Princess Cruises Commemorates Gavin MacLeod's 80th

Gavin McLeod, English WikipediaPrincess Cruises celebrated the line's long-time ambassador and Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod, with an 80th birthday party aboard Golden Princess, this week in Los Angeles. Crew members, joined by friends and family, sang "Happy Birthday" and commemorated the occasion with a five-foot long cake, a 3D replica of the original Love Boat, Pacific Princess.

A television, theater and film actor, MacLeod is known particularly for his role as "Captain Merril Stubing" in the television series, The Love Boat. Running 10 seasons from 1977 to 1986, the show continues its legacy in syndication in 92 countries worldwide. This year, MacLeod also marks his 25th year as the cruise line's spokesperson.

As an actor, Mac Leod performed on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as newswriter "Murray Slaughter" and "Big Chicken" on Hawaii Five-O, as well as in The Dick Van Dyke Show and Murder She Wrote. Following his debut onto the film scene in 1958 with Susan Hayward in the Oscar-winning film, I Want to Live, he appeared in Compulsion with Orson Wells, Operation with Cary Grant and High Time with Bing Crosby. Other films among his 35 credits include The Party with Peter Sellers, The Sand Pebbles with Steve McQueen and Kelly’s Heroes with Clint Eastwood.

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