Clarence Gilyard’s Net Worth, Wife, Age – Where is he now?

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Who is Clarence Gilyard and where is he now? Wiki Bio

Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr. was born on 24 December 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington State USA, so his zodiac sign is Capricorn and he holds American nationality. He is an actor, author, and a college professor, who gained recognition after portraying Conrad Matlock in the crime drama series “Matlock”, which aired from 1986 to 1995. It also starred Andy Griffith, Linda Purl and Kene Holiday and follows an attorney who is defending criminals, with his best method of defence is to find the real killers or robbers.

Clarence is currently working as an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

Early life and education

Clarence was raised alongside five siblings in Moses Lake by their father Clarence Gilyard Sr. who was an US Air Force officer. Clarence also spent time with his family in Hawaii and Florida where his father was stationed; details about his mother are non-existent. His younger brother Milton has a disability, and is placed in an assistant-living residence.

Clarence attended Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California, where he became interested in acting, appearing in most plays performed there, while he was also very sporting, running track and playing football and tennis.

He had remarkable grades, and after matriculating in 1974 he followed in his father’s footsteps into the Air Force Academy, only to quit after a year so that he could study at Sterling College. He continued playing football there and joined the Sigma Chi fraternity, however, he dropped out as he was more focused on alcohol and drugs.

His parents urged him to enroll at California State University, Long Beach, from which he subsequently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in acting, and afterwards began working as a waiter while attending auditions waiting to win his first roles. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance in 2003 from Southern Methodist University.

Career as an actor

Clarence made his debut appearance in the crime drama series “CHiPs” in 1982, portraying Officer Benjamin Webster, and was then cast to appear as Roland Culp in the sitcom “The Duck Factory” in 1984. The year 1986 saw him cast as Marcus ‘Sundown’ Williams in the critically acclaimed movie “Top Gun”, which starred Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, while he also appeared in “The Karate Kid Part II” and “Simon & Simon”.

He went on to portray James B. White in “Off the Mark”, and Theo in the action thriller movie “Die Hard”, which starred Bruce Willis, and he then starred as Mustafa Jackson in the crime thriller “L. A. Takedown”. From 1993 to 2001, he portrayed James ‘Jimmy’ Trivette in the action crime series “Walker, Texas Ranger” which starred Chuck Norris, then reprised his role in “Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion” in 1995.

In 2001, he portrayed Bruce Barnes in “Left Behind: The Movie”, as well as in “Left Behind II: Tribulation Force” in 2002 and was then cast once again as James Trivette in “Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire” in 2005.

He returned for the sequel “Top Gun 2: Back to Traffic School” in 2012, and then portrayed Ben Foreman in “Little Monsters” and Jeremiah Ward in “Chasing Shakespeare” in 2013. Some of his next roles were in “A Matter of Faith” in 2014, “The Track” in 2015, and “Rabbit Days” in 2016.

Some of Clarence’s latest roles have been in “The Sector” in 2016, “Christmas on the Coast” in 2017, and “The Perfect Race” in 2019.

Career as an author

Clarence released his first book – “The Dance of the Star” – in 1990 which was followed by “Instructors and Students” in 1992. His third book “Eagle in a Cage” came out in 1996, followed by “Perfume at Night” in 1997, and “Melancholy in the Mirror” in 2002.

In 2005 he published “Past and Present: My Story”, and then finished “The Game of Venus” in 2006. Some of his latest books have been “Memories of a Stranger Wanderer” in 2008, “Cry of the Cat” in 2010, and “Red Lights” in 2011.

Love life and relationships

Clarence met Catherine Dutko sometime in the ‘90s, and they began dating shortly after. Catherine is an actress as well, and is famous for appearing in the short comedy film “Jesus 2000”, written and directed by Eric Cooper and which starred Jim Abbott, Elaine Andrews and Andrea Anthony. The two married, and she gave birth to two of Clarence’s children, but they divorced about two years later.

On 25 August 2001, he married Elena Castillo – they are still together, and have three children. One of his sons, Peter was born on 30 May 2007, and is practicing his acting skills already, preparing to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Clarence was in a long-term relationship while he was attending high school and he and the girl drank alcohol and took drugs together before Clarence’s parents separated them so that he could focus on other things.

Hobbies and other interests

Clarence has been physically active since he was a teenager, and has had four to five training sessions at the gym each week before his late ‘40s, when he dropped back to just once or twice a week. He likes to travel, and has been to several US states, including Alaska, Florida and New York, while he has also visited many European countries including France and England.

He is very religious, and although born as a Lutheran, he became Catholic in the ‘90s, while he is today serving as the consultant of the Communications Committee of the USA Catholic Bishops.

He likes to watch movies in his spare time, with his favorite actors being Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey and Johnny Depp, while some of his favorite movies are the trilogy “The Matrix”, “Liar, Liar”, and the franchise “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

Appearance and net worth

Clarence is 64 years old. He has short brown hair and brown eyes, is 5ft 8ins (1.74m) tall, and weighs around 150lbs (68kgs). As of April 2020, his net worth is estimated at over $5 million.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia