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Louis Gossett Jr. Dies: ‘Roots’, ‘An Officer And A Gentleman’ Actor Was 87


Louis Gossett Jr., who won an Emmy for his role in the groundbreaking TV miniseries Roots and an Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman, died last night in Santa Monica. He was 87. His death was reported by his nephew to the Associated Press. No cause of death was given. The first Black actor […]

Louis Gossett Jr., who won an Emmy for his role in the groundbreaking TV miniseries Roots and an Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman, died last night in Santa Monica. Subsequent film roles include performances in the TV-film Sadat (1983), The Punisher (1989), Toy Soldiers (1991), A Gathering of Old Men (1987), Curse of the Starving Class (1994) and numerous others, a steady stream, in fact, right up to 2023’s The Color Purple. His career in episodic TV was equally prolific, with roles in the 1980s (The Guardian, The Powers of Matthew Star and, in ’88, a reprise as Fiddler in Roots: The Gift), the ’90s (Picket Fences, Touched By An Angel, Ellen and Strange Justice), and the 2000s (The Dead Zone, Lackawanna Blues, Family Guy, ER, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Fight), all among many others.

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