Groundbreaking, Academy Award-Winning Actor Louis Gossett Jr. Dies, Aged 87

Preview:

• Actor Louis Gossett Jr. has died, aged 87.
• He starred in movies including ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ and ‘The Color Purple’.
• Gossett Jr. won an Academy Award in 1983.

Louis Gossett Jr., the beloved, Academy Award and Emmy-winning actor, has died at the age of 87.

He’s being ed for his acting work on stage and screens, but he was also an accomplished writer, producer and director who engaged in social activism and looked to make peoples’ lives better.

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Louis Gossett Jr.: Early Life and Career

Gossett was born May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York. Gossett made his stage debut at 17 in a school production of ‘You Can’t Take It with You’. He’d soon successfully audition for the Broadway production ‘Take a Giant Step’, then perform in a star-making ing role in the hit ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ in 1959.

A talented musician as well as an actor, he balanced his initial Broadway and other stage career with appearances at New York City folk clubs. He won acclaim appearing in the long-running show ‘Jean Genet’s The Blacks’ alongside Cicely Tyson, and more.

Louis Gossett Jr: Memorable TV and Movie Roles

On the small screen, Gossett began working in the late 1960s and early 1970s on series such as ‘The Invaders’ and ‘Daktari’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘Longstreet’, ‘The Mod Squad’ and ‘Good Times’.

His most famous TV role, though, was on acclaimed miniseries ‘Watchmen’.

Gossett had an incredibly long and successful career in movies, working since the 1960s almost non-stop, kicked off by reprising his ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ role in the 1961 movie version.

He’d go on to appear in movies such as ‘IF’.

The crowning achievement of his career was as tough-as-nails Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in ‘Oscar for Best ing Actor, and he also scored a Golden Globe.

Louis Gossett Jr. ed

Here is Gossett Jr.’s family’s statement on his ing:

“It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father ed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

Taylor Hackford, who directed Gossett Jr. to his Oscar in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’, paid tribute:

“The role of Master Sargent Foley in ‘An Officer and A Gentlemen’ was written as a white man. When I visited the Navy Officers Flight Training Center in Pensacola, FLA, I discovered that many of the Drill Instructors there were men of color. I found it interesting that Black & Brown enlisted men had ‘make-or-break’ control over whether white college graduates would become officers and fighter pilots. At that moment I changed the casting profile for Sergeant Foley and started meeting actors of color. Lou Gossett came to see me –– I knew and ired his stage work. He told me that he’d served in the US Army as a Ranger, so in addition to being an accomplished actor, he knew military life –– I hired him on the spot. Louis’ Sergeant Foley may have been the first Black character in American cinema to have absolute authority over white characters. The Academy recognized his consummate performance by voting him an Oscar for Best ing Actor. He definitely deserved it.”

Gossett Jr. is survived by sons Satie Gossett and Sharron, and his nephew, the actor Robert Gossett.

Louis Gossett, Jr. Movies:

• 'A Raisin in the Sun' (1961)
• ‘The Deep' (1977)
• 'An Officer and a Gentleman' (1982)
• 'Jaws 3-D' (1983)
• ‘Enemy Mine' (1985)
• 'Iron Eagle' (1986)
• 'The Principal' (1987)
• 'Iron Eagle II' (1988)
• 'The Punisher' (1989)
• ‘Toy Soldiers' (1991)
• 'Iron Eagle III' (1992)
• 'Diggstown' (1992)
• 'Blue Chips' (1994)
• 'Why Did I Get Married Too?' (2010)
• 'The Color Purple' (2023)

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