Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. dead at 87
Louis Gossett Jr. won an Emmy for his role in the TV series 'Roots'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, has died at the age of 87.
Gossett died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California, according to his nephew. The actor's cause of death has not yet been released.
Gossett always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward, toward his Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RON HARPER, ‘PLANET OF THE APES’ STAR, DEAD AT 91
Louis Gossett Jr. died Thursday night in California, according to his nephew. (Amy Sussman/Invision/AP)
The actor made his Broadway debut at the age of 16 with a role in "Take a Giant Step."
"I knew too little to be nervous," Gossett wrote in his 2010 memoir, "An Actor and a Gentleman." "In retrospect, I should have been scared to death as I walked onto that stage, but I wasn’t."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gossett attended New York University before gaining fame for his acting.
He went on to land a role in the 1959 Broadway production of "A Raisin in the Sun." Other A-list members of the cast included Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands.
He was most known for his roles in "An Officer and a Gentleman," "Roots" and "Enemy Mine."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Louis Gossett Jr. won an Oscar for "An Officer and a Gentleman." (Getty Images)
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Gossett became the third Black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in "An Officer and a Gentleman" opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger. He also won a Golden Globe for the same role.
"More than anything, it was a huge affirmation of my position as a Black actor," he wrote in his memoir.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The Oscar gave me the ability of being able to choose good parts in movies like ‘Enemy Mine,’ ‘Sadat’ and ‘Iron Eagle,’" Gossett said in Dave Karger’s 2024 book "50 Oscar Nights."
Throughout his career, Gossett made a series of guest appearances on such shows as "Bonanza," "The Rockford Files," "The Mod Squad" and "McCloud," and a memorable turn with Richard Pryor on "The Partridge Family."
Louis Gossett Jr. is known for roles in "Roots" and "Enemy Mine." (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Throughout his life, Gossett battled his fair share of illness. He went to rehab for substance abuse and was eventually diagnosed with toxic mold syndrome. In 2010, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The actor also spent time hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2020.
He is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the seven-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations. His first cousin is actor Robert Gossett.
Louis Gossett Jr. was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010. (Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.