It's said that true friendship is a rarity in Bollywood. Actors do get along with their co-stars, and some even become buddies. However, the testimony of friendship is when they go the extra mile to help each other. Today, we will discuss an actor who has trained superstars, and he was quite popular in the 90s'. However, in his low phase, no one reached out to help him. In his final days, Gavin Packard became unrecognisable, and after he died, no one from the film fraternity attended his funeral.
From national-level bodybuilder to a struggler
Born in June 1964, Gavin is the eldest of the five children of Earl and Barbara Packard. His grandfather, John Packard, was an Irish American, and his mother was a Konkani Maharashtrian. From an early age, Gavin was inclined towards bodybuilding and fitness. Thus, in his teens, Gavin started rigorous gyming, and he went on to become a state-level and national-level bodybuilder. Due to his impressive physique and command of Hindi, his friends encouraged him to try his luck in films. However, he struggled to find a space in films. After running pole to post, Gavin got a chance to start his film career in Malayalam cinema.
From Malayalam cinema to Bollywood
Gavin made his film debut through the Malayalam movie Aryan (1988) in which he played the role of a local goon of Mumbai, Martin. A year later played the full-length character of Fabien in P Padmarajan's Season (1989) and was appreciated for his acting chops. In the same year, Gavin got a chance to leap from Malayalam to Bollywood. Gavin made his debut in Bollywood with Ilaaka (1989), but he didn't recognition until Mahesh Bhatt gave him the role of henchman in Sadak (1990).
Gavin became the trainer of Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty
During the shoot of Sadak, Gavin and Sanjay became friends, and Gavin even agreed to train the actor. Similarly, during the shoot of Waqt Humara Hai (1993), he and Suniel Shetty became friends, and Gavin became Suniel's fitness trainer. Gavin has also trained Salman Khan's bodyguard, Shera. In the 90s' Gavin was seen in multiple movies such as Chamatkar, Tiranga, Aankhen, Mohra, Hulchul, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and other movies. Despite starring in every other Hindi film, Gavin was unhappy with his career.
Gavin quit films because...
In his career, Gavin got the roles of a henchman and a sidekick of the main villain. He was never considered for the main antogonist role, and this stereotyping broke his heart. Thus, Gavin quit films in the 2000s. His last movie was Jaani Dushman- Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002).
Gavin's downfall and the accident that changed his life for the worse
Gavin Packard in his final days (Image source: Twitter)
After quitting films, Gavin reportedly became a drunkard, and his personal life suffered a huge setback. Gavin's wife parted ways from him, taking away their daughters two daughters Erika Packard and Kamille Kyla Packard. After the divorce, Gavin moved in at his brother's home in Kalyan. In 2010, Gavin reportedly met with an accident while riding his bike at Kalyan Flower Market. Due to a road accident, Gavin became bedridden and his health condition got worse.
The sad fate of Gavin Packard
On May 18, 2012, Gavin Packard died of a respiratory disorder, and he was buried at the St. Andrews Burial Grounds Bandra. As per media reports, no prominent personalities from Bollywood attended his funeral. Later, Sanjay Dutt became the godfather of Kamille. At present, Erika Packard is an actress and famous influencer with over 300K followers on her Instagram.
