Donald Gibb, the towering character actor whose massive physique and gravelly presence made him an unforgettable part of 1980s comedies like Revenge of the Nerds and martial arts films like Bloodsport, has died. He was 71.

Gibb’s son Travis confirmed his father’s death to TMZ, adding that he died at home in Texas surrounded by family following health complications.

Best known for playing the hard-belching, not-so-bright jock Frederick “Ogre” Palowaski in three Revenge of the Nerds films, Gibb used his hulking frame and physicality to great comic effect and his character’s willingness to scream “Nerds!” at members of Tri-Lambs fraternity whenever he saw them secured his place in pop culture and a coveted reference in The Simpsons.

Born in New York City on Aug. 4, 1954, Gibb was raised in California. He attended the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship before transferring to the University of San Diego, where he played football. His athletic prowess briefly led him to the NFL, where he played for the San Diego Chargers before a car accident shifted his trajectory toward Hollywood.

Given his size, his early acting roles were primarily playing heavies — henchmen, bouncers, bruisers — in commercially successful films like Any Which Way You Can (1980), Stripes (1981) and Conan the Barbarian (1982). His big break came in 1984 with his role as Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds, which was a huge box office success and became a pop culture phenomenon.

Rightly recognized for his comic abilities as much as his distinctive size, Gibb then starred in a number of comedies, including Meatballs Part II (1984), Lost in America (1985), Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), Jocks (1986) and They Still Call Me Bruce (1987).

In 1987, Gibb reprised the role of Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, though that film was marginally less successful commercially and less impactful culturally as the first film. Gibb’s Ogre would also star in 1994 TV movie, Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love.

Gibb would take on arguably his second most famous role in 1988’s Bloodsport, playing the rambunctious American fighter Ray “Tiny” Jackson. In the film, Gibb’s Jackson is the slightly comedic foil to Jean-Claude Van Damme’s tense and brooding Frank Dux as both fighters enter the Kumite, an underground martial arts tournament in Hong Kong’s fabled Kowloon Walled City. The film was a huge success and martial arts genre classic that even counts Donald Trump as a huge fan. Gibb was the only Bloodsport actor who reprised his character in the long-delayed 1996 sequel, Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite.

His other significant film credits include U.S. Marshals (1998), Durango Kids (1999), and Hancock (2008).

On television, Gibb had a long and successful career as a character actor, unsurprisingly playing an assortment of criminals, prisoners, bouncers, bikers and the like. His most notable runs on TV include multiple episodes of Weird Science, Step by Step, Stand by Your Man and a main role in HBO sitcom 1st & Ten that also starred O. J. Simpson.

He also played small roles in Knight Rider, Quantum Leap, Seinfeld, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., Night Court, Cheers, The X-Files and The A-Team.

Gibb is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, and his extended family.

Donald Gibb, best known for playing the “Ogre” in the Revenge of the Nerds franchise, has died. He was 71.

The actor’s son, Travis, shared with TMZ that his father had died on Tuesday evening “due to health complications.”

Travis said that his dad died in his Texas home and “was surrounded by family who loved him deeply.”

The outlet reports that Gibb had ongoing health issues that led to his death, with the family asking fans “for prayers and privacy during this difficult time,” noting that their father “will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

Gibb was famously known for playing the lovable brute Frederick Aloysius “Ogre” Palowaski in the 1984 comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew. He would reprise his role in 1987’s Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise. Gibb would later reprise his role in the TV film sequel of the franchise in 1994’s Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love.

Other films in which Gibb was credited included Meatballs Part II (1984), Jocks (1986), They Still Call Me Bruce (1987), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Bloodsport (1988), Missing Pieces (1992), Magic Kid 2 (1994), Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996), U.S. Marshals (1998), Durango Kids (1999), The Biggest Fan (2002), and Hancock (2008), ton name a few.

In television, Gibb had guest-starring roles in Magnum, P.I. (1982), The A-Team (1983), Knight Rider (1984), The Facts of Life (1987), My Two Dads (1989), Night Court (1990), Sons and Daughters (1991), MacGyver (1991), Quantum Leap (1992), Cheers (1992), The X-Files (1993), Boy Meets World (1994), and Seinfeld (1995).

Gibb was a regular on the HBO sitcom 1st & Ten, which ran for six seasons. The actor shared credits with Delta Burke and O.J. Simpson throughout its 80-episode run.

Between 1993 and 1998, Gibb appeared in the ABC sitcom Step by Step. Other shows he appeared in included Unhappily Ever After (1996), Pacific Blue (1996), Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper (1997), Arli$$ (1999), Veronica’s Closet (2000), She Spies (2002), The Young and the Restless (2003), among others.

Brett Ratner hitched a high-profile ride to China aboard Air Force One in the latest show of support President Donald Trump has bestowed on the controversial director.

The once-canceled director will use the trip to scout out locations for Rush Hour 4, his first narrative feature since being accused of sexual misconduct and harassment in 2017 (he’s always denied any wrongdoing). The buddy-cop movie, which Paramount Pictures is distributing, reunites Ratner with franchise stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

Trump departed Edwards Air Force Base on Tuesday for a summit in Beijing that will include a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The South China Morning Post was the first to report that Ratner was among those traveling with Trump, as well as the reasons why, with Ratner spokesperson Victoria Palmer-Moore later confirming the trip. It remains unclear, however, as to whether he is part of the summit’s official delegation, a roster that includes Elon Musk.

Ratner’s presence isn’t a huge surprise, considering he directed Amazon MGM Studios’ Melania, the behind-the-scenes documentary shadowing First Lady Melania Trump as she prepared for her husband’s second inauguration. The film, released in theaters in late January, earned north of $16.4 million at the domestic box office before landing on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video.

And in November 2025, several months after David Ellison officially became Paramount’s new owner, Trump appealed to longtime friend and billionaire Larry Ellison, David Ellison’s father, to lend a helping hand. At the time, numerous sources from rival legacy studios told The Hollywood Reporter that while Rush Hour 4 has enormous box office potential, associating themselves with Ratner wasn’t worth the negative headlines.

The younger Ellison has also established his own relationship with Trump, and is counting on the Oval Office’s continued support of his bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. WBD is the home of cable news network CNN, which has long been a target of Trump’s wrath. Trump was more than happy with the conservative-leaning changes Ellison has made at CBS News since acquiring Paramount; now, all eyes will be on what Ellison does with CNN.

Paramount, which isn’t involved with the financing or production of Rush Hour 4, referred questions about Ratner’s trip to China to his production company, RatPac Entertainment (the production outfit is owned by the London-based Access Entertainment, led by Len Blavatnik and James Packer).

The first Rush Hour film in 1998 was Ratner’s first major break on his way to developing two more films in the buddy-cop franchise that collectively earned more than $850 million at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation.

In an exclusive interview with THR in January, Ratner denied he used Melania as a stepping stone to waging a comeback. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “If anything, this was a bigger risk because of the polarization and subject matter. I didn’t do this to get me back into Hollywood. That wasn’t my strategy. I’ve been waiting to make Rush Hour 4 — that was my strategy.”