From Katrina Kaif to Nora Fatehi, many foreign actors have made their mark in Bollywood by entertaining the audience with their acting chops. Another actor who established himself as a popular villain in the industry quit films and turned alcoholic and died at a young age.
The actor we are talking about was of Irish American descent and despite being an outsider, he made a mark in the entertainment industry. Not only this, he was also the fitness trainer of Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan. He is none other than Gavin Packard.
Gavin Packard was known for his physique and was a national and state award-winning bodybuilder. According to IMDb, The actor, who was popularly known for his villainous roles in Bollywood films, used to train Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt. He made his debut onscreen through the Malayalam movie Aryan in 1988 in which he played the role of Martin, a local goon in Mumbai.
Later, in 1989, he made his Bollywood debut in the movie Ilaka which also starred Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, and Mithun Chakraborty. That year he also played the full-length character of Fabien in P Padmarajan's Season, arguably his best cinematic performance. He then starred in several Hindi films like Sadak, Mohra, Tadipaar, Karan Arjun, HulChul, Aankhen, and Chamatkar among others. In his career span of 15 years, the actor starred in 60 Hindi and Malayalam films.
His last film was Yeh Hai Jalwa released in 2002. According to reports, he was upset with the roles he was getting, quit films, and turned alcoholic. Later, he and his wife also got separated. He then had a bike accident after which he was bedridden. In 2012, Gavin Packard died a painful death at the age of 47 after suffering from a respiratory disorder. Reportedly, despite his long and notable cinematic career, the funeral was conspicuous by the absence of any representative from the film industry.
Gavin Packard is survived by two daughters Erika Packard (elder) Kamille Kyla Packard (younger). Her elder daughter is a model who also appeared in Khatron Ke Khiladi. Sanjay Dutt is the godfather of his younger daughter Kamille and the actor spent his final years with Daryl Packard, his younger brother, in Kalyan.
