Clarence Gilyard Who Starred in ‘Die Hard and Top Gun, Dies at 66

Clarence Gilyard Jr., 66, was a popular supporting actor whose credits included the blockbuster films “Die Hard” and “Top Gun,” as well as the hit television series “Matlock” and “Walker, Texas Ranger” has died.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he taught stage and screen acting, announced his death this week on Twitter. Additional information was not immediately available on Tuesday.

“Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him at UNLV,” said Heather Addison, the school’s film chair, in a statement. “Whenever we asked how he was, he would cheerfully exclaim, ‘Blessed!’ But we were truly blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years.”

Clarence Gilyard was born in Moses Lake, Washington. He had a successful acting career that began in the 1980s with roles in “Diff’rent Strokes,” “The Facts of Life,” and other shows. He then starred in two of the decade’s biggest films: “Top Gun,” in which he played Sundown, a radar intercept officer, and “Die Hard,” in which he played a villainous computer maven with one-liners like “You didn’t bring me along for my charming personality.”

In the 1990s, Gilyard portrayed law enforcement in “Matlock,” co-starring with Andy Griffith, and “Walker, Texas Ranger,” co-starring with Chuck Norris. His other credits include “The Karate Kid: Part II,” stage production of “Driving Miss Daisy,” and an appearance in a commercial for DieHard batteries alongside “Die Hard” star Bruce Willis.

The Associated Press