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

• Clarence Gilyard Jr. is an American actor, author, and professor
• He gained recognition after portraying Conrad Matlock in the crime drama series “Matlock”
• He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas
• He has released several books and appeared in movies including "Top Gun" and “Walker, Texas Ranger”
• He is 64 years old with a net worth of over $5 million

Known for movies

Walker, Texas Ranger (1993-2001)
as James Trivette

Die Hard (1988)
as Theo

Top Gun (1986)
as Sundown

Matlock (1989-1995)
as Conrad McMasters

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.

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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.

Marks

#	Marks / Signs
1	Nasally, whiny voice
2	Very muscular physique
3	Frequently played characters that are of the civil law

Quotes

#	Quote
1	[on his charity he spent time for] I always wanted to be a cowboy and work with my horse every weekend. My specialty is team roping. I had the pleasure of working with Charlie Sampson in Mesa, Arizonza, the last time out. He's the 1982 World Champion Rider. I love it out there, up to my butt in horses, calves, dirt and dung.
2	[When he replaced Kene Holiday on Matlock (1986), in the role of Conrad] I was doing a lot of stress management that day. I decided to forget about the audition script and focus on how I felt about Andy the man. Having grown up with The Andy Griffith Show (1960), adoring the father-son relationship, I just figured to be Opie for a day. Well, I blew it. I was disappointed with myself, thinking I would never work again. But I turned on the TV in the limousine taking me back to the airport that night, and my second episode on Diff'rent Strokes (1978) happened to be on. I felt it was a good omen.
3	I was part of a lot of great television projects. I started out on 'CHiPs' with Erik (Estrada). It was really consuming with Andy and Chuck. I do intend to go back, but not to the demise of the quality of life that I have now with my wife and five kids. And I always wanted that collegiate component in my life. It was one of those ("Godfather" author) Mario Puzo things. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse at a good university that's becoming a fine university. It's a great fit.
4	[Of his spiritual talents]: To see those men do that was providential. It made me realize that artistically I have a lot of voices -- but how do I articulate all those voices unless I put my trust in some type of technique?
5	[When his role on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) came to an end, after 8 1/2 seasons]: I wanted to start over. Also, I was going to work on my new marriage. After 15 straight years of network TV I knew that I couldn't put a young marriage through that.
6	[In the wake of his misbehavior of his marriage]: My wife left me because I started to have an affair.
7	[on figuring out the many Catholics that get on their knees each day]: I don't know how many Catholics are aware of why we are on our knees in the presence of Jesus. That's where I needed to be. Mother Church allows that and informs us that way. It is one of the great gifts.
8	[on Chuck Norris's, Cordell Walker]: There was really no one else in town who could play that character.
9	I was a prodigal, and not learning a lot of healthy habits. I was doing a little drugs, drinking a lot, chasing women until my parents said, 'You've got to move out.'
10	[when he wanted to be an actor] I knew it was the right choice from day one, then, through actor friends working at a restaurant where I was waiting tables at night.
11	I knew that nobody in this business would ever ask to see my diploma - I did it for myself. I believe that the only way you can really change your life is to get new information. I also wanted to learn the classic, not fake them.
12	[on being born Christmas Eve]: We did the best we could to make it a festive occasion, but I was always awed by what the kids in school said they got from Santa Claus. I couldn't quite bring myself to tell them about the boring underwear and socks I got year after year.
13	[on turning 50]: I really have to work hard to keep up with them.
14	[on why he would frequently grow his beard, outside of work]: If people look at you in an elevator long enough, they'll recognize you.
15	[on how he sees himself as a character outside of his faith]: As a Catholic Christian, people don't necessarily want to see you in that way, as a person, as a father, as someone called to marriage or as an artist.
16	[Of his journeyman career]: I had been trying to make it in show business without any real vision. I was getting some success because I was a type - I had a quality that producers were looking for. But I wasn't controlling my destiny.
17	[on his character in "Left Behind"]: I am blessed to be a part of the production and get to play this character. I'm not the best actor in the world, but even better, I get to help this character evolve. I think God wants me to be playing Bruce Barnes.
18	It took me 10 years, but I eventually graduated from college, too.
19	Why I got to do 13 straight years of network television and somebody else didn't, who knows?
20	I grew up as an Air Force brat. My family moved around a lot. I entered the U.S. Air Force Academy after high school, but left after a year. I couldn't afford to stay at Sterling College in Kansas, where I played wide receiver for the football team, so I went to work and eventually moved back to California.

Facts

#	Fact
1	Surrogate son of Andy Griffith.
2	Credits Andy Griffith as his favorite acting mentor/best friend.
3	When Matlock (1986) moved production from Los Angeles to North Carolina, at the beginning of the seventh season, it was Andy Griffith who suggested to him that he moved there. Fortunately, for Gilyard, he resided in North Carolina, for over a year, and moved back to Los Angeles.
4	Has returned to college to get his masters degree in Acting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. [September 2003]
5	Best friends with Sheree J. Wilson.
6	He is an associate professor of theater at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. [August 2006]
7	Lived in Los Angeles, California, from 1980 to 1992, and again from 1993 to 2001.
8	His acting mentors were the late Andy Griffith and Chuck Norris.
9	Gilyard was a finalist for the role of Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
10	Went to the same high school as ex-Allies lead guitarist Randy Thomas and actor/singer Kirk Fogg.
11	Attended California State University, Long Beach, with a major in theater.
12	His father, Clarence Sr., had converted his religion from Baptist to Lutheran, which Clarence Jr. practiced in California, Hawaii, Texas, Florida, everywhere.
13	Before he was an actor, he worked with his housemate at a clothing store. He was promoted to manager.
14	His brother, Milton, is moderately developmentally disabled.
15	Graduated from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California, in 1974.
16	Like his father, he went to the Air Force Academy.
17	The second of six children.
18	His family was originally from New Orleans, Louisiana.
19	Serves as a consultant of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Communications.
20	Originally a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
21	His son, Peter, was born on May 30, 2007.
22	As a little boy, like co-star Nancy Stafford, he was a huge fan of The Andy Griffith Show (1960). Several years after that show went off the air, he beat out three other actors for the role of a private investigator on Andy Griffith's Matlock (1986), for the fourth season of the series, when he replaced Kene Holiday.
23	A cowboy buff.
24	Three of the movies he has starred in have gone on to gross well over $150 million each in worldwide box office and DVD sales.
25	Best known by the public for his roles as Conrad McMasters on Matlock (1986), and as James "Jimmy" Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger (1993).
26	After joining the cast of the play "Bleacher Burns," Clarence became the first black actor to play the role of the cheerleader. By coincidence, the real-life person on whom the cheerleader at Wrigley Field was based was indeed black.
27	He began his acting career working in the children's theater.
28	Gilyard was born in Moses Lakes, Washington, but was raised on military bases in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida.
29	He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
30	Attended Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, for some time. After his success as an actor, Clarence has given back to the college in many ways, one of which was paying for new tennis courts for the college.

Pictures

Movies

Actor

Title	Year	Status	Character
The Sector	2016		Reverend Raines
Rabbit Days	2016		Auguste Porter
The Track	2015		Psychiatrist
A Matter of Faith	2014		Professor Portland
artScene	2013	TV Series
From Above	2013		Jeremiah Ward
Little Monsters	2012		Ben Foreman
Top Gun 2: Back to Traffic School	2012	Short	Sundown
Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire	2005	TV Movie	James Trivette (as Clarence Gilyard)
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force	2002		Pastor Bruce Barnes (as Clarence Gilyard)
Walker, Texas Ranger	1993-2001	TV Series	James Trivette
Left Behind: The Movie	2000	Video	Bruce Barnes (as Clarence Gilyard)
Sons of Thunder	1999	TV Series	Ranger Jimmy Trivette
Walker Texas Ranger 3: Deadly Reunion	1994		James Trivette (as Clarence Gilyard)
Matlock	1989-1993	TV Series	Conrad McMasters
The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake	1990	TV Movie	Roy Bryant
L.A. Takedown	1989	TV Movie	Mustafa Jackson
Die Hard	1988		Theo
The Facts of Life	1987	TV Series	Matt
Off the Mark	1987		James B. White
227	1987	TV Series	Harold Bailey
Simon & Simon	1986	TV Series	Wally Stokes
The Karate Kid Part II	1986		G.I. #1
Top Gun	1986		Sundown
Solomon's Universe	1985	TV Movie	Casey
Riptide	1984	TV Series	William Collins
The Duck Factory	1984	TV Series	Roland Culp
Things Are Looking Up	1984	TV Movie	Clement McCallister
CHiPs	1982-1983	TV Series	Officer Benjamin Webster / Webster
The Kid with the 200 I.Q.	1983	TV Movie
Making the Grade	1982	TV Series
Diff'rent Strokes	1981	TV Series	Frank Simpson / The Student

Director

Title	Year	Status	Character
Walker, Texas Ranger	1999	TV Series 1 episode

Producer

Title	Year	Status	Character
Boondoggle	1999	executive producer

Soundtrack

Title	Year	Status	Character
Matlock	1989	TV Series performer - 1 episode

Thanks

Title	Year	Status	Character
Top Gun 2: Back to Traffic School	2012	Short special thanks

Self

Title	Year	Status	Character
The Making of 'Left Behind II: Tribulation Force'	2002	Video documentary short	Himself (as Clarence Gilyard)
The Making of 'Left Behind: The Movie'	2000	Video documentary short	Himself
Orange Bowl Parade	1997	TV Movie	Himself - Host
Walker: Behind the Scenes with TV's Toughest Cop	1996	TV Movie documentary	Himself

Archive Footage

Title	Year	Status	Character
Matlock	1994-1995	TV Series	Conrad McMasters

Awards

Won Awards

Year	Award	Ceremony	Nomination	Movie
2000	Image Award	Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series	Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
1999	Lone Star Film & Television Award	Lone Star Film & Television Awards	Best TV Supporting Actor	Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)