Clarence Gilyard Always Prayed for 6 Kids Who Stayed Out of His Fame - He Sacrificed His Career for Family

• Clarence Gilyard chose his family over his career and decided to take up teaching.

• He went through one divorce.

• His children have stayed out of the public eye.

Clarence Gilyard was an esteemed author, university professor, and actor before his passing in 2022. The "Die Hard" star was loved by many and devoted his life to his family and keeping his children safe.

Although the family was incredibly important to Gilyard, he went through one divorce during his life. He mentioned that it was this divorce and the subsequent relationship with his children that made him change career paths.

While Gilyard found enormous success in Hollywood as an actor, he changed careers and became an associate professor of theatre. This only happened after he discovered his faith following his divorce from his first wife.

Gilyard admitted he struggled with his ex-wife and his two eldest children. During this time, someone invited him to attend church with them and that was where it all started for him in terms of his faith.

Gilyard and his then-wife, Catherine, got divorced in 1994. During the divorce proceedings, the actor received emotional support from Forrest Mosten, a mediator and family law specialist.

After divorcing their mother, Gilyard could not spend much time with his two children. Thus, when he got married the second time around, he decided to spend more time with his family instead of focusing solely on work.

Talking about why he decided to walk away from his acting career for some years and teach instead, he revealed it was because he wanted to focus on his family. He explained:

"The commitment to my family and my wife is paramount. I knew if I didn't work on the marriage, it wouldn't work."

Gilyard's Life As a Father and Professor

Gilyard's family is of paramount importance to him, believing his purpose was to get his children and his wife to heaven one day. He described his children as intelligent and with beautiful hearts.

Gilyard also recognized that negative influences around the real world could affect his children's ability to do the right thing, so he and his wife prayed for them, and he also asked them to dedicate an hour a day to their faith.

Although he believed that only one hour a day was not enough, he said he prayed for his children non-stop. He also asked for intercession for his children from everyone he knew, living and dead.

Though he has secular assignments, like being an artist and a teacher, Gilyard's said his ultimate role in life was to ask for divine intervention for the betterment of his children. He even recalled waking up at 3 a.m. and praying for them.

Gilyard also advised others to exhaust themselves praying for their children and when they find themselves guilty of not praying, it's a good thing because it reminds them that they need to pray.

Gilyard was protective of his wife and children who had stayed away from their father's fame. However, his work was also incredibly important to him.

The actor said he felt "wired to teach" and fed off his students' energy. He admitted that when he is teaching, he often doesn't know what his students are saying because he doesn't understand their slang, but their energy motivates him.

He shared that his manager-agent was not altogether excited about him teaching while he was acting. However, he could not stop teaching because he could see the students depended on him and felt like he needed to be there for them.

Moreover, according to the "Matlock" star, being a teacher afforded him a certain amount of "street cred" because he has worked in Hollywood. Thus, he tells his students to work alongside him to build his characters as they build theirs.

Following Gilyard's death, film chair Heather Addison said that whenever anyone asked Gilyard how he was doing, he would respond by saying he was blessed. "But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years," she added.

Many tributes flooded in for the actor and teacher from students, friends, family, and colleagues alike. All of those who talked about him said he was a wonderful man who was passionate about his work.

Clarence Gilyard Sadly Passed Away in 2022

On November 28, 2022, Gilyard passed away at age 66. It was said that before his passing, he had suffered from a long illness. However, there were no other details given about the actor's health.

It was his old workplace, the University of Fine Arts in Las Vegas, that announced his death on the same day. After enumerating all of his career credits, it was mentioned that the staff and students at the university would miss him. Dean Nancy J. Uscher said he was an asset to the school, saying:

"His students were deeply inspired by him, as were all who knew him."

Another professor from the university said he thought Gilyard may have valued his career as a professor even more highly than his career as an actor as Gilyard found great joy in teaching.

All who knew and loved him in every sphere of his life mentioned that he was gone too soon and that they would miss the joy he brought into their lives with his knowledge and wit.