starring roles in the 1982 TV movie Hear No Evil as Dragon,[5][6][7] the short-lived series Sidekicks (1986), and E.A.R.T.H. Force (1990).[1]
In 1992, Gerard hosted the reality TV series Code 3, which followed firefighters from different areas of the U,S, as they responded to emergency calls. The show ran on the Fox TV Network until the following year. For the remainder of the 1990s, Gerard made guest appearances on various TV shows, including Fish Police, Brotherly Love, The Big Easy, Days of Our Lives, and Pacific Blue.
In January 2007, Gerard was the subject of the one-hour documentary Action Hero Makeover, which was written, produced, and directed by his then-longtime companion, Adrienne Crow for the Discovery Health Channel. The film documented his year-long progress after undergoing life-saving mini-gastric bypass surgery in October 2005. According to the program, he had been struggling with his weight for 40 years, losing weight only to gain it back.[8] By the time of the program's production, his weight had risen to over 350 pounds (159 kg), and he had many life-threatening health issues including a severe problem with type 2 diabetes. Within five days of the surgery he had lost 20 lb (9 kg), within three months he had lost 80 lb (36 kg), and within ten months he lost a total of 145 lb (66 kg).[9]
Gerard and his Buck Rogers co-star Erin Gray reunited in 2007 for the TV film Nuclear Hurricane, and also returned to the Buck Rogers universe by playing the characters' parents in the pilot episode of James Cawley's Buck Rogers Begins Internet video series in 2009.[10]
Gerard guest-starred as Admiral Jack Sheehan in "Kitumba", the January 1, 2014, episode of the fan web series Star Trek: Phase II.[11][12]
In 2015, Gerard voiced Megatronus in Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Personal life and death
By the end of the 1980s, Gerard had been married and divorced four times. His first marriage, in the 1960s to a secretary in his home state of Arkansas, lasted just eight months. After moving to New York to pursue his acting ambitions, his second marriage to a bank executive was equally troubled though it lasted (on and off) for seven years. Following his move to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, he married model/actress Connie Sellecca in 1979. Their son, Gilbert Vincent Gerard, or "Gib", was born in 1981. Their seven-year marriage began to disintegrate following the cancellation of Gerard's show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and his increasing addictions to drugs, alcohol, and overeating. The marriage was formally dissolved in 1987, following a bitter custody battle which gave Sellecca main custody of their son. Gerard married again the same year, to interior designer Bobi Leonard, though the marriage lasted only a year and was then formally dissolved in 1989.[1] His fifth wife was Janet Gerard, to whom he was married for 18 years until his death in 2025. The couple resided in northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia.[13]
Gerard was frank about his battle with addictions. Although he went through recovery for his addiction to cocaine and alcohol, following his divorce from Sellecca in the mid 1980s, his compulsive eating habits increased and he would find himself devouring unhealthy portions of junk food. By 1988, he weighed 300 lb (136 kg) and used a self-help treatment for his addiction, though he estimated that his weight problem had cost him work opportunities in the region of a million dollars. By 1990, he weighed 220 lb (100 kg).[1]
On December 16, 2025, Gerard's wife, Janet, announced on Facebook that he had died earlier that day following a "rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer". He was 82.[13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Some of My Best Friends Are... | Scott | |
| 1974 | Man on a Swing | Donald Forbes | |
| 1977 | Airport '77 | Frank Powers | |
| 1977 | Hooch | Eddie Joe | |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Capt. William "Buck" Rogers | |
| 1985 | Fury to Freedom | Officer | |
| 1991 | Soldier's Fortune | Robert E. Lee Jones | Alternative title: Soldiers of Fortune |
| 1996 | Looking for Bruce | Richard | |
| 1998 | Mom, Can I Keep Her? | Reinhart | Direct-to-video |
| 1999 | Fugitive Mind | Karl Gardner | Direct-to-video |
| 2000 | The Stepdaughter | Jesse Conner | Direct-to-video |
| 2001 | Air Rage | Victor Quinn | Direct-to-video |
| 2007 | Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre! | Narrator (voice) | Short film |
| 2009 | Dire Wolf | Col. Hendry | Alternative title: Dino Wolf |
| 2012 | Blood Fare | Professor Meade | |
| 2014 | Boldly Gone | Ben (voice) | Short film |
| 2016 | The Nice Guys | Bergen Paulsen | |
| 2016 | Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel | Harold Harris | Final role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–76 | The Doctors | Dr. Alan Stewart | 162 episodes |
| 1976 | Baretta | Steve | Episode - "Dear Tony" |
| 1977 | Ransom for Alice! | Clint Kirby | TV movie |
| 1977 | Little House on the Prairie | Chris Nelson | Episode - "The Handyman" |
| 1977 | Hawaii Five-O | Marty Cobb | Episode - "The Ninth Step" |
| 1978 | Killing Stone | Gil Stone | TV movie |
| 1979–81 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | Captain William "Buck" Rogers | 37 episodes |
| 1982 | Help Wanted: Male | Johnny Gillis | TV movie |
| 1982 | Not Just Another Affair | Bob Gifford | TV movie |
| 1982 | Hear No Evil | Dragon | TV movie |
| 1983 | Johnny Blue | Johnny Blue | TV pilot episode |
| 1984 | For Love or Money | Mike | TV movie |
| 1984 | Monsters, Madmen & Machines | Host | Documentary |
| 1985 | Stormin' Home | Bobby Atkins | TV movie |
| 1985 | International Airport | David Montgomery | TV movie |
| 1986–87 | Sidekicks | Sergeant Jake Rizzo | 23 episodes |
| 1989 | Nightingales | Dr. Paul Petrillo | 5 episodes |
| 1989 | Final Notice | Harry Stoner | TV movie |
| 1990 | E.A.R.T.H. Force | Dr. John Harding | 6 episodes |
| 1992 | Fish Police | Additional Voices | Unknown episodes |
| 1996 | Brotherly Love | Big Mike | Episode - "Big Mike" |
| 1997 | The Big Easy | Mickey Donelley | Episode - "A Perfect Day for Buffalo Fish" |
| 1997 | Days of Our Lives | Major Dodd | 6 episodes |
| 1998 | Pacific Blue | Raymond Annandale | Episode - "Double Lives" |
| 2006 | Beyond | General Walter North | TV movie |
| 2007 | Nuclear Hurricane | Bob | TV movie |
| 2008 | Bone Eater | Big Jim Burns | TV movie |
| 2009 | Reptisaurus | General Morgenstern | TV movie |
| 2009 | Ghost Town | Preacher McCready | TV movie |
| 2011 | The Lost Valentine | Neil Thomas Robinson Jr. | TV movie |
| 2013 | Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II | Admiral Sheehan | Episode - "Kitumba" |
| 2014 | Drop Dead Diva | George Blund | Episode - "Hope and Glory" |
| 2015 | Transformers: Robots in Disguise | Megatronus (voice) | 3 episodes |
References
General and cited references
- Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. Vol. 2 (1st ed.). New York: Zoetrope Publishing. p. 188. ISBN 978-0918432612.
- Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 Through 2010 (2nd ed.). New York: McFarland and Company. p. 445. ISBN 978-0786464777.
Inline citations
- Reed, J. D.; Alexander, Michael (October 15, 1990). "Stranded in Orbit by His Addictions, Former Buck Rogers Gil Gerard Battles His Way Back to E.a.r.t.h." People. Vol. 34, no. 15. Meredith Corporation. p. 95. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- "Gil Gerard". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- Kalter, Suzy (April 30, 1979). "Arkansas Politics Were Too Small a Pond for Gil Gerard, but Is Buck Rogers Better?". People. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- "CHS Foundation and Alumni Association". Little Rock High School for Boys. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- Terrace 1985, p. 188.
- "Hear No Evil". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- Terrace 2011, p. 445.
- DuBois, Stephanie (March 8, 1989). "Thinner Gerard back on course". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Tribune Media Services. p. C2.
- "Mini Gastric Bypass. The Center for Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery". Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
- McKinstry, Lohr. "Buck Rogers returns", Press Republican, 9 November 2009.
- Vic Mignogna (director). "4x08 Star Trek Phase II: Kitumba - Download".[dead link] Star Trek: Phase II. January 1, 2014.
- "Star Trek Phase 2: "Kitumba" - Episode 4x08". YouTube. December 31, 2013.
- Barnes, Mike (2025-12-17). "Gil Gerard, Star of 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,' Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
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Buck Rogers, spaceman protagonist of the first American newspaper comic strip based on serious science fiction. The strip, which first appeared in 1929, was created by writer Philip Nowlan and cartoonist Dick Calkins. Nowlan debuted the character of Anthony (“Buck”) Rogers in Armageddon: 2419 A.D. (1928–29), serialized in Amazing Stories. The comic strip was first titled Buck Rogers in the Year 2429 A.D. Later it was named Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and it was finally titled Buck Rogers. To a lay audience, the strip introduced and popularized such science-fiction paraphernalia and concepts as ray guns, robots, and rocket ships that previously had been written about only in pulp magazines.
In the original story, Buck Rogers was a U.S. Air Force pilot who awoke from a 500-year sleep to discover that America had been overrun by Mongol invaders and was almost in ruins. Aided by his space companion Wilma Deering and his mentor, the brilliant scientist Dr. Huer, Buck Rogers defeated the invaders and freed America. A Martian and former space pirate, Black Barney, reformed and became Buck and Wilma’s stalwart sidekick. Subsequent foes included pirates from outer space, the Tiger Men of Mars, and the recurring villains Killer Kane and Ardala Valmar.
Buck Rogers appeared in comic books and was featured on a radio series (1932–47), and Buster Crabbe portrayed the character in a film serial (1939). The widespread popularity of the strip and the radio series triggered a marketing flood, and Buck Rogers ray guns, rockets, and costumes were ubiquitous in toy stores. After an initial foray into television (1950–51) fizzled, actor Gil Gerard returned Buck Rogers to the small screen nearly three decades later (1978–81). His popularity continued with the release of the second television series, which followed the success of the Star Wars franchise with a popular action-figure line.
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Gil Gerard, Star of TV Series ‘Buck Rogers,’ Dies at 82
He was best known for playing the title character in “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” which ran on NBC from 1979 to 1981.
Gil Gerard, an actor best known for his role as Buck Rogers in the science-fiction television show “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” died on Tuesday in hospice care in Georgia. He was 82.
His death, from cancer, was announced in a social media post by his wife, Janet Gerard.
Gilbert Cyril Gerard was born on Jan. 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Ark. He attended the University of Central Arkansas, where he was part of a singing group and acted and directed plays.
He later worked as an industrial chemist in Arkansas, conducting studies of the petroleum industry.
“But I was just kind of bored,” he told Tulsa World in 2017. “I was like this is OK, but this is not something I want to be doing when I’m 70.”
In the late 1960s, Mr. Gerard decided to quit his job and move to New York City, where he drove a taxi, working 12-hour shifts overnight while attending acting school.
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He began his career in show business as a model and working in television commercials — more than 400 by his count — before landing roles in soap operas, including “The Doctors,” and in films, like “Airport ’77,” in which he played a love interest.
Mr. Gerard was approached in the late 1970s to play the role of William “Buck” Rogers, which was based on a character in a comic strip that began running in newspapers in 1929 and that was later adapted for radio and film. At first, he wasn’t interested.
“I don’t want to do this campy stuff,” he recalled thinking, in a 2018 interview. “I saw what it did to Adam West’s career with ‘Batman,’ and this was another cartoon character.”
After turning down the part twice, his agent asked him to at least read the script before he passed on the project.
“So I read it, and I said, ‘Well, yeah, I like the character,’” he said. “Got a good sense of humor. It’s kind of fun.”
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Mr. Gerard signed onto the project, a film that would later become the pilot for “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” which ran on NBC for two seasons, from 1979 to 1981.
The series, created in the wake of the movie “Star Wars,” takes place in the year 2491 and follows Buck Rogers, a pilot who is launched into space on America’s last deep-space probe, only to be frozen in time for 500 years. When he wakes up, he discovers that Earth has been through a nuclear holocaust and is populated with humans, exotic aliens and robots.
Buck is a freelance problem-solver of sorts, fighting baddies and sharing the best of 1970s culture — including disco — with the rest of the galaxy.
“I thought the character had a sense of reality about him,” Mr. Gerard said in 2017. “He wasn’t a stiff kind of a guy. He was a guy who could solve problems on his feet, and he wasn’t a superhero.”
Despite running for only two seasons, the show was well-received among viewers and for years has been remembered fondly by fans.
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Mr. Gerard went on to produce the 1983 Broadway musical “Amen Corner,” adapted from a 1954 play by James Baldwin, and continued acting. In the 1990s, he had roles in the CBS series “E.A.R.T.H. Force” and on the NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives.”
In 2007, he appeared in a documentary on the Discovery Health Channel, “Action Hero Makeover,” which chronicled his decision to have gastric bypass surgery after struggling for years with obesity.
Speaking in 2018, Mr. Gerard said that what he enjoyed most about making movies was the way it brought groups of people together. “When you’re on a movie set, it’s like there’s such a great energy on that set, because it’s all aimed at getting the day’s work done,” he said. “Doing the best job you can.”
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Gib, whom he had with his first wife, the actor Connie Sellecca.
When announcing his death, Ms. Gerard also posted a note that Mr. Gerard had recently written on social media.
“If you are reading this, then Janet has posted it as I asked her to,” it read. “My life has been an amazing journey. The opportunities I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.”
“Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love,” he added. “See you out somewhere in the cosmos.”
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