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Gil Gerard, the actor known for playing Capt. William "Buck" Rogers, onBuck Rogers in the 25th Century, beginning in 1979, has died of cancer, his wife, Janet Gerard, shared on social media. He was 82.
"Early this morning Gil — my soulmate — lost his fight with a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,"she postedlate Tuesday. "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."
She also releaseda statementon his verified Facebook account that he asked her to share:
"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," he wrote. "My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles, and finally, to my home in North Georgia with my amazing wife, Janet, of 18 years. It's been a great ride, but inevitably one that comes to a close as mine has. Don't waste your time on anything that doesn't thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos."
The actor played Buck beginning in the 1979 movieBuck Rogers in the 25th Century, which was released into theaters and served as the pilot for two seasons of the TV show of the same name.
The character had first been introduced in 1930s comic strips and had previously been adapted for the silver screen.
Gerard was reluctant to take the part at first.
"I saw what it did to Adam West's career with Batman, and this was another cartoon character," he said ina 2018 interview. "I didn't want to do this campy stuff."
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In the sci-fi series, Gerard portrayed an astronaut who finds himself 500 years in the future. It costarred the late Mel Blanc, who provided the voice of cartoon characters including Bugs Bunny.
Gilbert Cyril Gerard, a native of Little Rock, Ark., enrolled at what was then called Arkansas State Teacher College, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, but he moved to New York in 1969. He then studied acting under Philip Burton at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, until, by a chance meeting, he ended up as an extra on the 1970 movieLove Storyand began working on commercials.
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Gerard was a working actor for decades, having earned his first credits on daytime soap operas such asAnother WorldandThe Doctors, on which he played Dr. Alan Stewart on more than 300 episodes.
He made appearances on TV hits includingLittle House on the Prairie,CHiPs,Baretta, andHawaii Five-0,and he worked on movies such as 1977'sAirport '77, with Jack Lemmon and Olivia de Havilland.
In the '90s and beyond, he was a guest on TV seriesE.A.R.T.H. Force,Pacific Blue,Drop Dead Diva, andDays of Our Lives. One of his final credits came in 2016, when he was cast in buddy comedyThe Nice Guys, alongside Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.
Gerard was married toHotelactress Connie Sellecca from 1979 until 1987, and they share one son.
He and his wife, Janet, were married for 18 years.
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