Louis Gossett Jr., the first black man in the United States to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, has died at the age of 87.local media reported this Friday.
Gossett died on Thursday night in Los Angeles of unspecified causes, according to his family, cited by US media such as CBS.
In 1983 he won an Oscar for his portrayal of a drill sergeant. in the film “An officer and a Gentleman” (“Official and gentleman” in Spain, “Reto al destiny” in Latin America). That film also earned him a Golden Globe.
With a prolific career, Gossett Jr. starred in more than 60 films, and was the third black actor, after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier, to win an Oscar.
He also participated in multiple television seriesincluding “Roots”, whose final episode, in 1977, was seen by more than 100 million viewers, and was nominated six times for the Emmys, the most prestigious award on American TV.
The New Yorker, who announced in 2010 that he had prostate cancer, cultivated a tough guy image in action films, including “Iron Eagle” (1986).
In his memoirs, “Actor and Gentleman” chronicled his difficult beginnings as a black actor, including his first trip to Los Angeles in the 1960s.during which he was arrested four times by the police.
Divorced from his third wife in 1992, he lived in Malibu, California. He was the father of two children.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
