Louis Gossett Jr has passed away at 87 years old.
The actor, famous for his roles in Roots and An Officer and a Gentleman – for which he became the first Black actor to win the best supporting actor Oscar – died on Friday morning.
His nephew confirmed the sad news to the Associated Press, but did not share his cause of death.
The New York-born star discovered his love for acting at a young age, landing a role in 1953 Broadway play Take A Giant Step as a teenager.
Even though he was passionate about sports, he chose to pursue a career in the spotlight, and starred alongside Sidney Poitier in the award-winning A Raisin In The Sun six years later.
Following the success of the play, he made his cinematic debut in the movie version in 1961, before returning to the stage in Blacks, alongside James Earl Jones and Maya Angelou, later that same year.
In a 2010 NPR interview, Gossett Jr revealed that his talent was a surprise to himself, admitting: I knew nothing about acting.
‘I had never even seen a play.’
In 1977, he secured one of his most beloved roles in TV mini-series Roots, alongside John Amos, LeVar Burton and Leslie Uggams.
He rose to fame as an older slave, Fiddler, who is responsible for mentoring Kunta Kinte and teaching him English.
The series was a huge success, receiving 37 Emmy nominations during its run – with Gossett Jr winning the award for outstanding actor for a single appearance in a drama or comedy series.
Five years later, he appeared as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman.
In Tyler Hackford’s masterpiece, he portrayed a strict drill instructor who had to get Richard Gere’s Zack Mayo into shape – and underwent 30 days of training at the Marine Corps Recruitment Division for the role.
Discussing his efforts in his 2010 biography, appropriately titled An Actor and a Gentleman, he remembered: ‘I knew I had to put myself through at least some degree of this all-encompassing transformation.’
He was highly praised for the role and won the best supporting actor Oscar in 1983 – becoming the first Black actor to take home the esteemed award.
He also received the best supporting actor in a motion picture title at the Golden Globes.
After that, Gossett Jr appeared in Toy Soldiers, Bram Stoker’s Legend of the Mummy, A Fighting Man, ER and Boardwalk Empire.
One of his final roles was in The Color Purple in 2023, as Ol’ Mr Johnson.
In 2010, Gossett Jr revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was reportedly caught in the early stages.
Publicly addressing his health issues, he shared that he wanted to use his platform to encourage others to get themselves checked out.
Speaking to reporters at the time, he explained that he was hoping to ‘set an example for the large number of African-American men who are victims of this disease due to the comparatively low emphasis in our community on preventative examinations and early treatment.
'I want to encourage them to look for, like I did, the excellent medical attention and early discovery that is accessible now.'
Gossett Jr is left behind by two sons, Satie and Sharron.
