Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved stardom playing the cheerful Captain Stubing on hit TV show The Love Boat, has died. He was 90.
Key points:
- MacLeod said the critics "hated" The Love Boat, but it lasted on television more than a decade
- MacLeod's lighthearted screen persona was in contrast to his private life, which descended into alcoholism
- The actor, who said he was "grateful" for his born-again Christian faith, survived two heart attacks
MacLeod died early Saturday at his home in Palm Desert, California, his stepdaughter Stephanie Steele Zalin said, adding that he had been well until very recently.
"He had one of the most amazing, fun blasts of a life of anybody I know. He enjoyed every minute of it," Ms Zalin said.
"I don't even think in his wildest dreams he dreamt of the life that he ended up having and creating."
She called him the “best, sweetest, purest guy”.
MacLeod achieved worldwide fame via The Love Boat, a romantic comedy in which guest stars ranging from Gene Kelly to Janet Jackson would come aboard for a cruise and fall in love with one another.
Although scorned by critics, the series proved immensely popular, lasting 11 seasons and spinning off several TV movies, including two in which MacLeod remained at the cruise ship's helm.
It also resulted in his being hired as a TV pitchman for Princess Cruise Lines.
"The critics hated it. They called it mindless TV, but we became goodwill ambassadors," he told the Los Angeles Times in 2013.
MacLeod's lighthearted screen persona was in contrast to his private life.
In his 2013 memoir, This Is Your Captain Speaking, MacLeod acknowledged that he had struggled with alcoholism in the 1960s and 1970s.
In a interview that year with The Associated Press, MacLeod frequently invoked the word "grateful" as he reflected on his born-again Christian faith, surviving two heart attacks and his robust life.
"That's a big word in my life. I'm just so grateful I've had another day, another day, another day, and that my kids are doing so well," he said.
Captain Stubing was known for his signature salute — something MacLeod used to cement the character in people's minds.
"Perhaps no actor has embraced a signature role the way Mr MacLeod has with Captain Stubing. Since The Love Boat went off the air, he has been a spokesman for Princess Cruises," the New York Times said in a 2010 article.
He may hold a record for consecutive long-running series after going straight from The Mary Tyler Moore Show (168 episodes) to The Love Boat (249 episodes), Variety reported.
MacLeod had four children with his first wife, Joan Rootvik, whom he divorced in 1972.
MacLeod is survived by his children, three stepchildren, 10 grandchildren and his first great-grandchild, who arrived in December, Ms Zalin said.
AP
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2021-05-30 03:38:31Z
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