Donald Gibb may have never won an Oscar or Emmy but his 6-foot-4 hulking feature made him a memorable actor. Originally playing for the San Diego Chargers, his sports career was sidelined early following an injury from an automobile accident.
But who better to play a football player than a football player?
In 1984, he would get two of the key roles he would be most remembered for. Even though the movie is dated in many ways now, he played Frederick Aloysius Palowaski, aka “Ogre” in Revenge of the Nerds being the first one to call Gilbert Loew and Lewis Skolnick (Anthony Edwards and Robert Carradine) “nerds.” It was his idea to have Ogre and his two girlfriends roasting marshmallows on a flame of fire still smouldering from the Alpha Beta frat house.
Gibb showed great comic talent in the role as a brutish man drinkng beer out of a trophy. He famously competes against Dudley “Booger” Dawson in a belching contest but loses. In the second movie, he returned at first an enemy to the Tri-Lambs and then an ally. The second movie ends with Ogre being named an official member of Lambda Lambda Lambda. He would appear in the fourth Nerds movie which was a TV movie.
His other iconic role from the 1980s was as Leslie “Dr. Death” Kruncher in all seasons of the HBO sports comedy 1st and Ten about the fictional California Bulls football team. The show was one of the first acting roles for Delta Burke as well as one of the final acting roles for O.J. Simpson.
Albert Brooks cast him as an ex-convict and possible murderer who gives Julie Hagerty’s character a ride following the infamous “I lost the nest egg” scene at the Hoover Dam. There are no small roles, only small actors and Gibb’s casting was praised for the scene in which his character who beats down Brooks’ character.
He would appear in other movies, most notably Bloodsport alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme. He would also have a recurring role as one of marauders in a series of commercials for Capital One that ran over many years.
Altogether he reportedly had over 100 credits in movies, TV and video games. He passed away on Tuesday, May 12 at 71 following a long illness according to family.
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