‘Officer and Gentleman’ Oscar Winner Was 87

Louis Gossett Jr., who won a supporting actor Oscar for playing the tough-as-nails drill teacher in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” just a few years after winning an Emmy for his role as the cunning Violinist in “Roots.” ”, died, analyzes the AP. He was 87 years old.

In “An Officer and a Gentleman” by Taylor Hackford, Gossett’s Sgt. Emil Foley memorably took Richard Gere’s character to the point of nearly fainting at a Navy flight school. Gossett was the first black man to win the best supporting actor Oscar for this role.

In addition to “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett is best known for the films “Enemy Mine” (1985), in which he played an alien forced to talk to his human enemy again when he and an astronaut played by Dennis Quaid discover themselves stranded on a planet, and “Iron Eagle” (1986), in which he played an Air Force veteran who helps a young pilot find his father, who has been shot down and captured.

Following his Emmy win for “Roots” in 1978, Gossett received six more Emmy nominations over time. He was nominated for playing the Egyptian president who made peace with Israel in the 1983 TV movie “Sadat.” He was also nominated for his performance in the 1978 selection special, “The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots”; for playing Levi Mercer in the 1979 NBC miniseries “Backstairs on the White Home”; as a lead actor in a drama series “Palmerstown, USA” in 1981; for lead actor in a miniseries or special for “A Gathering of Old Males” (1987), directed by Volker Schlondorff, in which he starred with Richard Widmark and Holly Hunter; and for a series of appearances as Anderson Walker on CBS’s “Touched by an Angel” in 1997.

Gossett, still exhausting working in his late 70s, was a memorable guest on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” in 2013, playing the mentor to Michael Kenneth Williams’ Chalky, who Chalky meets again when he’s on the run.

He also recently appeared in CBS’s Halle Berry sci-fi thriller “Extant” as Quinn and has appeared in the series along with “Madam Secretary” (2014), “Psych” (2012) and “ER” (2009), as well as in the IFC miniseries parody “The Spoils Before Dying” (2015).

Having first gained widespread attention through her work on the historical miniseries “Roots,” Gossett starred in another miniseries about slavery, BET’s ‘The Guide of Negroes,’ in 2015.

Requested by Selection in 2015, which of his roles was his favorite, Gossett responded: “Anwar Sadat. It was a challenge to play someone with such a historical past. His spirit was very similar to Mandela’s. He transitioned from a hawk to a dove. He had lost his brother and the people he loved. He stated that he would be ready to enter Israel in the name of peace. Mandela was prepared to return from prison with a smile on his face.”

was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. He made his stage debut at age 17 in a school production of “You Can’t Take It With You”; A sports injury led to his decision to take a theater class. He also battled polio while growing up. He received an athletic scholarship, but went with his own money to NYU, where the tall young man may have played college basketball, which he refused to do in favor of theatrical pursuits.

Gossett had already made his Broadway debut in 1953, despite having no formal acting training, replacing Bill Gunn as Spencer Scott in “Take a Big Step,” which New York Times drama critics named one of the 10 best shows of the year. He drew his first point in Selection for his work within the play.

Other Broadway credits include the original 1959-60 classic production of “A Raisin in the Solar,” in which he played George Murchison, the wealthy, educated boyfriend of the family’s young daughter, Beneatha; George, who denies his African heritage, represents the absolutely assimilated black man. Gossett made his big screen debut when he reprized the role in the 1961 film version of “A Raisin in the Solar.” (Previously, he had a minor role in the original comedy “The Desk Set,” which luckily was also a big hit.)

In 1963, he appeared at the Rialto in the Langston Hughes adaptation “Tambourines to Glory” and was an understudy in the controversial hit musical “Golden Boy,” starring Sammy Davis Jr., in which Gossett played the Mephistophelian boxing promoter Eddie Satin. . He was also among the stars of the original musical “The Zulu and the Zayda,” a Jewish couple and a black man who bridged the racial gap in Johannesburg.

In 1968, Gossett starred with Diane Ladd, among others, in the Sidney Poitier-directed play “Carry Me Again to Morningside Heights,” and the actor played murdered African leader Patrice Lumumba in the play “Murderous Angels” in 1971.

Much later, in 2002, Gossett returned to Broadway to understudy the lead role of Billy Flynn in the musical “Chicago.”

As one of the show’s executive producers, Gossett shared a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Special for 1997’s “In His Father’s Sneakers,” for which he was also nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Children’s Special. He played a man with cancer who shares a magical experience with his son.

He also shared a special special category nomination for the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake Paralympic Winter Games, for which he served as narrator.

Later in his career, Gossett continued playing roles in television and film. He had a seven-episode arc on the acclaimed HBO miniseries “Watchmen” and had a number one role in the 2020 spiritual drama “The Motive.” He also appeared in the 2023 remake of “The Color Purple.”

Gossett has been married three times. His first marriage, in 1964, to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. He was married to Christina Mangosing (1973-75 and had one son) and actress Cyndi James Gossett (1987-92). Each of these marriages led to divorce.

Survivors include a son, producer Satie Gossett of Mangosing; an adopted son, Sharron, with Cyndi James Gossett; and a nephew, actor Robert Gossett.