Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, has died

LOS ANGELES, California -- Louis Gossett Jr., the archetypal Black antheral to triumph a supporting histrion Oscar and an Emmy victor for his relation successful the seminal TV miniseries "Roots," has died. He was 87.

Gossett's nephew told The Associated Press that the histrion died Thursday nighttime successful Santa Monica, California. No origin of decease was revealed.

Gossett ever thought of his aboriginal vocation arsenic a reverse Cinderella story, with occurrence uncovering him from an aboriginal property and propelling him forward, toward his Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman."

He earned his archetypal acting recognition successful his Brooklyn precocious school's accumulation of "You Can't Take It with You" portion helium was sidelined from the hoops squad with an injury.

"I was hooked - and truthful was my audience," helium wrote successful his 2010 memoir "An Actor and a Gentleman."

His English teacher urged him to spell into Manhattan to effort retired for "Take a Giant Step." He got the portion and made his Broadway debut successful 1953 astatine property 16.

"I knew excessively small to beryllium nervous," Gossett wrote. "In retrospect, I should person been frightened to decease arsenic I walked onto that stage, but I wasn't."

Gossett attended New York University connected a hoops and play scholarship. He was soon acting and singing connected TV shows hosted by David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar and Steve Allen.

Gossett became affable with James Dean and studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen astatine an offshoot of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera.

In 1959, Gossett received captious acclaim for his relation successful the Broadway accumulation of "A Raisin successful the Sun" on with Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Diana Sands.

He went connected to go a prima connected Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels successful "Golden Boy" with Sammy Davis Jr. successful 1964.

Gossett went to Hollywood for the archetypal clip successful 1961 to marque the movie mentation of "A Raisin successful the Sun." He had bitter memories of that trip, staying successful a cockroach-infested motel that was 1 of the fewer places to let Black people.

In 1968, helium returned to Hollywood for a large relation successful "Companions successful Nightmare," NBC's archetypal made-for-TV movie that starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O'Neal.

This time, Gossett was booked into the Beverly Hills Hotel and Universal Studios had rented him a convertible. Driving backmost to the edifice aft picking up the car, helium was stopped by a Los Angeles County sheriff's serviceman who ordered him to crook down the vigor and enactment up the car's extortion earlier letting him go.

Within minutes, helium was stopped by 8 sheriff's officers, who had him thin against the car and made him unfastened the trunk portion they called the car rental bureau earlier letting him go.

"Though I understood that I had nary prime but to enactment up with this abuse, it was a unspeakable mode to beryllium treated, a humiliating mode to feel," Gossett wrote successful his memoir. "I realized this was happening due to the fact that I was Black and had been showing disconnected with a fancy car - which, successful their view, I had nary close to beryllium driving."

After meal astatine the hotel, helium went for a locomotion and was stopped a artifact distant by a constabulary officer, who told him helium broke a instrumentality prohibiting walking astir residential Beverly Hills aft 9 p.m. Two different officers arrived and Gossett said helium was chained to a histrion and handcuffed for 3 hours. He was yet freed erstwhile the archetypal constabulary car returned.

"Now I had travel face-to-face with racism, and it was an disfigured sight," helium wrote. "But it was not going to destruct me."

In the precocious 1990s, Gossett said helium was pulled implicit by constabulary connected Pacific Coast Highway portion driving his restored 1986 Rolls Royce Corniche II. The serviceman told him helium looked similar idiosyncratic they were searching for, but the serviceman recognized Gossett and left.

He founded the Eracism Foundation to assistance make a satellite wherever racism doesn't exist.

Gossett made a bid of impermanent appearances connected specified shows arsenic "Bonanza," "The Rockford Files," "The Mod Squad," "McCloud" and a memorable crook with Richard Pryor connected "The Partridge Family."

In August 1969, Gossett had been partying with members of the Mamas and the Papas erstwhile they were invited to histrion Sharon Tate's house. He headed location archetypal to ablution and alteration clothes. As helium was getting acceptable to leave, helium caught a quality flash connected TV astir Tate's murder. She and others were killed by Charles Manson's associates that night.

"There had to beryllium a crushed for my escaping this bullet," helium wrote.

Louis Cameron Gossett was calved connected May 27, 1936, successful the Coney Island conception of Brooklyn, New York, to Louis Sr., a porter, and Hellen, a nurse. He aboriginal added Jr. to his sanction to grant his father.

Gossett broke done connected the tiny surface arsenic Fiddler successful the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries "Roots," which depicted the atrocities of slavery connected TV. The sprawling formed included Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton and John Amos.

Gossett became the 3rd Black Oscar nominee successful the supporting histrion class successful 1983. He won for his show arsenic the intimidating Marine drill teacher successful "An Officer and a Gentleman" other Richard Gere and Debra Winger. He besides won a Golden Globe for the aforesaid role.

"More than anything, it was a immense affirmation of my presumption arsenic a Black actor," helium wrote successful his memoir.

"The Oscar gave maine the quality of being capable to take bully parts successful movies similar 'Enemy Mine,' 'Sadat' and 'Iron Eagle,'" Gossett said successful Dave Karger's 2024 publication "50 Oscar Nights."

He said his statue was successful storage.

"I'm going to donate it to a room truthful I don't person to support an oculus connected it," helium said successful the book. "I request to beryllium escaped of it."

Gossett appeared successful specified TV movies arsenic "The Story of Satchel Paige," "Backstairs astatine the White House, "The Josephine Baker Story," for which helium won different Golden Globe, and "Roots Revisited."

But helium said winning an Oscar didn't alteration the information that each his roles were supporting ones.

He played an obstinate patriarch successful the 2023 remake of "The Color Purple."

Gossett struggled with intoxicant and cocaine addiction for years aft his Oscar win. He went to rehab, wherever helium was diagnosed with toxic mold syndrome, which helium attributed to his location successful Malibu.

In 2010, Gossett announced helium had prostate cancer, which helium said was caught successful the aboriginal stages. In 2020, helium was hospitalized with COVID-19.

He is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his 2nd marriage, and Sharron, a cook whom helium adopted aft seeing the 7-year-old successful a TV conception connected children successful hopeless situations. His archetypal relative is histrion Robert Gossett.

Gossett's archetypal matrimony to Hattie Glascoe was annulled. His second, to Christina Mangosing, ended successful divorcement successful 1975 arsenic did his 3rd to histrion Cyndi James-Reese successful 1992.