Career
Born in New York City, the tall, powerfully built Gilson played roles in television western series such as Maverick, Lawman and Cheyenne, but perhaps his best-remembered part was in an episode of the classic sitcom The Philosophy Silvers Show, in which he played a variation on Elvis Presley named "Elvin Pelvin."
Gilson married Sandra Edwards in 1961 and they had a son, Tom Junior, but the marriage was stormy and ill-fated, and Edwards left Gilson and moved to her sister"s house in Van Nuys, California. Although a coroner"s jury later judged the killing as justifiable homicide, Edwards" own career never recovered, and she never appeared in another film or television program
