(NewsWorthy.news) – Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. died late last week at the age of 87.
His family shared the news on Friday March 29. According to the late actor’s nephew, he passed away the night before in Santa Monica, California. The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed.
Gossett was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1936. Though a natural athlete from a young age, injury kept him from pursuing this field to the fullest and resulted in a love for stage acting. He first tried out for a play in high school, following the encouragement of a teacher, and from there was cast in his first Broadway show. His debut at age 16 was in a play called “Take a Giant Step,” which told the story of a black teenager living in a primarily white community.
One year later, Gossett finished high school and attended New York University, during which time he kept landing acting jobs in Broadway productions as well as minor characters on TV shows. Later, he was also cast in the stage show “A Raisin in the Sun,” which also featured top actors like Sidney Poitier.
Gossett’s acting career, which spanned six decades, included guest appearances on various shows including “Bonanza,” “The Mob Squad,” “The Partridge Family,” “McCloud,” and “The Rockford Files.” But he is best remembered in Hollywood for his role as Sgt. Emil Foley in “An Officer and a Gentlemen,” played alongside Richard Gere and Debra Winger.
This role as a tough military leader and mentor landed Gossett the 1983 supporting actor Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe award. He said earlier this year that the success of his wildly popular performance opened the door for him to be cast in “good parts” for films such as “Enemy Mine,” “Iron Eagle,” and “Sadat.”
Gossett is also well known for his roles in “Enemy Mine” and the 1977 TV miniseries “Roots,” for which he won an Emmy Award.
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