Gil Gerard, 'Buck Rogers' star who was a hero to late-'70s latchkey kids, dies at 82

Gil Gerard, the histrion who became a puerility leader to galore for his pb performances successful the 1979 movie “Buck Rogers successful the 25th Century” and its consequent TV incarnation, died aboriginal Tuesday, his woman announced connected societal media. He was 82.

“Early this greeting Gil — my soulmate — mislaid his combat with a uncommon and viciously assertive signifier of cancer,” Janet Gerard wrote Tuesday evening connected Facebook. “From the infinitesimal erstwhile we knew thing was incorrect to his decease this greeting was lone days.”

She was by Gerard’s broadside erstwhile helium died successful hospice care, she added arsenic she placed different station — a pre-written connection from the histrion to his family, friends and fans — connected her husband’s Facebook page.

“If you are speechmaking this, past Janet has posted it arsenic I asked her to,” the histrion wrote. “My beingness has been an astonishing journey. The opportunities I’ve had, the radical I’ve met and the emotion I person fixed and received person made my 82 years connected the satellite profoundly satisfying.”

The station was followed by myriad comments successful which fans spontaneously recalled Gerard’s enactment arsenic Buck Rogers and shared the power helium had connected their lives.

“Your clip arsenic Buck Rogers was mode excessively abbreviated but it has stayed with maine successful my puerility memories for 45+ years,” 1 antheral wrote. “Your leader was brave, macho, but besides kind, compassionate, and fair. I consciousness arsenic if that was typical of the antheral you genuinely were. Thank you for being the benignant of ‘make believe’ leader that we should each privation to beryllium successful existent life.”

Another instrumentality replied, “[H]aving met him, I tin accidental helium was each that. On and disconnected the screen.”

Wrote another, “Like galore here, I grew up watching Gil arsenic Buck Rogers. He was cool… and helium was funny… and helium was nice. I was blessed to find him present aft each these years… inactive cool… inactive funny… inactive nice. It was a item erstwhile helium ‘liked’ 1 of my comments. We’ll support an oculus retired for you… 500 years into the future!”

Gerard discussed the allure of “Buck Rogers” with The Times successful 2010.

“With our show, the crushed radical liked it was the wit and the information that it was colorful and upbeat and it had heroes successful it,” helium said, chatting astatine a comic normal successful Anaheim. “It was household entertainment. I deliberation it’s large to woody with much superior issues, but you tin bash it with wit — look astatine what ‘All successful the Family’ dealt with. You tin beryllium superior without being relentlessly acheronian and heavy.”

He besides had wishes for the aboriginal absorption of sci-fi projects, which astatine the clip helium observed were “very dark, astir hopeless.” And, helium said, “wet.”

“Have you noticed however overmuch rainfall they get successful the aboriginal now? Everything is rainy and muddy. I don’t understand, either, however travel everybody is truthful soiled erstwhile there’s so overmuch h2o astir everywhere,” Gerard observed with what seemed to beryllium a steadfast consciousness of humor. “Look astatine ‘Waterworld’ — they unrecorded successful a spot with no land and everyone’s covered successful dirt. I don’t get it. You deliberation they’d autumn overboard and get cleanable once successful a while.”

Gilbert Cyril Gerard was calved Jan. 23, 1943, successful Little Rock, Ark., and trekked to New York City successful 1969 to springiness acting a shot, studying astatine the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

He drove a taxi to wage the bills and, according to his website, 1 time a fare told him to amusement up connected the acceptable of the movie “Love Story.” Ten weeks of enactment connected the movie followed and his vocation took off. At archetypal Gerard appeared chiefly successful commercials, representing companies including Ford, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble until helium landed the relation of erstwhile POW Dr. Alan Stewart connected NBC’s “The Doctors.” He enactment connected the achromatic overgarment and stethoscope for much than 300 episodes of that daytime play from 1973 to 1976.

Then an cause lured him to the West Coast, wherever auditions got him noticed by NBC. NBC’s involvement led to his casting successful the rubric relation successful Universal Pictures’ “Buck Rogers successful the 25th Century,” starring alongside Erin Gray arsenic Col. Wilma Deering and Pamela Hensley arsenic Princess Ardala.

As William “Buck” Rogers, Gerard played a 20th period astronaut who had travel retired of suspended animation 500 years successful the future, lone to observe a satellite successful ruins. In 1979 dollars, the movie earned much than $21 cardinal worldwide, oregon astir $100 cardinal erstwhile adjusted for inflation.

His vocation extracurricular of “Buck Rogers” included appearances connected mainstream shows abundant successful that epoch — “Baretta,” “Hawaii 5-0,” “CHiPs” and “Little House connected the Prairie” among them — arsenic good arsenic much obscure TV movies with delightful titles: “Reptisaurus,” “Nuclear Hurricane” and “Bone Eater.” “Sidekicks” successful the mid-1980s, a mates of years aft the merchandise of the Oscar-nominated 1984 movie “The Karate Kid,” saw him playing a bull who becomes the guardian of a pre-teen martial-arts expert. A stint connected the short-lived 1990 bid “E.A.R.T.H Force” earned him immoderate airy snark from The Times’ then-critic Howard Rosenberg.

But Gerard besides appeared successful palmy mainstream films including “The Nice Guys” starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling and “The Big Easy” with Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin.

Gerard was joined and divorced 4 times earlier exchanging vows with Janet Gerard successful the 2010s. Among his wives was exemplary and histrion Connie Sellecca, whom helium was joined to from 1979 until their divorcement was finalized successful 1987. They had 1 child, a son.

In summation to addictions to intoxicant and drugs, the histrion battled his value starting successful the 1980s, with the once-trim starring antheral yet seeing his wellness endure arsenic helium topped 300 pounds, according to a 1990 interrogation with People. He aboriginal chronicled his 2005 mini gastric-bypass country successful the 2007 Discovery Health peculiar “Action Hero Makeover.”

“Gil apt saved my life. I was severely successful request of weightloss surgery. I was resistant...then one saw a documentary connected Gils value nonaccomplishment journey. It was the impetus I needed arsenic Gil was a leader of excavation increasing up,” a instrumentality wrote Tuesday connected Gerard’s posthumous Facebook post. “I thanked him via email respective years agone and helium was gracious and kind. I volition miss him.”

Gerard appeared to beryllium rather grateful and gracious astatine the extremity of his life.

“It’s been a large ride, but inevitably 1 that comes to a adjacent arsenic excavation has,” helium wrote successful that last prepared post. “Don’t discarded your clip connected thing that doesn’t thrill you oregon bring you love. See you retired determination successful the cosmos.”

“No substance however galore years I got to walk with him it would person ne'er been enough,” Janet Gerard said successful closing successful her ain connection connected Facebook. “Hold the ones you person tightly and emotion them fiercely.”

In summation to his wife, Gerard is survived by histrion Gilbert Vincent “Gib” Gerard, 44, his lad with Sellecca.