Clu Gulager, a multifaceted actor known for his roles in “The Virginian” and “The Last Picture Show,” has died. He was 93.
included “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Knight Rider,” “Hawaii Five-O,” and “Murder, She Wrote.”Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Gulager, who is part Cherokee, also boasted an illustrious big-screen career, appearing in a variety of iconic films, including “Winning,” “McQ” and Don Siegel’s “The Killers.” In the latter, he portrayed the understudy of hitman Charlie Strom , who is whacked by a mob boss, played by former president Ronald Reagan., to cast him in the critically acclaimed 1971 classic “The Last Picture Show.” He played Abilene, the sleazeball oil tycoon who made love to both Lois Farrow and her daughter Jacy .
Clu Gulager arrives at the premiere of Dimension Films’ “Piranha 3DD” at Mann’s Chinese Theatre on May 29, 2012, in Los Angeles, California.In the 1980s, Gulager also appeared in a series of B-grade horror films such as the zombie-battling warehouse worker in “The Return of the Living Dead” — a role he was initially reluctant to take on.. “I thought I was kind of above that.
Gulager’s final on-screen role was as a bookstore clerk in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 Tinseltown love letter “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”While some might see acting as a frivolous pursuit, Gulager thought the profession was absolutely essential to the health of society.
Gulager was married to singer-actress Miriam Byrd-Nethery until her death in 2003. He is survived by his sons, John and Tom, and his grandson, Clu Mosha.