Summary of this article
Donald Gibb died at 71 following health complications.
His death was confirmed by his son, Travis.
Gibb was best known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds and Bloodsport.
American actor Donald Gibb, best known for Revenge of the Nerds and Bloodsport, breathed his last on Tuesday (May 12) in his Texas home after suffering from health complications. He was 71.
Gibb’s death was confirmed by his son, Travis, to TMZ. He was surrounded by family, including his kids, during his last hours.
Who was Donald Gibb?
Born in New York City on August 4, 1954, Gibb was brought up in California. He studied at the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship and then transferred to the University of San Diego, where he played football. He also played for the San Diego Chargers before a car accident, leading him to pursue a career in Hollywood.
Gibb got his first break in Clint Eastwood’s 1980 action comedy Any Which Way You Can.
Stripes (1981) and Conan the Barbarian (1982) are his commercially successful films. His breakthrough role as Frederick “Ogre” Palowaski in Revenge of the Nerds (1984) was the turning point of his career. It was a huge box office success. He appeared in three films of the franchise.
In 1988, Gibb starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport as Ray Jackson, an American martial artist, and also reprised his role for the 1996 follow-up.
Hancock, The Biggest Fan, The Lightning Bug, 8 of Diamonds and Grind are his notable films.
On the TV front, Gibb starred in The X-Files, The A-Team, The Young and the Restless, Seinfeld, Days of Our Lives and Magnum: P.I. His most recent appearance was in Justin Kuhn’s Hands.
He was also a voice-over artist, and lent his voice to video games, such as Rage, Mafia II and Alter Echo.
