Gavin MacLeod From ‘The Love Boat’ Says He Had Dark Secret He Kept For Decades

Jan 27, 2021

If you enjoy 1970s TV shows like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "The Love Boat," then you must know Gavin MacLeod, the charming actor who starred in both. The man achieved a lot in the entertainment industry; however, it wasn’t easy. Like any other actor trying to build a successful career, MacLeod went through many challenges, including divorce, addiction and depression. He even faced thoughts of suicide at one point. Here’s the story of "The Love Boat" star.

Gavin MacLeod was born on Feb. 28, 1931, in Mount Kisco, N.Y. His mother Margaret MacLeod worked for Reader’s Digest despite having never completed middle school. On the other hand, George MacLeod, his father, worked as an electrician. Gavin MacLeod showed an interest in acting when he was still young. He starred in his first play when he turned 4, and a lifelong acting passion began. Of course, the audience loved him, and young Gavin MacLeod fell in love with the stage. It didn’t matter how many people sat to watch him; his passion for acting had become his motivation.

Naturally, the young boy found himself starring in several plays when he joined high school. Early on, his refined acting skills won him some awards. He received a drama scholarship to Ithaca College where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.

In the early 1950s, he decided to join the U.S. Military. After a while, MacLeod moved to New York City and worked at the famed Radio City Music Hall. He didn’t give up on his acting career even as his life changed rapidly and continued to search for acting work.

In 1956, MacLeod starred in a popular Broadway show known as "A Hatful of Rain." It was one of his best experiences. 

"My first night on Broadway was a momentous time in my life – a goal realized," he said to The Flaming Nose TV Blog in 2009. 

"I was very confident and humbled to be included on stage with some of the best actors in the business"

The actor received a lot of praise, and he responded to his great success by moving to Los Angeles. He knew that the time to break into film and television had arrived. Before long, he had excelled in different roles in films like "Mr. Lucky," the acclaimed "Manhunt", and "The Untouchables." He got another break when he joined the show "McHale’s Navy" in 1962.

Even though the actor got some great parts, he always found himself thinking of something greater. He decided to return to Broadway, and in 1970, things changed in his favor. He got the opportunity to join the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" as Murray Slaughter, a bald newswriter. After the show became a major rating success, he became a household name. Around the same time, he starred in the hit film "Kelly’s Heroes" alongside Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland and other famous actors.

Former president Ronald Reagan was the producer of General Electric Theater and president of the Screen Actors Guild in 1960, and MacLeod got a chance to work with him. 

“He was very charming and he took me to lunch on my first day of rehearsal and we had a good shoot," the actor said of Reagan. 

"Years later, I spent an evening with Nancy and him at the Beverly Hills Hotel when we presented Nancy Kissinger with an award. My wife Patti and I were guests of his at the White House when he was President.”

When the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" ended, MacLeod didn’t find any of the subsequent projects he was offered interesting. He considered them “depressing stories” of sorts.

 Of course, he did not know that there was one particular script around the corner that would impress him. The script was meant for a film known as "The Love Boat." Interestingly, very few people in the show business considered it good enough.

When MacLeod went through the script, he found the story incredible. When the pilot was shot, the ratings went through the roof. MacLeod starred in the film, though he still had another role in a musical known as "Annie Get Your Gun" that was playing in San Francisco. Although the man was very successful in theater, it was "The Love Boat" that helped him edge closer to becoming a television legend.

The pilot first aired as a made-for-TV movie on May 5, 1977. Its success led to over nine seasons like a TV show. The last episode of "The Love Boat" aired on May 24, 1986. After a while, four more specials were added.

The series was based on Jeraldine Saunders' book, "Love Boats." The book, which was first released in 1974, exposed many anecdotes from Saunders’ career as the first-ever American female cruise director. Saunders maintained the position of cruise director for more than 10 years, and her story included countless special meetings with crew members, passengers and amazing tales of the places they visited.

MacLeod played Captain Merrill Stubing in the comedy anthology series. "The Love Boat" revolved around him and his crew; although, the series had various guest actors in every episode. Unsurprisingly, the show involved romantic and witty adventures.

Some of the popular characters that were featured on the legendary show include Bernie Kopell, Fred Grandy, Ted Lange, and Lauren Tewes. When the series ended, another TV movie entitled "The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage" aired in 1990. It included four of the original film’s cast members.

The third episode of the final season – "Hidden Treasure/ Picture from the Past/ Ace’s Salary," which aired in November 1988, was hailed as part of TV Guide’s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time, ranking at number 82 on the list. Some of the actors who were featured in the episode include Cloris Leachman, Milton Berle, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Andy Griffith and Andy Warhol.

Some of the show’s scenes were shot on The Island Princess and The Pacific Princess. The passengers aboard these two ships were included in certain parts of the show as extras to make the scenery look more authentic. Many people on their way to a vacation found themselves on a hit TV show. They also received a raffle ticket at the end of every day that they participated in the film.

Not many people, including MacLeod, would have ever imagined how great the show would become. “I never quite anticipated the effect it would have on the world travel agency,” he told The Flaming Nose TV Blog. “Now the word cruising is in everyone’s vocabulary. I have been working for Princess Cruises since 1986 as their spokesperson, and at that time we had two mini ships, and we now have 18 mega-ships. “

When the show aired on ABC, "The Pacific Princess" became a very famous ship. According to USA Today, it was renamed before being sent to a scrapyard in Turkey in 2013. 

MacLeod had achieved his career dreams courtesy of The Love Boat. However, all the success came with a price.

MacLeod was somewhat unable to cope with his success. 

“I was friends with Ted Knight when I was doing McHale’s Navy [from 1962 to 1964], and he said, ‘Why are you doing this show? You’re a glorified extra.’ I heard that over and over in my head and started drinking. I thought I wasn’t worth anything, that my wife and kids would be better off without me,” he said to Closer Weekly.

At one point, MacLeod felt so depressed that he considered committing suicide. “One day I was up on [the cliffs of] Mulholland Drive and thought, ‘I’m going to end it all.’...I started driving down this huge embankment when my foot somehow wound up on the brake. Robert Blake lived nearby, and the next thing I know, I’m at his house telling him what I just attempted to do. He said, ‘You better go to my shrink’ and got me into therapy. Then I got myself into a support group. I am here today because of Robert Blake.”

Luckily, MacLeod managed to get himself out of depression and eventually overcame alcoholism. After changing his lifestyle, he remarried Patti, his ex-wife in 1985 and they resumed the love story they had started before "The Love Boat." They even wrote a book entitled Back on Course together and published it in 1987. Around the same time, MacLeod went back on stage.

Among the several musicals, he starred in are "Gypsy" and "Andy Get Your Gun." He was also involved in different television series either as a guest star or regular cast. He also starred in The Love Boat television reunion in 1998.

MacLeod proved that he has a generous heart when he got himself involved in a new project known as Character Classics in 2009. He has been using it to teach young children about the value of respect, character, kindness, and thankfulness. According to the actor, the current society lacks a sense of respect and morality, and the only way to promote these virtues is by teaching the young generation about them.

“Young children need to learn character. Obedience, respect, truthfulness, kindness, and thankfulness are what they need to be taught,” he told Flaming Nose TV Blog. “This content will change lives. That is why I wanted to be a participant in the Character Classics Project. I hope sales go through the roof because it will bless everyone and enhance the chance to bring morality back into the daily lives of our children.”

Although many people know him for his well-executed role as Captain Merrill Stubing in the film "The Love Boat," Gavin MacLeod’s life is filled with many experiences that depict an ambitious, focused, and strong man. He has been through a lot since he first stepped on stage. However, he did a great job opening up, and many people, including younger actors, now have something to learn from.

Did you think this story about the "Love Boat's" captain was interesting? Did you know all this before or was it news to you? If you did like it, why don’t you let your friends know about it?