Louis Gossett Jr, pioneering Oscar-winner, dead at 87
Louis Gossett Jr, the first Black man to win the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Oscars, had died aged 87.
No cause of death has been revealed at present, but Gossett’s family released a statement this morning confirming that he had passed “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning,” it said.
“We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.” Gossett’s cousin, Neal L. Gossett, also informed The Associated Press that the award-winning actor was in Santa Monica, California, at the time of his passing.
Gossett was born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, on May 27th, 1936 and made his stage debut at 17. Not long after making his first steps into acting, he secured a role in Broadway’s Take a Giant Step, which would provide him with the necessary ballast to develop his craft and continue working on stage, making his name in hit plays such as 1959’s A Raisin in the Sun 1963’s Tambourines to Glory and 1965’s The Zulu and the Zayda. Famously, he worked with ‘Rat Pack’ legend Sammy Davis Jr in Golden Boy in 1964.
Gossett rose to international prominence when he appeared in the acclaimed 1977 miniseries Roots, which saw him win the Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series’. Continuing on his way, it wouldn’t be long before he would make a stamp on the history of film.
In 1982, he starred as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in Taylor Hackford’s romantic drama An Officer and a Gentleman, a critically acclaimed box office success that was named film of the year by many publications and starred Richard Gere and Debra Winger in the lead roles. His role as the hardened Marine in the movie saw Gossett become only the third Black actor in history to be nominated in the ‘Best Supporting’ category at the 1983 Oscars.
The movie was nominated in six categories at the ceremony, but only two were taken home, with one of them being Gossett’s for ‘Best Supporting Actor’. This made him the first Black actor to win the honour, etching his name in film history.
Throughout his career, Gossett was nominated at other high-profile ceremonies, including the Golden Globes, Black Reel, and the NAACP Image. It was at the Emmys where he was praised the most, though. Following An Officer and a Gentlemen, his work in 1983’s Sadat, 1987’s A Gathering of Old Men, 1997’s Touched by an Angel and HBO’s 2019 adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel, Watchmen, were all nominated. In the latter, he played Will Reeves, also known as the first masked hero, Hooded Justice.
Following his Oscar win, Gossett was wracked by alcoholism and cocaine addiction. He checked into rehab and was diagnosed with toxic mould syndrome, which he claimed was from his Malibu home.
In recent times, Gossett has struggled with health issues. In 2010, he announced that he had prostate cancer but noted that the disease had been caught early and was expected to make a full recovery. A decade later, in 2020, he was hospitalised with Covid-19.
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