ATLANTA — Gil Gerard, the actor who played the swaggering title hero in NBC’s “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” died Tuesday in hospice care in north Georgia after a rare, aggressive cancer, his wife said. Janet Gerard said only days passed between learning something was wrong and his death, and she shared a farewell note he wrote to family, friends and fans, Dec. 16, 2025.
Gerard’s manager, Tina Presley Borek, confirmed the death in a statement carried by The Associated Press. In the message posted after he died, Gerard called his life “a great ride” and urged readers to hold close what matters: “Don’t waste your time on anything that doesn’t thrill you or bring you love. See you out somewhere in the cosmos.”
Gil Gerard and the legacy of ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’
Long before streaming made science fiction a prestige genre, Gil Gerard’s Buck Rogers helped turn space adventure into primetime comfort food. The series, which ran from 1979 to 1981, followed a 20th-century NASA pilot who awakens about 500 years in the future and is pulled into battles that mixed camp, action and a wink-at-the-camera optimism. He traded lines with the robot sidekick Twiki and fought alongside Col. Wilma Deering, played by Erin Gray.
Entertainment Weekly noted that the role made Gerard a familiar face in living rooms, but he kept working well beyond the 25th century — with credits that ranged from soap operas to guest roles on long-running TV dramas. The Associated Press also reported that he later hosted the reality series “Code 3,” which followed firefighters responding to emergency calls.
Life beyond the role
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Gil Gerard moved to New York City in 1969 and studied acting while taking whatever jobs would pay the bills, including driving a cab. Over time, commercials and daytime television led to bigger opportunities, and he later appeared in projects including “Airport ’77,” “Hear No Evil” and “Sidekicks.”
He also spoke candidly about the harder turns in his life, including addiction and weight. In its obituary, People reported that he participated in the 2007 documentary “Action Hero Makeover,” and that he is survived by his wife, Janet, and his son, Gib, from his marriage to actress Connie Sellecca.
A fan favorite to the end
Gerard’s Buck Rogers endured partly because it treated science fiction as family entertainment — colorful, funny and hopeful. In a 2010 Los Angeles Times blog Q&A about a possible revival, Gil Gerard argued that the franchise worked best when it stayed bright and not “somber,” in a Los Angeles Times blog post.
He kept close to that audience through conventions, including repeat visits to Dragon Con. A 2010 interview posted by Interface to Face captured Gil Gerard at Dragon Con discussing his career and an upcoming project he was then working on.
In reporting the death, ABC7 said Janet Gerard described his illness as fast-moving, with only days between the first warning signs and his death.
