Elena Gilyard is the wife of the late actor Clarence Gilyard, who played Jimmy Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger and Conrad McMasters on Matlock. Wikipedia names her as Elena Castillo and says the couple married in 2001, but it offers no other detail about her. Clarence Gilyard died in November 2022 at his home in Las Vegas at age 66, and searches for his widow rose afterward. Profile websites then supplied a birth date, a degree, and an artist’s career that cite no records and cannot fit the marriage. This guide explains what reliable sources confirm, shows where the online claims fail, and treats a private woman’s life with respect.
Elena Gilyard Bio Table
The table below lists the details that sources report. Rows labeled reported come from profile websites that cite no records.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Elena Gilyard (listed by Wikipedia as Elena Castillo) |
| Known for | Wife of actor Clarence Gilyard |
| Marriage | 2001, according to Wikipedia |
| Length of marriage | About 21 years, until his death in 2022 |
| Husband born | December 24, 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington |
| Husband died | November 2022, at home in Las Vegas, aged 66 |
| Husband’s first marriage | Catherine Dutko, 1989, ended in divorce |
| Children | Six for Clarence Gilyard, unnamed in Wikipedia |
| Reported birth date | March 15, 1990, from one profile page, which conflicts with the 2001 marriage |
| Reported profession | Artist, activist, and writer, unverified |
| Net worth | Not verified |
Elena Gilyard at a Glance
Elena Gilyard is a private woman whom the public knows through her marriage to a working actor. Wikipedia lists her in the personal life section of her husband’s entry and gives the year of the wedding. It does not describe her work, her background, or her life after his death.
That short record is typical of spouses who stay out of public view. The sources reviewed quote nothing from her and report no interviews. Readers who want more should respect the choice her silence appears to reflect and avoid pages that promise a full story.
Clarence Gilyard and His Career
Clarence Gilyard was born on December 24, 1955, in Moses Lake, Washington. Wikipedia says he played the private investigator Conrad McMasters in the main cast of Matlock from 1989 to 1993. He then joined Walker, Texas Ranger in 1993 as the Texas Ranger James Trivette, a role he kept until 2001.
He also appeared in the film Top Gun in 1986 and in Die Hard in 1988, and he took part in the Left Behind films, including a turn as the Reverend Bruce Barnes. That record made him a familiar face on television and in movies for more than two decades.
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger was the series that made Gilyard best known to many viewers. He played Trivette from 1993 until the show ended in 2001, the same year Wikipedia dates his marriage to Elena. The coincidence is only a matter of dates, and the sources draw no link between the two events.
The show ran long enough to build a loyal audience, and reruns kept it in front of new viewers for years. That visibility explains why his death in 2022 drew wide coverage and why the people around him drew interest.
Teaching at UNLV
Gilyard became an associate professor of acting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 2006 and held the post until his death, according to Wikipedia. The move shifted his public life from television sets to a classroom, and it matched his home in Las Vegas.
The entry says nothing about whether Elena worked in education or entertainment. Her husband’s career is documented, while hers is not, and responsible writers keep that difference clear.
The Marriage in 2001
Wikipedia says Clarence Gilyard married Elena Castillo in 2001. The entry gives no wedding date, no place, and no account of how the couple met. It describes the marriage as his second.
The first marriage, to Catherine Dutko in 1989, ended in divorce. Wikipedia reports that he had six children but names none of them, so readers cannot tell which children belong to which marriage. The sources reviewed do not say whether Elena has children of her own.
His Death in 2022
Clarence Gilyard died in November 2022 at his home in Las Vegas, aged 66, according to Wikipedia. The entry contains a small inconsistency, since it gives November 23 in the text and November 28 in the infobox and some citations. Readers who need a precise date should check recent news coverage or an official notice.
The marriage therefore lasted about 21 years, from 2001 to 2022. That span makes Elena his widow, and the sources reviewed describe no public statement from her.
What the Profile Pages Say
One profile page presents Elena Gilyard as an artist, activist, and writer born on March 15, 1990. It gives a bachelor’s degree in fine arts without naming a school, a birthplace that appears as both a small town and a place called Springfield, and vague entries such as various exhibitions and community projects.
It names no exhibition, no publication, and no project. It also never says that she was married or had children. Its only link to Clarence Gilyard comes from image captions that pair the two names without explanation. Readers should not treat that pairing as evidence of a relationship.
Why the 1990 Birth Date Fails
If Elena Gilyard were born in 1990, she would have been 11 years old in 2001, the year Wikipedia dates the marriage. The two claims cannot both describe the same woman. Either the profile page describes a different person who shares the name, or the page invented the birth date.
This kind of mismatch is easy to test, and it is a useful habit. A reader who compares a profile page’s dates with the dates in a reference source can catch many errors in a few minutes.
A Low Quality Aggregator Page
The page also carries unrelated headlines about other people and tags that point to a content farm. Its language is promotional, with phrases about a name that resonates with creativity and inspiration, and it makes claims about mentoring and workshops without a single example.
It lists future plans, including a nonprofit and a first book of essays, with no dates and no status. Those plans cannot be checked, and they read like template text. A researched biography would name something specific, and this one does not.
Other People Named Gilyard
The surname appears in other contexts, and search results mix them together. Keith Gilyard, who has his own Wikipedia entry, appears in the same results, along with news pieces about other women who share the surname. None of those sources states a connection to Clarence or Elena Gilyard.
Shared surnames can mislead readers into assuming a family tie. The safest approach is to treat each person separately until a reliable source says otherwise.
Age and Birth Details
No reliable source gives a birth date or age for Elena Gilyard. Wikipedia lists the marriage year and nothing about her birth. The only date in circulation, March 15, 1990, comes from the profile page and fails the marriage test.
Readers should leave the age blank. A date that conflicts with a documented event is worse than no date, since it can mislead anyone who repeats it.
Public Profile and Privacy
Elena has not sought public attention, and reliable sources report no career, no verified social media account, and no interviews. A widow deserves particular care, and the weeks and months after a death are a time when families often want quiet.
The respectful approach is to repeat the confirmed marriage and stop. The privacy of private relatives matters, and readers should avoid searching for addresses, workplaces, or photos.
Net Worth and Career Claims
No reliable source documents a net worth or a career for Elena Gilyard. Profile pages that print figures give no method and no records. A spouse’s wealth does not follow automatically from a partner’s career, and the finances of a private household are not public.
Her husband’s earnings from television and teaching are not described in the reference entry either. The fair statement is short. Elena has no confirmed profession in reference sources, and her finances are unknown.
Matlock and the Early Career
Before Walker, Texas Ranger, Gilyard played Conrad McMasters in the main cast of Matlock from 1989 to 1993, according to Wikipedia. The role of a private investigator made him a regular presence on network television, and it began in the same year he married his first wife, Catherine Dutko.
The overlap of dates shows how full his working life was while his family grew. The sources reviewed describe nothing about how his wives or children experienced those years, and a responsible account does not invent it.
The Left Behind Films
Gilyard also appeared in the Left Behind films, including a role as the Reverend Bruce Barnes, according to Wikipedia. The films drew a different audience from his network work and showed that he could move between action, drama, and faith based stories.
His range explains the affection that many viewers expressed after his death. It does not explain anything about his private life, and the sources are silent on the connection between his roles and his household.
Six Children
Wikipedia says Clarence Gilyard had six children and names none of them. The entry does not say how many came from each marriage. A widow in that position may be part of a large and busy family, but the sources reviewed describe no family statement.
Profile pages that list children by name cite no records. The respectful approach is to repeat the count and leave the rest to the family, particularly in the period after a loss.
After a Public Death
When a well known person dies, searches for the surviving family rise sharply, and websites rush to publish pages. Many of those pages repeat guesses, borrow details from unrelated people, and attach confident dates to private individuals. The result is a flood of low quality writing at the moment when the family most needs quiet.
Readers can help by checking before they share. A page that cannot name a source for a widow’s age, career, or background should not be forwarded, and a simple note of condolence serves better than a profile.
Timeline of Key Dates
The dates below place the marriage within Clarence Gilyard’s life. They come from Wikipedia.
- December 24, 1955: Clarence Gilyard is born in Moses Lake, Washington.
- 1986: He appears in Top Gun.
- 1988: He appears in Die Hard.
- 1989: He marries Catherine Dutko and joins Matlock.
- 1993: He joins Walker, Texas Ranger.
- 2001: He marries Elena Castillo, and Walker, Texas Ranger ends.
- 2006: He becomes an associate professor of acting at UNLV.
- November 2022: He dies at home in Las Vegas, aged 66.
Conclusion
Elena Gilyard is the wife of the late actor Clarence Gilyard, and Wikipedia confirms that they married in 2001 and that he died in November 2022. A profile page that gives her a 1990 birth date and an artist’s career cannot fit the marriage and cites no records. Readers should rely on the confirmed facts and respect the privacy of a widow who has not sought attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Elena Gilyard?
Elena Gilyard is the wife of the late actor Clarence Gilyard, best known for Walker, Texas Ranger and Matlock. Wikipedia lists her as Elena Castillo and says they married in 2001. Reliable sources describe no career or public role for her.
When did Clarence Gilyard marry Elena?
Wikipedia dates the marriage to 2001 and gives no day or place. It was his second marriage, after a 1989 marriage to Catherine Dutko that ended in divorce. Clarence Gilyard died in November 2022, so the marriage lasted about 21 years.
How did Clarence Gilyard die?
Wikipedia says he died in November 2022 at his home in Las Vegas, aged 66. The entry gives November 23 in the text and November 28 in the infobox and some citations. It does not describe the cause in the portion reviewed for this article.
How old is Elena Gilyard?
No reliable source gives her birth date. One profile page lists March 15, 1990, but that date would make her about 11 at the 2001 wedding, so it cannot describe Clarence Gilyard’s wife. Readers should treat her age as unknown.
What does Elena Gilyard do for a living?
No reliable source confirms an occupation. A profile page calls her an artist, activist, and writer but names no exhibition, publication, or employer, and it does not link her to the marriage. Readers should treat the career claims as unproven.
