Gil Gerard, the star of the sci-fi series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” died on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 82.
On Tuesday evening, his wife, Janet Gerard, confirmed the news with a tribute on Facebook, in which she remembered the actor as her “soulmate.”
“Early this morning Gil – my soulmate – lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” she wrote alongside a series of photos of the veteran actor. “From the moment when we knew something was wrong to his death this morning was only days. No matter how many years I got to spend with him it would have ever been enough. Hold the ones you have tightly and love them fiercely.”
Born on January 23, 1943 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gerard was the youngest of three boys to parents Frank, a knife salesman, and Gladys, a teacher.
He initially attended the Arkansas State Teacher College before dropping out to relocate to New York City in 1969, where he pursued an education in acting at American Musical and Dramatic Academy. To make his way, Gerard worked as a cab driver — with one of his passengers eventually helping him land a role as an extra on Arthur Hiller’s “Love Story.”
From there, Gerard continued acting, working on everything from commercials to a guest role on “Little House on the Prairie” to a multi-year stint on the NBC soap, “The Doctors.”
However, his big break came when he landed the role of Captain William “Buck” Rogers for NBC’s “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.” The show, which ran for 2 seasons between 1979 and 1981, followed a hero from the 20th century after he awakens in the 25th century and must keep the universe safe from villains.
Gerard admitted in a 2018 interview that he initially didn’t want the part, as he felt it was too “campy.”
“I saw what it did to Adam West‘s career with ‘Batman,’ and this was another cartoon character,” he noted at the time. “I didn’t want to do this campy stuff.”
In addition to Gerard, “Buck Rogers” starred Erin Gray as Colonel Wilma Deering, Tim O’Connor as Elias Huer and Felix Silla as robot Twiki (though, the voice was provided by Mel Blanc.)
Despite his initial hesitation about the part, Gerard looked back at his groundbreaking sci-fi role with honor. “The sense of humor I liked very much and his humanity, I liked. I thought it was kind of cool,” he said in a 2017 interview. “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.”
Gerard’s other acting credits included 1977’s “Airport ’77,” 1977’s “Hooch,” 2016’s “The Nice Guys” and ABC’s “Sidekicks.”
He is survived by his wife, Janet, and his son Gib, who he welcomed with first wife, actress Connie Sellecca.
