Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the TV series 'Roots' has died.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: Louis Gossett Jr. attends American Black Film Festival Honors Awards Ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 23, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal
“More than anything, it was a huge affirmation of my position as a Black actor,” he wrote in his 2010 memoir, “An Actor and a Gentleman.”He had earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school’s production of “You Can’t Take It with You” while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury.His English teacher urged him to go into Manhattan to try out for “Take a Giant Step.” He got the part and made his Broadway debut in 1953 at age 16.
Gossett became friendly with James Dean and studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen at an offshoot of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera. In 1968, he returned to Hollywood for a major role in “Companions in Nightmare,” NBC’s first made-for-TV movie that starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O’Neal.
“Though I understood that I had no choice but to put up with this abuse, it was a terrible way to be treated, a humiliating way to feel,” Gossett wrote in his memoir. “I realized this was happening because I was Black and had been showing off with a fancy car — which, in their view, I had no right to be driving.”
“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.”“I’m going to donate it to a library so I don’t have to keep an eye on it,” he said in the book. “I need to be free of it.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died.
Read more »
Louis Gossett Jr., first Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Read more »
Louis Gossett Jr., First Black Man to Win Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Dead at 87Louis Gossett Jr., the 'An Officer and a Gentleman' actor who became first Black man to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, has died at the age of 87.
Read more »
Louis Gossett Jr., first Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87Gossett Jr., why died Friday morning in Santa Monica, won an Emmy for his role in the miniseries “Roots” and an Academy Award for “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Read more »
Louis Gossett Jr., first Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, has died at 87Louis 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.
Read more »
Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died
Read more »