- After his mother died, he always wore a ring on his left hand engraved with her dying words to him: Hijo mio, no te apures, no te asustes; adios, alma mia. The English translation is: My son, don't rush yourself, don't be scared, good-bye, my soul.
- He served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II.
- His formal education went no further than the seventh grade.
- Considered El Paso his hometown, almost always referring to it as "mi casa".
- He was the only man to have portrayed both the villain and the hero of a single serial.
- Gilbert Roland chose his screen name in homage to his two favorite movie stars, John Gilbert and Ruth Roland.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6730 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
- Went on record as strongly disapproving of modern movies with their violence and sex.
- Involved in an affair with Norma Talmadge that resulted in her divorce from Joe Schenck. However, Norma lost interest before she and Gilbert were to be married and eventually tied the knot with comedian George Jessel.
- The leather wrist band he often wore onscreen was initially prescribed by a doctor to aid the healing of a tennis injury to Roland's left wrist.
- In 1980, Roland lobbied unsuccessfully for a biographical film on Salvatore Dali in which he would play the Spanish surrealist.
- Brother of Francisco Day.
- He has an entry in Jean Tulard's "Dictionnaire du Cinéma/Les Acteurs" published in Paris by Robert Laffont/Bouquins in 2007, pages. 1001-1002 (ISBN: 978-2-221-10895-6).
- Father-in-law of Dan Barton.
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