Louis Gosset Jr.The first black man to win the Oscar for Supporting Actor has died.
The actor’s nephew said Gossett died Thursday night in Santa Monica. No cause of death was revealed.
Gossett has had a storied career, most notably winning his groundbreaking Oscar for 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” … which he said was a great affirmation of his standing as a black actor in his 2010 memoir, “An Actor and a Gentleman .”
The trophy took a while to arrive. The New York-born actor has been hard at work in the film world, earning critical acclaim for his role in Broadway’s 1964 “A Raisin in the Sun” and cementing his stage presence by replacing Billy Daniels in “Golden Boy”.
His break in Hollywood came when he won an Emmy for his role in the 1977 TV series “Roots.”
Louis also won a Golden Globe for the 1991 TV movie “The Josephine Baker Story.”
He also starred in the film “Enemy Mine”, the TV series “Sadat” and for his role as Colonel Chappy Sinclair in the Iron Eagle film series.
His last credit came in the role of Ol’ Mister in the 2023 remake of The Color Purple.
Gossett revealed in 2010 that he had prostate cancer, which was detected in the early stages.
He was married three times and is survived by his children Satie, from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef he adopted after seeing him as a child on TV during a segment about children in desperate situations.
He was 87 years old.
