Louis Gossett Jr., a towering figure in both film and television, has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. Renowned for his memorable roles in classics like “An Officer and a Gentleman” and the groundbreaking miniseries “Roots,” Gossett Jr. captivated audiences with his powerful performances and undeniable charisma.
With news of his passing at the age of 87, people are eager to uncover the legacy he leaves behind and the impact he made throughout his illustrious career. Let’s find out!!
Louis Gossett Jr’s Death
After winning an Emmy for his role as a sympathetic slave in the groundbreaking miniseries Roots and an Oscar for his depiction of a steely sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman, Louis Gossett Jr., the tough guy with a tender side, passed away on Friday. He was 87 years old.
His family released the following statement, “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed 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.”
Neal L. Gossett, Gossett’s first cousin, confirmed Gossett’s death in Santa Monica to the Associated Press. The actor disclosed that he had prostate cancer in 2010, but no reason for his passing was stated.
Thanks to his sleek, bald pate and athlete’s physique, Gossett was intimidating in various no-nonsense roles. He was most memorable as Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in Taylor Hackford’s Officer and a Gentleman (1982), where he rides Richard Gere’s character mercilessly at an officer candidate school and engages in a memorable martial arts fight.
He became the second Black man, after Sidney Poitier in 1964, to win an Oscar for acting. The 6-foot-4 Gossett spent 30 days training at the Marine Corps Recruitment Division, a facility attached to Camp Pendleton up north of San Diego, in preparation for the duty.
Gossett stated in his 2010 autobiography, “I knew I had to put myself through at least some degree of this all-encompassing transformation.” Gere’s Zack Mayo was supposed to beat up Foley in Douglas Day Stewart’s original draft.
In a 2010 interview, Gossett recalled that “the Marines changed it. They said that an enlisted man would never beat up a drill sergeant. We’ll tear the place up unless you change it. They said, ‘If you don’t do this well, Mr. Gossett, we’re going to have to kill you.’”
Gossett began his career in Hollywood in 1959 when he played George Murchison in the original Broadway production of Lorraine Hansberry’s home tragedy A Raisin in the Sun. He then costarred with Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee in Daniel Petrie’s 1961 Columbia film adaptation.
In the eight-part ABC miniseries Roots, he played an elderly slave named Fiddler who teaches a young Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) how to speak English. It was this eloquent role that brought him his first taste of national prominence. Eighty-five percent of Americans watched at least some of the season finale of Roots, which received over 100 million viewers in January 1977.
Gossett also played a murdered Egyptian leader in the highly regarded telefilm Sadat (1983); Sadat’s wife, Jehan, personally selected him for the role. He also played a baseball legend in Don’t Look Back: The Story of Leroy “Satchel” Paige in a 1981 telefilm.