- Was a close friend (30 years) of actor Ted Knight long before they appeared together on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970).
- Even after he quit his role on McHale's Navy (1962), MacLeod remained close friends with Ernest Borgnine for over 45 years, until Borgnine's death in 2012.
- Was the only The Love Boat (1977) actor not to have guest-starred on Fantasy Island (1977).
- His autobiography, 'Back on Course, the Remarkable Story of a Divorce That Ended in Remarriage', detailed his problems with alcohol and subsequent recovery and remarriage to second wife, Patti MacLeod.
- Was one of the three actors to have appeared in every episode of The Love Boat (1977).
- His The Love Boat (1977) captain exposure led to a long-running gig promoting the Princess Cruises.
- He was paid $20,000-plus for each episode of The Love Boat (1977) .
- Had met Mary Tyler Moore on an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), years before he worked with her on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), as her newswriter.
- Met Marion Ross on the stage play of 'Operation Petticoat,' years later, she would work with him on The Love Boat (1977), in the recurring role of MacLeod's wife.
- Served in the Air Force, where he wrote, produced and directed the plays.
- Was initially slated to audition for the role of Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) but decided to read for the part of Murray instead.
- Met first wife Joan at Radio City Music Hall when he was an usher and she was a Rockette. They had four children (Keith, Julie, David and Meghan) before they divorced after 18 years of marriage.
- Former child actor Robert Blake once said MacLeod was his favorite actor to date.
- Despite being one of the biggest names in television history, he has yet to get a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, though The Love Boat (1977) has received it.
- Had celebrated his 80th birthday, aboard The Golden Princess on Princess Cruises in Los Angeles, California on February 28, 2011. The entire The Love Boat (1977) cast, along with his friends and family, wished him a happy birthday, and presented him with a 5-foot-long, 3D replica in cake of the original "Love Boat," representing The Pacific Princess.
- Met Bernie Kopell on the set of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970), before he co-starred with MacLeod on The Love Boat (1977).
- His favorite The Love Boat (1977) episodes are: The Love Boat Follies, with Van Johnson, Carol Channing and Cab Calloway, the one where Jill Whelan's character came aboard and the ones where he was working with Marion Ross.
- Before becoming a successful actor, he did everything from janitor to lawn mowing.
- His idols when he was very young were Lana Turner and Ginger Rogers.
- Met Joyce Bulifant on the set of McHale's Navy (1962). They would later play husband and wife on the 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970).
- Had attended the funeral of Robert Urich in 2002. MacLeod reprised his role alongside Urich on Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998).
- Was Aaron Spelling's first choice to audition for the lead role as Capt. Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat (1977), who accepted the role after the cancellation of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970).
- He has played the same character (Captain Merrill Stubing) in three different series: The Love Boat (1977), Charlie's Angels (1976) and Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998).
- Honorary Mayor of Pacific Palisades, California.
- Got the lead role on The Love Boat (1977) with the encouragement of Aaron Spelling.
- MacLeod was the last surviving member of the cast of McHale's Navy (1962).
- Attended Betty White's 90th birthday party in 2012.
- Had lost his father to cancer when he was age 14.
- Held an Honorary Doctorate from his Alma Mater Ithaca College.
- Had quit his role on McHale's Navy (1962), due to his battle with alcoholism in 1964. It was suggested by his family and best friend Robert Blake that he to go to an alcohol clinic, where he was getting help. Right around the same time, he also left to do The Sand Pebbles (1966).
- MacLeod was said to be an idol of future actor Ted Lange, who would watch every episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970) before he co-starred with him on The Love Boat (1977).
- His father, George See, dropped out of grade school in the fifth grade, looking for work as a gas station attendant. His mother Margaret See, also dropped out of middle school in the seventh grade. She went on to work for Reader's Digest.
- Graduate of Ithaca College in upstate New York.
- While he was playing football at Pleasantville High School, he received word from his family, about his father, who had died in 1945, from cancer. After his father's death, his quit the football team, and went back to acting.
- Started acting when he was in Kindergarten.
- Used to be a spokesperson for Princess Cruises in the 1980s.
- After his role on The Comeback Kids (2014) he officially retired from acting at age 83, yet he had filmed Jimmy's Cafe prior to his retirement.
- His mother, Margaret See, died on January 4, 2004, aged 97.
- Gavin MacLeod died on May 29, 2021, just 3 months after he celebrated his 90th birthday. On that day, Princess Cruises presented with a special video tribute from 'Love Boat' cast members, celebrity friends and Princess Cruises colleagues.
- After his long-running role on The Love Boat (1977), MacLeod and his wife (Patti) had hosted another long-running program for couples with marital problems, Back on Course, for 17 years, on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
- MacLeod credited his long life to exercising in the gym, eating fewer carbs, and living a healthy lifestyle.
- Enjoyed public speaking, traveling, playing tennis, watching movies, golfing, sailing, reading the Bible, praying, cruising, reading and dancing.
- His The Love Boat (1977) co-star, Jill Whelan, invited him and Bernie Kopell, to her wedding in 2004.
- Began his show The Love Boat (1977) at age 46.
- Remained good friends with Ted Lange during and after The Love Boat (1977).
- Attended the 90th birthday party of longtime friend Carol Channing, on February 21, 2011.
- Took his stage name from his college drama coach Beatrice Macleod, and from an affecting TV drama in which a cerebral palsy victim was named "Gavin".
- MacLeod, in character as Capt. Merrill Stubing, was at the helm one last time when he and his fellow The Love Boat (1977) cast members cruised down Colorado Boulevard on the bow of a floral Princess ship float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. [1 January 2015].
- When MacLeod was just a little boy, he used to go to the movie theaters, where he paid 7 cents, being fascinated by character actors, which led to him playing character parts in various shows.
- Appeared on the front cover of TV Guide 4 times.
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