Marc Gilpin, best known for portraying the son of Chief Martin Brody in the sequel to “Jaws,” has died at the age of 56.
Peri Gilpin, known for her role as Roz Doyle in “Frasier,” announced that her older brother had passed on Saturday following a long battle with glioblastoma.
Gilpin played Sean Brody in 1978’s “Jaws 2.” He starred alongside Roy Scheider as Brody, Lorraine Gary as Brody’s wife Ellen and his sister, April Gilpin.
Unlike the original seaside horror movie, “Jaws 2” heavily featured the chief’s two kids, Sean and Mike (Mark Gruner). While another great white shark is loose around Amity Island, Mike takes his little brother on an ill-fated boating trip. Brody is once again forced to face off against a dangerous killer, this time to save his sons.
As a child actor, Gilpin had roles prior to “Jaws 2.” He starred in an episode of the series “Thunder” and was the lead in the movie “Where’s Willie?” However, the sequel to the the Steven Spielberg thriller remains his best known role for most of the general public.
After “Jaws 2,” Gilpin had various roles throughout the ’70s and ’80s. He appeared in “CHiPs,” “Fantasy Island,” “Flying High” and “Silver Spoons” on the TV side of the industry. As for movies, Gilpin also starred in “Earthbound,” 1981’s “The Legend of the Long Ranger” and the TV movie “Surviving.” His most recent role was as a parking attendant in 1989’s “She’s Out of Control.”
Later in life, Gilpin moved away from Hollywood completely, becoming a software engineer and earning several patents, according to his family. The other two Gilpin sisters — April and Patti — passed in 2017 and 2020, respectively. In addition to Peri, Marc’s survivors include Kaki, his wife of 24 years, and his two sons, Spencer and Presley.
