Louis Gossett Jr., the 1st Black man to receive the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” passed away on Thursday night in Santa Monica, his nephew announce the devastating news.
The reason of his death was not unveiled yet. In 2010, he opened that he had prostate cancer.
Born in Brooklyn, Gossett Jr. got his start on the stage with portrayals in plays in the 1950s and 60s before breaking big with his role as Fiddler in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.” He won an Emmy for the performance.
In 1982, he made history with his Oscar-winning turn in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Gossett Jr.’s career was vast and varied — he appeared on classic sitcoms like “The Jeffersons,” starred in movies from Hal Ashby (“The Landlord”), George Cukor (“Travels With My Aunt”) and Wolfgang Peterson (“Enemy Mine”) and he earned seven Emmy nominations throughout his career, additionally his character in HBO’s acclaimed “Watchmen” miniseries in 2020.
Most nearly, Gossett Jr. appeared in the musical adaptation “The Color Purple.” His final character comes in the form of a voice character in John Krasinski’s family film “IF,” opening in May.