Gil Gerard, who played hard-boiled sci-fi hero William “Buck” Rogers on television shortly after catapulting the Star Wars franchise into popularity in the late 1970s, has died. He was 82.
Gerard died Tuesday in hospice care from a rare, aggressive form of cancer, his manager Tina Presley Borek said. His wife Janet Gerard posted a posthumous message on Facebook that he left for fans, which read in part:
“Don't waste your time on things that don't excite you or bring you love. See you somewhere in space.”
Gerard starred in the campy NBC series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which ran for two seasons from 1979 to 1981. The theatrical film based on the series also delighted the youth and their parents. This was Rogers' second television appearance, following a 1950s show, a radio series, and a 1939 series.
The story was based on Philip Francis Nowlan's 1928 serialized novel Armageddon 2419 AD. Nowlan's character was named Anthony Rogers. The title was changed when the story began to appear in newspapers as a comic strip.
“My life has been an amazing journey,” Gerard wrote in a social media post. “The opportunities I have had, the people I have met, and the love I have given and received have made my 82 years on the planet deeply satisfying.”
As the TV story goes, Rogers was a 20th century NASA pilot who was frozen when his ship was caught in a meteor storm. He wakes up 500 years later, in 2491. He looks at a futuristic domed Earth with all its threats, including aliens, space pilots and evil Draconians.
He had assistants: his robot assistant Tweeky and the beautiful astronaut Wilma Dearing, played by Erin Gray.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gerard worked regularly in television advertising. He was featured in a number of other television shows and films, including starring in the 1982 TV movie Hear No Evil as Dragon and the short-lived 1986 film Companions.
In 1992, he hosted the reality show Code 3, which followed firefighters responding to emergency calls throughout the United States. He made frequent guest appearances in the 1990s, including on Days of Our Lives.
Gerard and Gray were together again in 2007 for the TV movie Nuclear Hurricane. They also returned to the Buck Rogers universe as Rogers' parents in the pilot episode of James Cawley's web video series Buck Rogers: The Beginning in 2009.
Gerard spoke openly about his addictions to drugs, alcohol and compulsive overeating. In 2007, he was the subject of an hour-long documentary, Action Hero Makeover, after his weight ballooned to 350 pounds.
The film, produced by then longtime collaborator Adrienne Crowe, for the Discovery Health Channel, documented his progress after gastric bypass surgery.
Gerard was married and divorced four times before Janet. He had a son, actor Gilbert Vincent Gerard, with model and actor Connie Sellecca. Their divorce included a bitter custody battle over “Gib”, born in 1981. Sellecca received primary custody.
“My journey has taken me from Arkansas to New York to Los Angeles and finally to my home in North Georgia with my wonderful wife of 18 years, Janet,” Gerard wrote in a post published on Facebook after his death.
“It’s been a great ride, but it inevitably ends, just like mine.”
