The actor who starred as Mario Lopez's onscreen father Major Slater on the NBC sitcom series is announced by his family to have passed away at the age of 90.
- May 25, 2023
AceShowbiz - Gerald Castillo has passed away at the age of 90. The actor was famous for playing Major Slater - the father of Mario Lopez's character A.C - on the NBC sitcom "Saved by the Bell" and, in his latter years, had turned to a career in directing theatre but passed away on May 4 at his home in Houston.
"Many of the actors he worked with remember him as a charismatic and insightful director who would jingle the change in his pocket while he pondered a scene, then leap onto the stage to work out the blocking or whisper in an actor's ear. He was revered for providing the support and guidance that allowed actors to fully develop their characters on stage," his widow Dayna Quinn-Castillo told The Hollywood Reporter after confirming his death on Wednesday, May 24.
Gerald also played Judge Davis Wagner on the ABC soap opera "General Hospital" in the early 1990s and, in the years before that, played Det. Michael Benedict on NBC cop drama "Hill Street Blues" and Dr. Herrara on CBS soap opera on "Knots Landing".
Gerald - who is also survived by grandchildren and great-grandchildren but lost his daughter Lisa in 2022 - also appeared "All in the Family", "Barnaby Jones", "M*A*S*H", "Dynasty", "Night Court", "Dallas", and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" throughout his career.
After studying acting and stage direction at the Goodman Theater in the 1950s, Gerald went on to perform on stages across the US opposite the likes of "West Side Story" star Rita Moreno and "The Jeffersons" star Sherman Hemsley, who, according to reports, encouraged him to relocate to Los Angeles so he could pursue a career in film and television.
