Clarence Gillard Jr. ‘Die Hard’ Walker, Texas Ranger actor and professor, dies at 66

Clarence Gilliard Jr., a prolific actor best known for his pivotal role in the series “Walker, Texas Ranger” and for the role-stealing scene where Theo, the hacker in Die Hard, passed away Monday after a long illness. He was 66 years old.

In addition to his celebrity career, Gillard was a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “Professor Gillard was a beacon of light and strength to all around him. Whenever we asked him how he was doing, he would cheerfully announce that he was “Blessed!” But we are truly blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years. We love you and will miss you very much, Professor G!” UNLV Film Chair Heather Addison he said in a statement Monday.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the news.

Born in 1955 in Moses Lake, Washington, Gilliard eventually moved to California as a young man, where he studied acting at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He began acting regularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s with roles on TV shows including “Diff’rent Strokes” and a major role during the final season of “Chips” in 1983.

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In 1988, he played Theo, a hacker who works with Hans Gruber’s heist crew – notably the only surviving member of the crew – in Die Hard. The following year he joined the cast of “Matlock” as private investigator Conrad McMasters, a role he played through 1993. In 1993 he was cast as James “Jimmy” Trevett, Walker’s fellow vigilante and best friend. He remained on the show throughout its run until the show ended in 2001, returning for the TV movie Walker in 2005.

Other notable film and television roles include “The Karate Kid Part II,” and a lead role in the first two films, “Left Behind.”

Gilliard began teaching at the college after Walker finished, and at the time of his death taught theater at the New NLV College of Fine Arts. He was married twice and has 6 children.