‘Shaft’ star Richard Roundtree dead at 81
American actor Richard Roundtree, best known for portraying the titular detective in the Blaxploitation classic Shaft, died on October 24th, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
After an early career as a model, Roundtree’s first acting role was as the lead in the 1971 crime thriller, making his feature film debut at 28. The overwhelming success of Shaft, earning $12million against it’s low-budget of less than $500,000, has been attributed to saving the MGM studio from the brink of bankruptcy.
It also served to illustrate Hollywood’s previous neglect of Black filmmaking talent and audiences and kickstarted a decade of other Black-led Blaxploitation movies, including Foxy Brown and Super Fly. In 2019, the actor was asked about his opinion on the ‘exploitation’ genre tagged to Shaft.
Speaking to The New York Times, Roundtree once said: “I had the privilege of working with the classiest gentleman possibly that I’ve ever known in the industry, Gordon Parks. So, that word, Exploitation, I take offense to with any attachment to Gordon Parks… I’ve always viewed that as a negative.”
He continued: “Exploitation. Who’s being exploited? But it gave a lot of people work. It gave a lot of people entrée into the business, including a lot of our present-day producers and directors. So, in the big picture, I view it as a positive.”
In 2000, Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton and actor Samuel L. Jackson teamed up for a contemporary sequel, which saw Jackson, as the original Shaft’s nephew, take up the mantle.
Roundtree’s death was confirmed by Patrick McMinn, his manager since 1987. “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” he said in a statement. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.