Louis Gossett Jr. has reportedly died at the age of 87. The late actor was famous for his role in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the first Black man to take home an Oscar in the category.
The Associated Press reported the news on Friday, March 29. Gossett’s cause of death has not been revealed.
In addition to Gossett’s Oscar-winning role, he was also known for his performance in 1977’s miniseries Roots, having won an Emmy Award.
The Brooklyn native got his start in show biz in the 1950s after auditioning for a Broadway play. After earning more acting credits, Gossett went on to play multiple film roles. In 1961, he appeared alongside the prominent Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun. Throughout the early years of Gossett’s career, Hollywood perpetuated racial stereotyping in countless films and television shows, which he opened up about in several interviews.
During a conversation with The Times in 2008, Gossett opened up about his experience in Hollywood as a Black actor.
“I had to act as if I was second class. I had to behave myself,” he told the publication that year, according to The Los Angeles Times. “The only time I was really free was when the director said ‘action’ in front of a camera or on the stage and that’s when I flew.”
Eight years later, Gossett pointed out that the film industry needed to explore more African American stories.
Louis Gossett Jr., who starred in movies like “An Officer and a Gentleman” and the miniseries “Roots,” has passed away at the age of 87. He was known for winning an Academy Award for his role in “An Officer and a Gentleman,” making him the first Black man to win in that category. The news of his death was reported by the Associated Press on March 29.
Gossett started his acting career in the 1950s and went on to appear in various films. He talked about facing racial stereotypes in Hollywood during his early years. In a 2008 interview, he mentioned how he had to act differently and behave a certain way because of his race. Despite this, he felt most free when he was acting.
In later years, Gossett emphasized the need for more African American stories in the film industry.
