Clarence Alfred Gilyard Jr was an American actor, author, and academic. He was famous for starring in several television series and for his historic role as a private investigator. He played the role of Conrad McMasters in the television series Matlock which aired from 1986 to 1995.
The famous American actor died on November 28, 2022, at the age of 66. Fans are curious to find out what caused the famous actor’s death. This article reveals all to know about Clarence Alfred and his course of death.
Early Life
Clarence Alfred was born into a military family in 1995 to Babara and Clarence Alfred who was a United States Air Force personal. Due to his father being a military personnel, he grew up in Air force bases located in Hawaii, Texas, and Florida
During his childhood days, Clarence Alfred grew up in San Bernadino California, and attended Eisenhower High School. He attended the Air Force Academy Cadject before dropping out to attend Sterling College. While at the college he enjoyed playing football and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
As a young teenager, he was obsessed with women, alcohol, and drugs, and due to his behavior, his parents forced him out of the house. He relocated to Long Beach California and squared with a friend. While at Long Beach he did menial jobs while he attended the University of California.
He was able to complete his education and started working as a housemate at a famous clothing store where he was promptly promoted to manager of the store.
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Career
Clarence Alfred developed an interest in acting and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting in 1979. His first movie role in The Bleacher Bums made headlines as he was tagged as the first black actor to play the role of a cheerleader. He was also able to feature in various television series such as The Facts of Life and Riptide.
Clarence Alfred alongside Jim Carry co-starred in the 1984 NBC sitcom Duck Factory. He was also in a commercial for McDonald’s in 1987. His breakout role came in the 1986 movie as an F-14 Tomcat Raiders intercept officer Marcus Sundown in Top Gun.
He was featured as a police officer in the movie The Karate Kid Part 2. He also appeared in the Movie Die Hard as Theo a criminal computer expert. He also appeared as Conrad McMasters on Matlock. He replaced Andy Griffin who was fired due to his excessive use of drugs and alcohol.
He appeared in every single episode of the show and when the show moved from Los Angeles to North Carolina for the seventh season when it changed from NBC to ABC he did follow but shortly after he decided to be a pilot. In the 2018 Madden NFL football video game he played a high school coach Devin Wade in Long Shot.
After spending over 20 years as an actor Clarence Alfred decided to take a break from acting in 2016 and became an associate professor at the College of Fine Arts.
Clarence Alfred Cause Of Death
After battling a long illness Clarence Alfred died in his house in Las Vegas on November 2022 at the age of 66. The family of the late veteran however did not disclose any news or information regarding the death of the veteran actor. Reports also suggest that he died of natural causes.
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Clarence Alfred’s Personal Life
Clarence Alfred was previously been married twice. He married his first wife Catherine Dutko in 1989 but the marriage ended in a divorce. He then married his second wife Elena Castillo in 2001. Clarence Alfred is survived by six children from his two previous marriages.