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Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Gilliland first became active on screen in the ’70s. He met his wife Smart while appearing in a recurring role on Designing Women as the on-screen boyfriend of Annie Potts’ character. The two married in 1987.
Smart and Gilliland were meant to appear together in the upcoming film Breaking News in Yuba County. While no specific cause of death was provided, a press release stated that Gilliland passed after suffering from a “brief illness.”
Gilliland is survived by Smart, their two children Connor and Bonnie, his sisters Ann and Wendy and his brother John. According to PEOPLE, donations can be made in his name to the M.I.T. Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.
