The Family Gavin Packard Left Behind
Gavin Packard spent the 1990s playing the villain in a string of Bollywood hits — he starred in films like Sadak, Mohra, Tadipaar and Chamatkar, and was noted for villainous roles throughout that decade. Off-screen, though, his story was quieter and, in places, still murky even now.
Early life and background.
Packard was of Irish American descent, the eldest of five children born to Earl and Barbara Packard. His father worked in computing, his mother was a Konkani Maharashtrian, and his own grandfather John Packard had come to Bangalore with the US Army before deciding to stay in India for good. Before acting, he’d already made a name for himself in bodybuilding, training seriously enough to win competitions at both state and national level. That background later turned into a second career: he went on to train major names in the industry, including Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty.
Marriage and daughters.
Details of his marriage are thin in public sources, but IMDb lists Avril Packard as his partner. Wikipedia notes that the couple eventually separated, and that their two daughters are Erika Packard and Kamille Kyla Packard. Of the two, Kamille Kyla Packard was born in 1991, while Erika went on to build a modeling and aspiring-acting career. Interestingly, Sanjay Dutt — the same actor Gavin once trained — became godfather to Kamille, a bond Dutt spoke about warmly after Gavin’s death, saying he considered himself family and would always be there for them.
Final years and death.
Packard’s later years were spent with his younger brother, Daryl Packard, in Kalyan. In August 2010, he was badly hurt in a bike accident at the Kalyan flower market, breaking his leg and being rushed to Sion Hospital — at the time, he reportedly felt the film industry had abandoned him and didn’t step in to help. He never fully recovered his public standing in the industry after that. He died of a respiratory disorder on 18 May 2012 and was buried at St. Andrews Burial Grounds in Bandra the next day. Despite a long career in front of the camera, almost no one from the film industry showed up to his funeral — even though at least 200 people attended overall.
A few loose threads. One detail worth flagging: IMDb lists him as father-in-law to actor Siddhanth Kapoor (Shakti Kapoor’s son), which — combined with the Masala.com piece describing a decade-long relationship between Erika and Siddhanth that ended in 2014 — suggests the two were never formally married, just long-term partners, though sources don’t fully agree on this.
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