By Famed actor Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black actor to win Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, has died. He was 87.
Gossett Jr.’s nephew confirmed the news to The Associated Press, indicating that the actor passed away Thursday evening in Santa Monica. No specific cause of death was revealed.
Gossett Jr. had a screen career spanning more than six decades, starting with the 1961 film adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun” which followed multiple acclaimed stage performances.
He won his Oscar in 1982 for his role in “An Officer and a Gentleman”. He also won an Emmy for his work in the “Roots” mini-series, and a Golden Globe for HBO’s “The Josephine Baker Story”.
He’s known for his roles as Colonel Chappy Sinclair in the “Iron Eagle” film series, Henri Cloche in “The Deep,” park chief Calvin Bouchard in “Jaws 3-D,” Dean Parker in “Toy Soldiers,” Detective Jake Berkowitz in “The Punisher,” and Ol’Mister in the recent “The Color Purple”.
He also had countless TV appearances with memorable turns in “Watchmen,” “Hap and Leonard,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Extant,” “The Batman,” “Captain Planet and the Planeteers,” and “The Young Rebels” along with a role in the game “Half-Life 2”.
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