Gavin Packard (1964-2012) was an Indian actor, bodybuilder, and personal trainer. He is of Irish American descent. He mainly plays negative characters in Hindi films. Gavin died of respiratory failure at a nursing center in Vasai on May 18, 2012.
Wiki/Biography
Gavin Packard was born on Tuesday, June 9, 1964 (age 48 years; at death) in Kalyan, Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Gemini. In 1975, he attended school at St. Peter in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 10″
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Hazel Green
Family
His father is an Irish American and his mother is a Konkani Maharashtrian.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Earl Packard, was a computer expert. His mother’s name is Barbara. Gavin has four siblings, and one of his older brothers is Daryl.
Wife & Children
Gavin is married to a Konkani girl named Avril. The couple has two daughters named Erika Packard (model, actress) and Kamille Kyla Packard. Later, Gavin and his wife separated.
Gavin Packard with his wife
Old photo of Gavin Packard with his wife and daughter
Gavin Packard’s wife and daughter
Career
Body builder
Gavin started his career as a bodybuilder and participated in various bodybuilding competitions. He won various awards at the state and national level for bodybuilding. He provided fitness training to Indian actors Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty.
Gavin Packard at the gym with Sanjay Dutt
Movie
Malayalam
In 1979, Gavin made his Malayalam debut with the film ‘Prabhu’ where he played a villain.
Prabhu movie poster
Some of his other Malayalam films are ‘Aryan’ (1988), ‘Season’ (1989), ‘Jackpot’ (1993), and Boxer’ (1996).
Season movie poster
Hindi
In 1984, he made his Bollywood debut with the film ‘Jawaani’ in which he played the role of a hippie.
Gavin Packard in Javanese
In the late 80s, he acted in Hindi films such as ‘Nafrat Ki Aandhi’ (1988), ‘Ilaaka’ (1989), ‘Sadak’ (1991), ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ (1998), and ‘Pardesi Babu’ (1998).
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
In the 2000s, he played small roles in Hindi films such as ‘Hadh Kar Di Aapne’ (2000), ‘Kunwara’ (2000), ‘Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani’ (2002), and ‘Guru Mahaaguru’ (2002).
Gavin Packard in Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000)
His last Hindi film was ‘Rocky- The Slave,’ which was shelved.
Television
Gavin appeared in several Hindi TV shows such as ‘Indradhanush’ (1989; DD National), ‘Junoon’ (1994; DD National), and ‘Shaktimaan’ (1998; DD National).
Shaktiman (1998)
Other Work
In 1994, Gavin appeared in the TV mini-series ‘The Maharaja’s Daughter.’ In 2004, she was featured in the Hindi music video ‘Cinderella’ by Sajjad Ali.
Death
On May 18, 2012, Gavin died of respiratory failure at a nursing center in Vasai. In the last years of his life, he lived with his younger brother Daryl Packard in Kalyan, Maharashtra. Gavin was buried in the Cemetery of St. Andrews in Bandra, Mumbai. According to some sources, Gavin had met with an accident while he was riding his bike in the Kalyan Flower Market, Mumbai. Some locals recognized him and took him to a nearby hospital. It is said that since the accident, he has suffered many injuries. In an interview, Indian actor Suniel Shetty expressed his grief over Gavin’s death. Shetty said,
I was very saddened to learn of Gavin’s passing. He was a part of all my early films. In fact, he is the one who brought Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) into bodybuilding, Bahut acha aadmi tha par producers se paise maang nahi sakta tha. Then at the end of the day, it becomes a hand-to-mouth existence. We often train together and when it comes to bodybuilding, he is a pioneer. He really knows about every muscle, food intake. Any action movie you say, he’s there.”
Facts/Trivia
- Since childhood, Gavin was inclined towards sports. While in school, he used to participate in various sports competitions.
- His grandfather, John Packard, had come to Bangalore as a US Army officer, and later, he settled in Mumbai.
- Gavin is training in bodybuilding with Shera, Salman Khan’s bodyguard.
- Indian actor Sanjay Dutt is the godfather of Gavin’s daughter.
- He is proficient in various languages including Hindi, English, Punjabi, and Gujarati.
- Gavin is afraid of heights. In an interview, while talking about Gavin’s fear, Indian film director GS Vijayan said,
I remember him as a nice and simple man. But I can’t forget how he behaved when we were shooting the climax of the film. Sreenivasan, the hero, was calm about shooting the scene at the top of the building but Gavin, despite all his villainy in the film, was shaking with fear.”
- His younger brother Daryl has organized various bodybuilding and fitness competitions in Gavin’s memory.
- He used to drink alcohol, and at the time of his accident in 2012, he was heavily intoxicated.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
