'Buck Rogers' star Gil Gerard passes away at 82

Entertainment Dec 17, 2025

Gil Gerard, who brought Captain "Buck" Rogers to life in the classic 1979 film and TV series, has died at 82.
His wife Janet Gerard shared that he faced a rare and aggressive cancer, which sadly took him within days of diagnosis.

Who was Gil Gerard?

Born in Arkansas in 1943, Gerard moved to New York to chase his acting dreams—studying drama by day and driving a cab by night.
He started out as an extra in Love Story, did hundreds of commercials, starred on the soap The Doctors, and later became famous for Buck Rogers.
He also worked behind the scenes with his own production company and appeared in shows like Sidekicks and even Star Trek fan projects.