Little Rock native Gil Gerard, best known for his portrayal of sci-fi adventurer Buck Rogers in the titular television series, has died. Gerard was 82.

Gerard grew up in Little Rock and attended Catholic High School for Boys until 1969, when he moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. Gerard worked as a cab driver while appearing in commercials and bit parts in both movies and television. Gerard caught his break in the late ’70s thanks to a guest appearance in the popular television series “Little House on the Prairie,” which led to his casting as a fearless interstellar explorer in “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.”

“Buck Rogers” would run from 1979 to 1981 and would be considered a classic of televised science fiction. The theatrically released pilot finished as one of the top-grossing films of 1979, and Gerard would go on to make appearances in both movies and television.

Gerard’s death was announced by his wife, Janet, who said in a Facebook post that Gerard had succumbed to “a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer.” 

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