Revealed: Clarence Gilyard's Assets & Salary ( Updated) Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Clarence Gilyard has built a significant fortune. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What Was Clarence Gilyard's Net Worth?

Clarence Gilyard was an American actor, college professor, author, and producer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2022. Clarence Gilyard was best known for playing Conrad McMasters on "Matlock" (1989–1993) and Ranger James Trivette on "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1993–2001).

Gilyard had more than 30 acting credits to his name, including the films "Top Gun" (1986), "The Karate Kid Part II" (1986), "Die Hard" (1988), "Left Behind: The Movie" (2000), and "A Matter of Faith" (2014) and the television series "Diff'rent Strokes" (1981), "CHiPs" (1982–1983), and "The Duck Factory" (1984). He also executive produced the 1999 film "Boondoggle" and directed the 1999 "Walker, Texas Ranger" episode "Full Recovery." Gilyard published several books, such as "The Dance of the Star" (1990), "Eagle in a Cage" (1996), "Melancholy in the Mirror" (2002), and "Memories of a Stranger Wanderer" (2008), and he was an Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts – Department of Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Sadly, Clarence died on November 28, 2022 at the age of 66.

Early Life

Clarence Gilyard was born Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr. on December 24, 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington. He was the son ofBarbara StanwyckBallard and Clarence Alfred Gilyard Sr., and he had five siblings. Clarence Sr. was an officer in the U.S. Air Force, and the family lived on Air Force bases in Texas, Hawaii, and Florida. Gilyard grew up in a Lutheran household, but he switched to Catholicism as an adult. As a teenager, he lived in San Bernardino, California, and excelled in academics at Eisenhower High School. After graduating in 1974, Clarence spent a year in the Air Force Academy, then he enrolled at Sterling College in Kansas. There, he was a member of the football team and the Sigma Chi fraternity, and he received a tennis scholarship. Gilyard dropped out of Sterling before earning his degree. While Clarence lived with his parents as a college student, he "was doing a little drugs, drinking a lot, chasing women," prompting his parents to tell him to move out. He moved to Long Beach, California, where he majored in acting at California State University, Long Beach. Gilyard then earned a bachelor's degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre performance from Texas' Southern Methodist University.

Career

Clarence moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue an acting career. He landed a role in the play "Bleacher Bums," which made him, as one magazine reported, "the first black actor to play a cheerleader." Gilyard made his TV debut on "Diff'rent Strokes" in 1981, then he guest-starred on "Making the Grade" (1982), "Riptide" (1984), "Simon & Simon" (1986), "227" (1987), and "The Facts of Life" (1987). From 1982 to 1983, he played Officer Benjamin Webster in 20 episodes of NBC's "CHiPs," and in 1984, he co-starred withJim Carreyon the NBC sitcom "The Duck Factory."

Gilyard appeared in the TV movies "The Kid with the 200 I.Q." (1983), "Things Are Looking Up" (1984), "Solomon's Universe" (1985), and "L.A. Takedown" (1989), and his first feature film was 1986's "Top Gun." TheTom Cruiseaction movie grossed $357.3 million at the box office and was the year's highest-grossing film.

In summary, the total wealth of Clarence Gilyard reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.