[1] After Re-Animator's success, he was cast as a villain in a number of other science fiction and horror films such as The Guyver, The First Power, Syngenor, and The Brain, before his death due to complications of open heart surgery in 1991.

David Gale was also a soap opera actor in the seventies and eighties, appearing as the priest Mark Reddin on The Secret Storm from 1972–74, mobster Beau Richardson on The Edge of Night from 1976–77, and evil Father-In-Law Rusty Sentell, Sr. on Search for Tomorrow from 1982-83.

"[3]He referenced this period of his life often while playing Father Mark Reddin on The Secret Storm, relating the religious conflict the character experienced to his own personal struggles.

[5] He struggled to get his foot in the door, though, so he made do with many odd-end occupations, including: a bartender, a carpenter, a pinboy in a bowling alley, a treetopper,[5] a taxi driver, a sculptor, etc.

He toured Europe performing and starred in many theatre productions, including Hatful of Rain, Elizabeth the Queen (Essex - Fall, 1958), White Devil, Baal, Oh!

Hero, The Crucible (John Proctor), Terra Nova (Scott), Of Mice and Men (Slim - Dec. 18, 1974), The Dodge Boys (Harvey), Sweet Bird of Youth (The Heckler), Othello, What Do They Know About Love Uptown, Joe Egg, The Trial, Dumbwaiter, Send Me No Flowers, and The Seagull (Trigorin).

[3][8][9][10] He had many brief/background television and film appearances during this time, too, in Legend of the Lost, Naked City, Search for Tomorrow, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, The Jackie Gleason Show, and Encounter, all uncredited.

After Secret Storm, David would fade in and out of the public conscience; his next major roles being Beau Richardson in The Edge of Night (1976), Mac Macauley in Savage Weekend (1979), and Rusty Sentell, Sr. in Search for Tomorrow (1982).