Louis Gossett Jr.

Gossett Jr. in 2015

Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 – March 29, 2024) was an American actor and producer.^[1] He was best known for his Academy Award winning role as Emil Foley in the 1982 romantic drama movie An Officer and a Gentleman. He was also known for his role as Fiddler in the 1977 television series Roots. He also won an Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Career

In 1959, Gossett was in the Broadway play A Raisin In The Sun. He was also in the 1961 movie of the same name.^[2]

Gossett was born on May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York.

In December 2020, Gossett was hospitalized and diagnosed with COVID-19 in Georgia.^[3]

Gossett died in Santa Monica, California, on March 29, 2024, at the age of 87.^[4] The cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; with heart failure and atrial fibrillation also listed.^[5]

A scene from the play A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, with Gossett (left) as George Murchison, Ruby Dee as Ruth Younger, and Sidney Poitier as Walter Younger
Cast of ABC TV series The Young Rebels (1970): From left-Alex Henteloff, Rick Ely, Philippe Forquet, and Gossett.
Gossett with Esther Rolle in a publicity photo for Good Times in 1976
Richard Pryor with Louis Gossett Jr. in 1978
Louis Gossett Jr. with Eugene Levy in 2017
Gossett Jr. at the Guadalajara Film Festival
Gossett at the celebration of the anniversary of the March on Washington
Gossett with Clint Eastwood and President Ronald Reagan at the White House for the launch of Take Pride in America in 1987