Gavin Packard (1964-2012) was an Indian actor, bodybuilder, and personal trainer of Irish American descent. He mainly played negative characters in Hindi films.
Wiki/Biography
Gavin Packard was born on Tuesday, 9 June 1964 (age 48 years; at the time of death) in Kalyan, Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Gemini. In 1975, he did his schooling at St Peter’s School in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 10″
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Hazel Green
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Earl Packard, was a computer expert. His mother’s name is Barbara. Gavin had four younger siblings including Earl, Daryl, and Barbara.
Wife & Children
Gavin was married to a Konkani girl named Avril. The couple has two daughters named Erika Packard (model, actor) and Kamille Kyla Packard. However, Gavin and his wife got mutually separated.
Gavin Packard with his wife
An old picture of Gavin Packard with his wife and daughters
Gavin Packard’s wife and daughters
Ethnicity
He was born to an Irish American father and a Konkani Maharashtrian mother.
Career
Bodybuilder
Gavin started his career as a bodybuilder and participated in various bodybuilding competitions. He won various awards at state and national levels for bodybuilding. He provided fitness training to the Indian actors Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty.
Gavin Packard at a gym with Sanjay Dutt
Film
Malayalam
In 1979, Gavin made his Malayalam debut with the film ‘Prabhu’ in which he played the role of villain.
Prabhu film poster
Some of his other Malayalam films are ‘Aryan’ (1988), ‘Season’ (1989), ‘Jackpot’ (1993), and Boxer’ (1996).
Season film 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 Jawaani
In the late 80s, he acted in Hindi films like ‘Nafrat Ki Aandhi’ (1988), ‘Ilaaka’ (1989), and ‘Kahan Hai Kanoon’ (1989). From 1990 to 1995, he acted in many Hindi films such as ‘Jurm’ (1990), ‘Sadak’ (1991), ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ (1991), ‘Chamatkar’ (1992), ‘Mohra’ (1994), and ‘Karan Arjun’ (1995). Some of his films from the late 90s are ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’ (1996), ‘Yeshwant’ (1997), ‘Gharwali Baharwali’ (1998), ‘Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan’ (1998), and ‘Pardesi Babu’ (1998).
Gavin Packard in Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan (1998)
In the 2000s, he played small roles in Hindi films like ‘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 got shelved.
Television
Gavin appeared in a few Hindi TV shows like ‘Indradhanush’ (1989; DD National), ‘Junoon’ (1994; DD National), and ‘Shaktimaan’ (1998; DD National).
Shaktimaan (1998)
Other Work
In 1994, Gavin appeared in the TV mini-series ‘The Maharaja’s Daughter.’ In 2004, he was featured in the Hindi music video ‘Cinderella’ by Sajjad Ali.
Death
On 18 May 2012, Gavin died of respiratory disorders. In the last years of his life, he lived with his younger brother Daryl Packard in Kalyan, Maharashtra. Gavin was buried at the St. Andrews Burial Grounds in Bandra, Mumbai. According to some sources, Gavin had met with an accident while he was riding his bike in Kalyan Flower Market, Mumbai. A few local residents recognised him and rushed him to a nearby hospital. It was said that since his accident, he was not feeling well. On his demise, the Indian actor Suniel Shetty shared his condolence. In an interview, he said,
It makes me very sad to learn about Gavin’s death. He was a part of all my initial films. In fact, he was the one who got Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) into body building, 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 used to train together a lot and when it came to bodybuilding, he was a pioneer. He exactly knew about every muscle, food intake. Any action film you say, he was there.”
In an interview, while talking about Gavin’s demise, Sanjay Dutt said,
He was like a brother to me. He introduced me to body building. I am a Godfather to his daughters also. I’ll pray for his peace. I am there for his family always. Gold bless his soul.”
Facts/Trivia
- Since childhood, Gavin was inclined towards sports. While he was in school, he used to participate in various sports competitions.
- His grandfather, John Packard had come to Bangalore as an official of the US Army, and later, he settled in Mumbai.
- Gavin did his training in bodybuilding along with Shera, Salman Khan’s personal bodyguard.
- The Indian actor Sanjay Dutt is the godfather of Gavin’s daughters.
- He was well-versed in various languages including Hindi, English, Punjabi, and Gujarati.
- Gavin had a fear of heights. In an interview, while talking about Gavin’s fear, the Indian film director G S Vijayan said,
I remember him as a good, simple man. But I cannot forget how he behaved when we were shooting the climax of the film. Sreenivasan, the hero, was cool about shooting a scene at the top of a building but Gavin, despite all his villainy in movies, was shaking with fear.”
- His younger brother Daryl organises various bodybuilding and fitness contests in memory of Gavin.
- He used to consume alcohol, and at the time of his accident in 2012, he was heavily drunk.