But then he found Jesus Christ as his Savior, fell back in love with Patti, his former wife and, after three years of divorce, he re-married her.

In 1985, they had their second wedding at a "Born Again Marriages" conference, with singer Pat Boone and his wife, Shirley, serving as best man and matron of honor.

The 82-year-old actor has had a diverse career: appearing on Broadway, guest-starring in countless series including "My Favorite Martian" and "Peter Gunn," and working with such directors as Blake Edwards ("Operation Petticoat") and Robert Wise ("I Want to Live," "The Sand Pebbles") and with such actors as Steve McQueen, Barbara Stanwyck, Peter Sellers and Clint Eastwood.

I caught up with Gavin, who along with a star-studded group of Christians, was to receive an award, as one who has served as a trailblazer and mentor in the entertainment industry on Thursday, January 29, 2015, at an extraordinary event put on by the Hollywood Prayer Network at a special packed out event called HOLLYWOOD HONORS 2015 at CBS TV in Studio City, California.

The packed gathering was attended by many Believers who have been highly successful in Hollywood over the past 40 years, and also included Al Kasha, Wink Martindale, Ken Wales, Rosey Grier, and veteran stuntman, Bob Yerkes, to name just a few of them.

I began by asking Gavin how he felt to have received this award, and he replied, "I'm very humbled by being recognized for my belief and my service to Jesus. And one thing I want to mention is the fact that we are ambassadors for Christ which is the greatest role we could ever have.

"Acting parts come and go, and somebody else writes them, and you then play other people, but being an ambassador for Christ nothing can come close to that. It's the greatest part I've ever had."

Did you become a Believer later in life?

"I became a Believer on September 15, 1984 and my mother was involved in it," he said. "She had an operation on her brain at the age of 72, and we didn't know if she would speak again or anything else. I was living by myself in Beverly Hills, and on that morning, I got on my knees and I said, 'Jesus, if You give my mother more time, I'll turn my life over to You. I don't care if I act anymore.' This was a big thing for me to say as acting was the one thing I always wanted to do.

"Well, miraculously, she pulled through and lived to be 97. So from that moment on I considered myself born-again and Pat and Shirley Boone brought me to Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California, and that was the beginning."

And what a beginning it was. "My wife Patti, and I, were reunited and I've been an ambassador for Christ ever since," he said.

Gavin MacLeod had married his current wife, actress-dancer Patti Steele, in 1974. Both were previously divorced and then, the couple divorced in 1982, but were remarried in 1985. So I asked him what had brought them back together again.

At the time when we were first married, we were both into the New Age, and even had a New Age wedding," he explained. "But, after I said that prayer to Jesus, something told me to call Patti. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I now know that it was the Holy Spirit. So my secretary gave me Patti's number and I called her and asked, 'Can I see you?' Patti told me that she was on the road during the next week as she had started a group called The Ladies. I asked her what that stood for and she said that it was, 'Life After Divorce Is Eventually Sane'. She said she belonged to this group of women who had all been divorced from show people, theater people, and movie people. (Photo with Pat Boone via ASSIST News)

"She then said, 'I can see you the following Monday.' So I went and knocked on her door, but she didn't answer. I tried again, but still there wasn't a reply. Finally the third time, I said to myself, 'She's standing me up and I don't blame her.' But then, she opened the door and we hugged and she said, 'I'm sorry Gavin. Your dinner's been waiting for 3 years."

During their initial time together, Patti told him that during their separation, she had given her life to Christ in that time and she explained to him what being born-again meant -- and she did.

"I said that's what I want. I want to make it official. I had given my life to Jesus in my bedroom, and now I wanted to make it official and that was the beginning of our life back together again and that's when we then got re-married."

After The Love Boat ended in 1986, Paul Crouch of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) asked the remarried MacLeod's to co-host "Back on Course", a program that encouraged couples with marital problems. The hit show lasted for 17 years and blessed many couples.

"So God can use you once you know He's real and He's a part of your life," he said. (Photo via ASSIST News)

I then wondered if, after he had been born-again and had remarried Patti, his friends in Hollywood thought he had taken leave of his senses.

"Yes, they thought I was crazy. I lost a lot of friends but that's alright because I gained my Lord and Savior and I've been in His army ever since," he said.

Have there ever been any times when he felt like giving up and going back into the world?

"Never, because He's always with me," he said firmly! "My father died when I was a young little boy and so I never really had a paternal force in my life and then I found the Lord and I have one there all the time."

He concluded by saying to new Believers in Hollywood, "Be very careful who you associate with and don't lose your relationship with Jesus, especially once you know your sins have been forgiven and you have a new beginning. As Paul says you have 'become a new creature' and that is valuable. That gets you through everything in life. I've never felt alone since I gave my life to Christ. I feel rewarded and I'm so humbled and I'm very, very grateful."

With that, Gavin MacLeod was off to join his many friends at the event, and especially to chat with Pat Boone, who had played such a vital role in his later life.

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