Louis Gossett Jr: Veteran actor and first Black man to win 1983 Oscar for 'An Officer and a Gentleman' dies at 87

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: Louis Gossett Jr, the first Black man to win an Oscar for his supporting role in 'An Officer and a Gentleman' in 1983, died on Friday, March 29, at the age of 87.

Gossett reportedly died in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death has been revealed yet, but in 2010 he opened up about his prostate cancer diagnosis.

The Gossett Family mourns the loss of their 'beloved father', Louis Gossett Jr,  who stood for humanity 

A statement released by the Gossett Family read, “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," the statement added.

The Associated Press first reported the news with Gossett's cousin telling the wire service, “Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses in Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people that he stood for.”

He was also remembered as a man who had a great sense of humor, walked alongside Nelson Mandela, and confronted and combated racism with dignity and humor.

Louis Gossett Jr's onscreen characters and career 

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and 6’4” tall, Louis Cameron Gossett Jr gained recognition on television as Fiddler in the landmark 1977 miniseries 'Roots' in which he takes the newly arrived slave Kunta Kinte under his wing. It also won him an Emmy. 

Following this Gossett starred in another miniseries about slavery, BET’s ‘The Book of Negroes', in 2015.

'A Raisin in the Sun', opposite Sidney Poitier launched his career in Hollywood, according to CNN. Poitier was the first Black man to win an Oscar, in the 1960s for 'Lilies of the Field'.

For 'An Officer and a Gentleman', Gossett played a tough drill instructor, training a character played by Richard Gere.

He is also best known for the film 'Enemy Mine' (1985), in which he played an alien forced to come to terms with his human enemy when he and an astronaut played by Dennis Quaid find themselves stranded on a planet.

Also for 'Iron Eagle' (1986), where he played an Air Force veteran who helps a young pilot find his father, who has been shot down and captured, according to Variety. It went on to produce several sequels. 

He also appeared in movies like, 'Diggstown' and 'The Deep'.

Louis Gossett Jr's six Emmy nominations

After bagging an Emmy for 'Roots', Gossett got nominated for six more Emmys.

Beginning with his portrayal of the Egyptian president who made peace with Israel in the 1983 TV movie 'Sadat', he was further nominated for performing in 'The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots', 'Backstairs at the White House', 'Palmerstown, U.S.A', 'A Gathering of Old Men', and for his multiple appearances as Anderson Walker on CBS’ 'Touched by an Angel' in 1997.

In 2013, Gossett, who credited a high school English teacher with steering him toward acting, guested on HBO’s 'Boardwalk Empire'.

He pursued acting while playing basketball and trying out for the New York Knicks.

Gossett continued to be active in acting into his 80s, co-starring in the remake of 'The Color Purple' last year and, a few years prior, in the HBO series 'Watchmen'.

Louis Gossett Jr's humanitarian works

In the 1990s, Gossett co-founded the Eracism Foundation, an organization dedicated to eradicating racism, an issue Gossett has publicly addressed as part of his experience in Hollywood.

“I had to really learn the importance of what it takes to survive in this town, and I had to act as if I was second class,” he said once, adding “I had to ingest the onus of being an African American person in America.”

The actor received a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2010 and chose to share this information publicly.

He reasoned that sharing the information of his ailment was “to set an example for the large number of African-American men who are victims of this disease because of the comparatively low emphasis in our community on preventive examinations and early treatment.”

“I want to influence them to seek, as I have, the fine medical care and early detection now available,” he said at the time.

Louis Gossett Jr's favorite character he loved to play 

When asked by Variety in 2015 which of his roles has been his favorite, Gossett replied, “Anwar Sadat," from 1983's TV movie 'Sadat'.

He said, "It was a challenge to play someone with history like that. His spirit was very much like Mandela’s. He transitioned from a hawk to a dove. He’d lost his brother and people he loved."

"He said he’d be willing to step into Israel in the name of peace. Mandela was willing to come out of prison with a smile on his face,” he added.

Gossett had an injury that had forced him to take acting classes and debuted in a school production of 'You Can’t Take It With You' when he was 17. He also fought polio while growing up. 

Louis Gossett Jr is survived by his sons and nephew, actor Robert Gossett

Gossett married three times. His first marriage to Hattie Glascoe in 1964 was annulled.

He was married to Christina Mangosing from 1973 to 1975, with whom he had a child, and to actress Cyndi James Gossett from 1987 to 1992. Both marriages ended in divorce.

He is survived by a son, producer Satie Gossett, with Mangosing; an adopted son, Sharron, with Cyndi James Gossett; and a nephew, actor Robert Gossett.