"Conrad McMasters is an uncomplicated character. He's very serious about his career, but knows how to have fun. He gets along with everyone and is always trying to improve himself," says Clarence Gilyard, Jr. who joined the cast of "Matlock" in its fourth season as a police academy-trained deputy sheriff. After spending two years enrolled in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Gilyard attended Sterling College and California State University at Long Beach. Although he was in a pre-med program, a chance elective course in acting steered him to the stage. He recently received a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater from California State University in Domingues Hills.
Gilyard's first professional acting experience was in children's theater. His moviecredits included roles in "Die Hard," "Top Gun," and "The Karate Kid II." He co-starred in the hit NBC series "CHIPS" and "The Duck Factory." He has guest starred on such series as "227," "Facts Of Life," "Different Strokes," "Riptide," and "Simon and Simon."
Gilyard is an amateur cowboy, specializing in team roping. His additional hobbies include car racing, singing and playing the guitar.
