Actor Louis Gossett Jr., who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982, died at age 87. Find out more about him here.
Trigger Warning: This article contains discussions of death.
Actor Louis Gossett Jr. passed away at the age of 87. According to the Associated Press, the actor’s nephew told them of his death, which occurred on Thursday in Santa Monica. The cause of death was not disclosed. In 1982, Gossett received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film An Officer and a Gentleman, being the first black man to do so.
The Celebrated Career of Louis Gossett Jr.
Gossett began his acting career in 1953, at the age of 17, with the Broadway production Take a Giant Step, while still a student at Abraham Lincoln High School. In his book from 2010, he said that his English instructor in high school encouraged him to audition for the job.
“They’re seeking for a young Black youngster to play the lead in the Broadway production Take a Giant Step. They can’t find anyone in the company, so they’re turning to the high schools. ‘Tell your mom to take you down there.’ “That’s how I got into show business,” said Bob Costas in a 1991 interview.
Following that, he attended New York University and appeared in another Broadway production, The Dark Set. He also made his cinematic debut with A Raisin in the Sun, following his performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s original play.
He proceeded to pursue his acting career in TV and film in the 1960s, but his breakthrough came in 1977, when he played Fiddler in the miniseries Roots, for which he won an Emmy.
He appeared in several films during the 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1982 that his performance as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Folley in Taylor Hackford’s An Officer and a Gentleman garnered him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first black man to win in the category. The movie also included Richard Gere and Debra Winger, who was nominated for Best Actress for her performance.
In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Gossett mentioned the film, stating, “They had hired another actor who was White, but when director Taylor Hackford discovered that 75% of the Marine DIs were Black, they paid him off and hired me.” I went to the San Diego Marine Corps to train for six weeks. “When I arrived on set, I was a Marine.
In another interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the actor stated that he did not realize he had won the award at the time, and his agent had to tap his chest and say, “They mentioned your name,” to get him to notice.And I glanced at him, thinking I was asleep.
“And I gazed at him, thinking I was asleep. I looked around, and there was applause. This was not meant to be feasible. So I said, “Thank you.” “That’s a piece of history,” the Oscar winner added.
Throughout his life, he maintained his excellent performance record.
Louis Gossett Jr.’s acting career includes outstanding performances in films such as The Punisher, Jaws 3D, Toy Soldiers, The Perfect Game, and many more. He also starred as Will Reeves in the critically praised 2019 series The Watchmen. He most recently starred in the 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple, where he played Ol’ Mister.
Louis Gossett Jr. was married three times during his lifetime. His first marriage to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. In 1973, the actor married Christina Mangosing, and they welcomed a son called Satie in 1974.
They divorced the next year. In 1987, the actor married Cyndi James-Reese for the third time, and the couple adopted their son Sharron, who was born in 1977. The couple divorced in 1992. Gossett is survived by his two sons, Satie and Sharron.
In 2024, Gossett told people that he had no intentions to retire anytime soon and that “God must have something left for me to do.” In the forthcoming film IF, he voices the character Bear. He appears in three more films that are still in post-production: Soul to Keep, Sin, and Unplugged. The actor built an impressive legacy, and his death is a big loss for Hollywood.
