By BETH HARRIS (Associated Press)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Louis Gossett Jr., who was the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best supporting actor and also won an Emmy for his role in the iconic TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.
Gossett’s cousin Neal L. Gossett informed The Associated Press that the actor passed away in Santa Monica, California. A statement from the family announced that Gossett died on Friday morning. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Gossett’s relative recalled a person who had walked with Nelson Mandela and was known for his great sense of humor. They described him as someone who faced and fought against racism with dignity and humor.
“Regardless of the awards, the glamour, the Rolls-Royces, and the luxurious estates in Malibu, what mattered to him was the humanity of the people he represented,” his cousin said.
Louis Gossett always saw his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, where success came to him at a young age and propelled him forward, ultimately leading to his Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Gossett rose to fame on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries “Roots,” which depicted the horrors of slavery on TV. The extensive cast included Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton, and John Amos.
Gossett became the third Black actor to be nominated for an Academy Award in the best supporting actor category in 1983. He secured the award for his portrayal of the intimidating Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” alongside Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Additionally, he clinched a Golden Globe for the same role.
“Above all, it was a significant affirmation of my position as a Black actor,” he stated in his 2010 memoir, “An Actor and a Gentleman.”
He earned his first acting credit during a production of “You Can’t Take It with You” at his high school in Brooklyn while recovering from a basketball injury.
“I was captivated — and so was my audience,” he noted in his memoir.
His English teacher encouraged him to audition for “Take a Giant Step” in Manhattan. He landed the role and made his debut on Broadway in 1953 at the age of 16.
“I knew too little to be nervous,” Gossett recalled. “Looking back, I should have been terrified as I stepped onto that stage, but I wasn’t.”
Gossett attended New York University on a scholarship for basketball and drama. He soon began appearing on TV shows, where he acted and sang, hosted by David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar, and Steve Allen.
Gossett became friends with James Dean and studied acting under Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau, and Steve McQueen at a branch of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera.
In 1959, Gossett received high praise for his role in the Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun” alongside Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Diana Sands.
He went on to become a star on Broadway, taking over from Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy” alongside Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.
Gossett traveled to Hollywood for the first time in 1961 to film the adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun.” He had unpleasant memories of that trip, staying in a motel infested with cockroaches, one of the few places that welcomed Black individuals.
In 1968, he came back to Hollywood for a big part in a made-for-TV movie called “Companions in Nightmare,” which was the first one made by NBC. The movie starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O’Neal.
This time, Gossett stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel and Universal Studios had rented a convertible for him. When driving back to the hotel after getting the car, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s officer stopped him, told him to turn down the radio, put up the car’s roof, and then let him go.
Shortly after, he was stopped by eight sheriff’s officers. They made him lean against the car, open the trunk, and called the car rental agency before letting him go.
Gossett wrote in his memoir that although he had no choice but to endure this mistreatment, it was a terrible and humiliating way to be treated. He realized that it was happening because he was Black and was driving a fancy car, which, in their opinion, he didn't have the right to drive.
After having dinner at the hotel, he was stopped by a police officer a block away and was told he had broken a law against walking around residential Beverly Hills after 9 p.m. Two other officers arrived, chained him to a tree, and handcuffed him for three hours. He was eventually freed when the original police car returned.
“Now I had come face-to-face with racism, and it was an ugly sight,” he wrote. “But it was not going to destroy me.”
In the late 1990s, Gossett said he was pulled over by police on the Pacific Coast Highway while driving his restored 1986 Rolls Royce Corniche II. The officer told him he looked like someone they were searching for, but the officer recognized Gossett and left.
He started the Eracism Foundation to help create a world where racism doesn’t exist.
Gossett made guest appearances on shows like “Bonanza,” “The Rockford Files,” “The Mod Squad,” “McCloud” and also acted with Richard Pryor on “The Partridge Family.”
In August 1969, Gossett had been partying with members of the Mamas and the Papas when they were invited to actor Sharon Tate’s house. He went home first to shower and change clothes. While getting ready to leave, he saw a news flash on TV about Tate’s murder. She and others were killed by Charles Manson’s associates that night.
“There had to be a reason for my escaping this bullet,” he wrote.
Louis Cameron Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, to Louis Sr., a porter, and Hellen, a nurse. He later added Jr. to his name to honor his father.
“The Oscar gave me the ability of being able to choose good parts in movies like ‘Enemy Mine,’ ‘Sadat’ and ‘Iron Eagle,’” Gossett said in Dave Karger’s 2024 book “50 Oscar Nights.”
He said his statue was in storage.
“I’m going to donate it to a library so I don’t have to keep an eye on it,” he said in the book. “I need to be free of it.”
Gossett appeared in TV movies like “The Story of Satchel Paige,” “Backstairs at the White House, “The Josephine Baker Story,” for which he won another Golden Globe, and “Roots Revisited.”
He mentioned that even though he won an Oscar, it didn’t change the fact that all his roles were supporting ones.
He portrayed a stubborn father figure in the 2023 version of “The Color Purple.”
Gossett dealt with alcohol and cocaine addiction for many years following his Oscar win. He attended rehab, where he was diagnosed with toxic mold syndrome, which he linked to his house in Malibu.
In 2010, Gossett revealed he had prostate cancer, which he said was detected early. In 2020, he was hospitalized with COVID-19.
He is also survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the 7-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations. His first cousin is actor Robert Gossett.
Gossett’s first marriage to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. His second marriage, to Christina Mangosing, ended in divorce in 1975 as did his third marriage to actor Cyndi James-Reese in 1992.
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This story has been corrected, based on a family statement, to report that Gossett passed away Friday morning and not Thursday night.
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Associated Press reporters Mark Kennedy in New York and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to the report.
