Buck Rogers Star Gil Gerard Dies at 82, See You Out in the Cosmos
Buck Rogers Star Gil Gerard Dies at 82, See You Out in the Cosmos
Gil Gerard, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century star, dies at 82 after a cancer battle. His wife announced the news on Facebook and shared a cosmic farewell.
Gil Gerard, the actor who brought Buck Rogers to NBC screens for two seasons, has died at 82 after a battle with cancer. His wife Janet announced the news on Facebook, saying he "lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer." In a posthumous note she shared, he wrote, "My life has been an amazing journey... See you out somewhere in the cosmos."
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gerard moved to New York City in 1969 and supported himself as a taxi driver while training at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. His acting career began with a role in Love Story (1970), followed by hundreds of commercials and a breakthrough on the daytime soap The Doctors.
He is best known for starring as Buck Rogers in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on NBC from 1979 to 1981, a role that defined a generation of sci-fi fans. In later years, he lived in North Georgia with his wife Janet, to whom he was married for 18 years before his passing. He is survived by his son Gib, whom he shares with his ex-wife Connie Sellecca. Gerard's career spanned film, television and commercials, and his Buck Rogers character remains a touchstone of late-20th-century pop culture.
