Donald Gibb, Actor in ‘Revenge of the Nerds,’ ‘Bloodsport,’ Dies at 71
Donald Gibb, the towering character actor whose massive physique and gravelly presence made him an unforgettable part of 1980s comedies like Revenge of the Nerds and martial arts films like Bloodsport, has died. He was 71.
Gibb’s son Travis confirmed his father’s death to TMZ, adding that he died at home in Texas surrounded by family following health complications.
Best known for playing the hard-belching, not-so-bright jock Frederick “Ogre” Palowaski in three Revenge of the Nerds films, Gibb used his hulking frame and physicality to great comic effect and his character’s willingness to scream “Nerds!” at members of Tri-Lambs fraternity whenever he saw them secured his place in pop culture and a coveted reference in The Simpsons.
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Born in New York City on Aug. 4, 1954, Gibb was raised in California. He attended the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship before transferring to the University of San Diego, where he played football. His athletic prowess briefly led him to the NFL, where he played for the San Diego Chargers before a car accident shifted his trajectory toward Hollywood.
Given his size, his early acting roles were primarily playing heavies — henchmen, bouncers, bruisers — in commercially successful films like Any Which Way You Can (1980), Stripes (1981) and Conan the Barbarian (1982). His big break came in 1984 with his role as Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds, which was a huge box office success and became a pop culture phenomenon.
Rightly recognized for his comic abilities as much as his distinctive size, Gibb then starred in a number of comedies, including Meatballs Part II (1984), Lost in America (1985), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Jocks (1986) and They Still Call Me Bruce (1987).
In 1987, Gibb reprised the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, though that film was marginally less successful commercially and less impactful culturally as the first film. Gibb’s Ogre would also star in 1994 TV movie, Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love.
Gibb would take on arguably his second most famous role in 1988’s Bloodsport, playing the rambunctious American fighter Ray “Tiny” Jackson. In the film, Gibb’s Jackson is the slightly comedic foil to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s tense and brooding Frank Dux as both fighters enter the Kumite, an underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong’s fabled Kowloon Walled City. The film was a huge success and martial arts genre classic that even counts Donald Trump as a huge fan. Gibb was the only Bloodsport actor who reprised his character in the long-delayed 1996 sequel, Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite.
His other significant film credits include U.S. Marshals (1998), Durango Kids (1999), and Hancock (2008).
On television, Gibb had a long and successful career as a character actor, unsurprisingly playing an assortment of criminals, prisoners, bouncers, bikers and the like. His most notable runs on TV include multiple episodes of Weird Science, Step by Step, Stand by Your Man and a main role in HBO sitcom 1st & Ten that also starred O. J. Simpson.
He also played small roles in Knight Rider, Quantum Leap, Seinfeld, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Night Court, Cheers, The X-Files and The A-Team.
Gibb is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and his extended family.
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