Clarence Gilyard Obituary

Clarence Darnell Gilyard Jr. was a university professor, actor, and author from the United States.

Gilyard was born on Christmas Eve, 1955, into a military family in Moses Lake, Washington. Gilyard spent his childhood on Air Force bases in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida.

He was raised primarily as a Lutheran before becoming Catholic in the 1990s. As a performer, he appeared in films, television shows, and stage productions under the name Clarence A. Gilyard.

Gilyard was best known for his roles as Conrad McMasters, Ben Matlock’s second private investigator and right-hand man, on the legal drama series Matlock from 1989 to 1993.

Pastor Bruce Barnes in the Left Behind film trilogy; and Cordell Walker’s  Texas Ranger partner, James “Jimmy” Trivette, in the 1990s crime series

Clarence Gilyard passed away on November 28, 2022.  He was 66. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Fine Arts, where Gilyard taught, he had been ill for quite some time. No additional information was provided.