Clarence Gilyard
A character actor whose steady, warm presence on hit TV shows made him a familiar and trusted face in American living rooms for decades.
1955–2022 (age 67)·American actor·Birthday: December 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Clarence Gilyard brought a grounded, everyman quality to the television landscape of the 1980s and 90s. After early roles in films like 'Top Gun' and 'Die Hard', he found his niche on the small screen. As Conrad McMasters, the sharp and loyal private investigator on 'Matlock', he provided the perfect foil to Andy Griffith's folksy legal genius. He then stepped into cowboy boots to play Jimmy Trivette, the modern-day Texas Ranger and loyal partner to Chuck Norris's Cordell Walker. Gilyard's performances were marked by a natural, unforced charisma and a sense of integrity that made his characters instantly likable. Beyond acting, he was a dedicated educator, serving as a professor of theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he shaped a new generation of performers. His career was a testament to the impact of consistent, reliable talent in building television's most enduring partnerships.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Clarence was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clarence Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Clarence's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2022Died at 67
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Key Achievements
- Played a central role in two long-running, prime-time network television series: 'Matlock' for nine seasons and 'Walker, Texas Ranger' for eight.
- Appeared in two of the most successful action films of the 1980s, 'Top Gun' and 'Die Hard'.
- Served as a professor and associate dean in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Did You Know?
He was a licensed pilot and enjoyed flying in his spare time.
Before his acting career took off, he studied theatre at California State University and the University of Southern California.
He was ordained as a deacon in the Catholic Church.
He directed several stage productions while teaching at UNLV.
“I'm just a working actor trying to get it right.”
