Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr was an American actor, author, and academic. 

He was best recognised by television audiences for his appearances as private investigator Conrad McMasters on the courtroom drama series Matlock (1986-95) and Texas Ranger Jimmy Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001).

Profile

• Full Name: Clarence Alfred Gilyard
• Stage Name: Clarence Gilyard
• Born: December 24, 1955
• Age: 66 years old 
• Birthplace: Moses Lake, Washington,
• Death day: November 23, 2022,
• Nationality: American 
• Occupation: Actor, author, and academic.
• Height: 1.78m
• Parent: Barbara Alfred and Clarence Alfred
• Siblings: Unknown 
• Spouse: Catherine Dutko Alfred and Elena Castillo Alfred
• Children: 6 children 
• Relationship: Married 
• Net Worth:#7 million. 

Early Life And Education

Clarence Gilyard was born on December 24, 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington, US. Gilyard was born in a military family, the son of Barbara and Clarence Alfred Gilyard Sr., a United States Air Force officer. Gilyard was the second of six children, and he may have grown up with siblings whose names are unknown to the media.

 Gilyard succeeded academically, graduating from high school in 1974. He first followed his father’s wishes and enrolled in the United States Air Force Academy. However, his path took a turn. He later attended Sterling College, where he played football and received a tennis scholarship. While there, he also joined a fraternity (Sigma Chi).

He also obtained a tennis scholarship but dropped out before finishing his studies. So, he moved to Long Beach, California, with a friend. He attended California State University, Long Beach, majoring in acting and working as a server while looking for acting jobs. He earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Career

Gilyard moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue a career in acting. A role in the play Bleacher Bums, among other things, made him what one magazine termed “the first black actor to play a cheerleader” before he moved on to television roles. Gilyard appeared as a character actor on several television shows, including Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, 227, Simon & Simon, and Riptide. 

Gilyard played Officer Benjamin Webster in the final season of the NBC TV series CHiPs, which aired from 1982 to 1983. He appeared alongside Jim Carrey in the 1984 NBC sitcom The Duck Factory. He appeared in a McDonald’s ad in 1987.

Gilyard made his film debut in 1986 as an F-14 Tomcat radar intercept officer, LT. (JG) Marcus “Sundown” Williams, in Top Gun. He also appeared as a military man in the 1986 film The Karate Kid Part II. In the 1988 action movie Die Hard, he played Theo, a criminal computer expert. He also portrayed Reverend Bruce Barnes in Left Behind: The Movie and its sequel, Left Behind II: Tribulation Force.

In 1993, he began another long-running co-starring role with Chuck Norris on Walker, Texas Ranger. Gilyard played James “Jimmy” Trivette, a fellow Texas Ranger and Walker’s best friend. Gilyard made a surprise appearance in the 2005 TV movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire.

Gilyard took a sabbatical from acting in 2006 to become an associate professor in the College of Fine Arts – Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He taught stage and screen acting. He continued to teach for years. Following his passing, the school’s film chair stated that “Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around at UNLV”.

Social Media

• Instagram handle:@claygil
• Twitter handle: @TxRSgtJimmyT) 

Personal Life

Gilyard got married twice. Catherine Dutko was his first wife, and they married in 1989. They later got divorced. He married Elena Castillo in 2001, and she remained his wife until he died in 2022. 

Gilyard has six children, whose names are unknown to the media. children. Gilyard, 66, died on November 23, 2022, in his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, following a protracted illness.

Filmography

• Top Gun 
• Die Hard 

Net Worth

Clarence Gilyard’s net worth is estimated to be $7 million.

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