Louis Gosset Jr. was the first black man to win the Oscar for supporting actor in 1983. On Friday morning (March 29), he died. He was 87 years old.
Family confirms the death of Louis Gossett Jr.
Louis’ first cousin, Neal L. Gossett, confirmed his death to Associated press. At this time, his cause of death is not public information, but the family’s statement confirmed that Louis Gossett Jr. died in San Monica, California.
Gossett’s cousin remembered a man who hung out with Nelson Mandela and who was also a great joke teller, a relative who faced and fought racism with dignity and humor.
“Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamour, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses of Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people he represented,” Neal said.
A look back at Louis’ successful career
Louis Gossett Jr. earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school’s production of ‘You Can’t Take It with You’ while sidelined from the basketball team due to injury.
He became “hooked” on the ship afterwards. At his teacher’s encouragement, he auditioned for ‘Take A Giant Step’ in Manhattan. He ended up getting the role and made his Broadway debut in 1953, aged just 16. He eventually attended New York University on a basketball and theater scholarship.
In 1959, Gossett received critical acclaim for his role in the Broadway production of ‘A raisin in the sun’ along with Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands.
He became a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in ‘Golden Boy’ with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964. A few years earlier, in 1961, he went to Hollywood for the first time.
His rise to fame also included the breakthrough role of Fiddler in the 1977 series ‘Roots’.
He became the third black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine instructor in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman,’ alongside Richard Gere and Debra Winger. He also won a Golden Globe for the same role.
Sunday morning passage
Louis Gossett Jr., the first black man to win an Oscar for supporting actor, has died. He was 87 years old. In 2020, the Oscar-winning actor told Michelle Miller how winning the Oscar changed her life and the lessons she learned from it. https://t.co/WOjsfSShVL pic.twitter.com/v56mPCC6Il
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) March 29, 2024
In his 2010 memoir, Louis Gossett Jr. called the W “a great affirmation of (his) standing as a black actor.”
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