Marc Gilpin, ‘Jaws 2’ Child Star, Dead at 56 After Long Health Battle

Jaws 2 star Marc Gilpin has died following a battle with cancer. The actor, who starred as the younger son of Roy Scheider’s Police Chief Martin Brody in the 1978 sequel to Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film, died Saturday in Dallas after a long battle with glioblastoma, a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumor, his older sister, Frasier actress Peri Gilpin, confirmed, per The Hollywood Reporter. He was 56.

Gilpin’s passing comes after a GoFundMe page was set up for Gilpin, his wife Khaki, and their two sons as they “faced the unimaginable.” The page revealed that in May 2022, two tumors were discovered on Gilpin’s brain. One of the tumors was centrally located and unable to be surgically removed. Gilpin was formally diagnosed with brain cancer the following month and began chemotherapy and radiation treatments, with a later update revealing that “the tumor has not grown, shrunk some, and had no new satellites. Neuro Oncologist very encouraged by the response to treatment.” In a May 2023 update, the page said “there is new growth” and doctors were “switching chemo drugs, a much more intense one.”

Born in Austin on Sept. 26, 1966, Gilpin got his start in commercials, booking his first commercial, a spot for Exxon, when he was just 4. He went on to appear on a 1977 episode of the Saturday morning NBC series Thunder before landing the title role in the family film Where’s Willy? in 1978. He went on to star in Jaws 2, the sequel to Spielberg’s blockbuster 1975 film, in 1978 when he was 11. Gilpin beat hundreds of other boys to be cast as Sean Brody, the son of Police Chief Martin Brody, portrayed by Scheider.Directed by Jeannot Szwarc, Jaws 2 also starred Lorraine Gary as Chief Brody’s wife.

A year after Jaws 2‘s theatrical release, Gilpin guest-starred on NBC’s CHiPs and also appeared alongside his younger sister April on ABC’s Fantasy Island. He then went on to star in The Legend of the Long Ranger in 1981 before later appearing in Earthbound. His other acting credits include NBC’s Silver Spoons, ABC’s China Beach, and the 1989 movie She’s Out of Control.

Gilpin eventually moved away from acting and became a software engineer. He worked for a start-up company and then worked for another firm where he earned several software patents. He is survived by his wife of 24 years, Kaki, and sons Spencer, 18, and Presley, 16. His sister April died in July 2017 at age 48, with his sister Patti having passed away in 2020 at age 57.