Gil Rogers

Gil Rogers
Gil Rogers in The Children 1980
Born
John Veach Rogers Jr.

(1934-02-04)February 4, 1934
Lexington, Kentucky
DiedMarch 2, 2021(2021-03-02) (aged 87)
Encinitas, California
EducationTransylvania University
OccupationActor
Years active1960–2010
Spouses
Juliet Ribet
​
​
(m. 1964; div. 1969)​
Margaret Hall
​
​
(m. 1970; died 2015)​
Children1

Gil Rogers (born John Veach Rogers Jr.; February 4, 1934 – March 2, 2021) was an American actor.

Early life

Rogers was born John Veach Rogers Jr.[1]

Education

Rogers graduated from Henry Clay High School and then attended Harvard University majoring in chemistry, but later after deciding he wanted to pursue a career as an actor, transferred to Transylvania University because it had a drama department; he would later graduate from there.[1][2]

Career

Rogers began acting as a child in Lexington Children's Theatre.[3][4]

Rogers received his equity card in 1955 while working in local theater in Lexington.[5] He would go on to perform in hundreds of plays in summer stock and regional theater.[2] His most notable theater roles include Broadway productions of The Great White Hope, The Corn is Green and for 2+1⁄2 years played Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.[3][6]

He is perhaps best known for his roles on several daytime dramas, most notably as Ray Gardner on All My Children, Hawk Shayne on Guiding Light and as Dr. Martin Brandt on The Doctors. He also starred in a series of Grape-Nuts cereal commercials that ran on television for 5 years.[7]

His film roles include Eddie Macon's Run, W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and the cult horror film The Children.[3][7]

Personal life

Rogers married actress Juliet Ribet in 1964, and they divorced in 1969. He married actress Margaret Hall in 1970, and they remained wed until her death in 2015. They had a daughter, actress Amanda Hall Rogers.[8]

Death

Rogers died in his sleep at his daughter's residence in Encinitas, California,[8] on March 2, 2021, at the age of 87.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Hall-Rogers". The Lexington Herald-Leader. December 6, 1970. p. 50. Retrieved August 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Dorsey, Tom (June 19, 1988). "Homemade Soap". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c McBain, Roger (July 10, 1998). "A New Challenge". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Rogers a popular villain". Augusta Chronicle. March 12, 1982. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  5. ^ McAllister, Jim (February 19, 1967). "Tall Actor's Problem". Greensboro Daily News. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  6. ^ Kunen, James S. "The Plot Thickens When Soap Stars Perish, but Death Isn't Necessarily a Grave Condition". People. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Teri (July 10, 1997). "Rogers a light on stage and the small screen". The Herald-Mail. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Gil Rogers, 87". Classic Images (557): 45–46. January 2022.
  9. ^ Mason, Charlie (March 5, 2021). "Soap-Hopper Who Played One of Daytime's Vilest Baddies Dead at 87: He Was a 'Shameless Flirt and a Fierce Protector'". Soaps.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.