Die Hard and Top Gun actor Clarence Gilyard has died, aged 66

Actor and professor Clarence Gilyard, best known for his roles in Top Gun, Die Hard, and Walker, Texas Ranger, has died. He was 66 years old.

The sad news was confirmed by the university where Gilyard taught. The college of fine arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) announced his death in a news release earlier this week. While the school revealed that Gilyard had been ill for some time, no further details were mentioned.

Gilyard played crucial supporting roles in two of the most iconic action blockbusters of the 1980s. In Top Gun he made his movie debut as the pilot Sundown, and provided tech support for the villainous Hans Gruber in Die Hard as Theo. Gilyard would go on to reprise the role of Theo in a 2021 Super Bowl commercial.

In 1989, Gilyard landed a regular role as private investigator Conrad McMasters in the legal drama Matlock alongside Andy Griffith.

After 85 appearances on Matlock, Gilyard took a starring role in crime show Walker, Texas Ranger as Chuck Norris' sidekick. He played the character Jimmy Trivette for the show's entire eights-season run before it ended in 2001.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Gilyard joined UNLV's theater department as an associate professor in 2006, a role that he happily put above finding further film and TV work.

Nancy Uscher, dean of the school's college of fine arts, said in a statement on Monday that Gilyard “deeply inspired” his students. "His generosity of spirit was boundless – he was always ready to contribute to projects and performances however possible."