LOS ANGELES — Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar for movie ‘An Officer and a Gentleman,’ has died at age 87.
The actor, known for playing the iconic role of Fiddler in the ‘Roots’ mini television series, reportedly died in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death was revealed.
According to the Associated Press, Gossett’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett said the actor had a comedic spirit and fought racism with “dignity and honor.”
“Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses in Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people that he stood for,” Neal told AP.
Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York, to Louis Sr. and Hellen. He later added Jr. to his name to honor his father, AP said.
Gossett became the third Black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance of a fierce Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman.” He also won a Golden Globe for the same role.
Gossett attended New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship. In 1959, he received much praise for his role in the Broadway production of ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’
Gossett created the Eracism Foundation to help create a world where racism doesn’t exist.
In 2010, he announced he had prostate cancer, which was reportedly caught in the early stages.
He is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the 7-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations, AP said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
