{"id":3983,"date":"2024-04-01T13:25:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T13:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=3983"},"modified":"2024-04-01T13:25:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T13:25:21","slug":"remembering-the-life-of-louis-gossett-jr-the-first-black-man-to-win-a-supporting-actor-oscar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2024\/04\/remembering-the-life-of-louis-gossett-jr-the-first-black-man-to-win-a-supporting-actor-oscar.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Life of Louis Gossett Jr., The First Black Man to Win a Supporting Actor Oscar"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"louis<\/a>
Kathy Hutchins\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Louis Gosset Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the influential TV miniseries \u201cRoots,\u201d has died at 87 years old. His first cousin Neal L. Gossett told The Associated Press<\/em> that the actor died in Santa Monica, California. A statement from the family didn\u2019t reveal a cause of death. Gossett\u2019s cousin remembered a man who walked with Nelson Mandela, who was also a great joketeller and a relative who faced and fought racism with humor and dignity.<\/p>\n

His cousin said, \u201cNever mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces and the big houses in Malibu. It\u2019s about the humanity of the people that he stood for.\u201d Louis Gossett Jr. always thought of his early career as a reverse Cinderella story, with success finding him from an early age and propelling him forward toward his Academy Award for \u201cAn Officer and a Gentleman.\u201d He broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries \u201cRoots,\u201d which depicted atrocities of slavery on television. The sprawling cast included John Amos, LeVar Burton, and Ben Vereen.<\/p>\n

Gossett Jr. became the third Black Oscar nominee in the supporting actor category in 1983. He won for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in \u201cAn Officer and a Gentleman\u201d opposite Debra Winger and Richard Gere. He also won a Golden Globe for the same role. He wrote in his 2010 memoir, \u201cMore than anything, it was a huge affirmation of my position as a Black actor.\u201d He had earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school\u2019s production of \u201cYou Can\u2019t Take It with You\u201d while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury. He wrote in his memoir, \u201cI was hooked, and so was my audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

His English teacher urged him to go to Manhattan to try out for \u201cTake a Giant Step.\u201d He got the part and made his Broadway debut in 1953 at age 16. \u201cI knew too little to be nervous,\u201d Gossett wrote. \u201cIn retrospect, I should have been scared to death as I walked onto that stage, but I wasn\u2019t.\u201d Gossett attended New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship. He soon started acting and singing on TV shows hosted by David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar and Steve Allen.<\/p>\n

Gossett became friendly with James Dean and studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, Martin Landau and Steve McQueen at an offshoot of the Actors Studio taught by Frank Silvera. In 1959, Gossett received critical acclaim for his role in the Broadway production of\u00a0\u201cA Raisin in the Sun\u201d\u00a0along with\u00a0Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee\u00a0and Diana Sands. He went on to become a star on Broadway, replacing Billy Daniels in \u201cGolden Boy\u201d with Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.<\/p>\n

Gossett went to Hollywood for the first time in 1961 to make the film version of \u201cA Raisin in the Sun.\u201d He had bitter memories of that trip, staying in a cockroach-infested motel that was one of the few places to allow Black people. In 1968, he returned to Hollywood for a major role in \u201cCompanions in Nightmare,\u201d NBC\u2019s first made-for-TV movie that starred Melvyn Douglas, Anne Baxter and Patrick O\u2019Neal. Gossett made a series of guest appearances on such shows as \u201cBonanza,\u201d \u201cThe Rockford Files,\u201d \u201cThe Mod Squad,\u201d \u201cMcCloud,\u201d and a memorable turn with\u00a0Richard Pryor\u00a0on \u201cThe Partridge Family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is survived by sons Satie, a producer-director from his second marriage, and Sharron, a chef whom he adopted after seeing the 7-year-old in a TV segment on children in desperate situations. His first cousin is\u00a0actor Robert Gossett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Louis Gosset Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the influential TV miniseries \u201cRoots,\u201d has died at 87 years old. His first cousin Neal L. Gossett told The Associated Press that the actor died in Santa Monica, California. A statement from the family…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":3989,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[121,122],"tags":[43,420,959],"class_list":["post-3983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity","category-entertainment","tag-actor","tag-legendary-actor","tag-louis-gossett-jr"],"yoast_head":"\nRemembering the Life of Louis Gossett Jr., The First Black Man to Win a Supporting Actor Oscar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Louis Gosset Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the influential TV miniseries \u201cRoots,\u201d has died.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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