Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 – March 29, 2024) was an American actor. He made his stage debut at age 17. Shortly thereafter, Gossett successfully auditioned for the Broadway play Take a Giant Step. He continued acting onstage in critically acclaimed plays including A Raisin in the Sun (1959), The Blacks (1961), Tambourines to Glory (1963), and The Zulu and the Zayda (1965). In 1977, Gossett appeared in the popular miniseries Roots, for which he won Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards.
Gossett continued acting in high-profile films, television, plays, and video games. In 1982, for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and became the first Black American actor to win in this category. At the Emmy Awards, he continued to receive recognition, with nominations for The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots (1978), Backstairs at the White House (1979), Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1981), Sadat (1983), A Gathering of Old Men (1987), Touched by an Angel (1997), and Watchmen (2019). Gossett won and was nominated at other ceremonies including the Golden Globe Awards, Black Reel Awards, and NAACP Image Awards. He was also well known for his role as Colonel Chappy Sinclair in the Iron Eagle film series (1986–1995).
Gossett's other film appearances include Hal Ashby's The Landlord (1970), Paul Bogart's Skin Game (1971), George Cukor's Travels with My Aunt (1972), Stuart Rosenberg's The Laughing Policeman (1974), Philip Kaufman's The White Dawn (1974), Peter Yates's The Deep (1977), Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine (1985), Christopher Cain's The Principal (1987), Mark Goldblatt's The Punisher (1989), Daniel Petrie's Toy Soldiers (1991), and Blitz Bazawule's The Color Purple (2023). Gossett's television appearances include Bonanza (1971), The Jeffersons (1975), American Playhouse (1990), Stargate SG-1 (2005), Boardwalk Empire (2013), and The Book of Negroes (2015).
1936–1954: Early life, education, and stage breakthrough
Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, to Hellen, a nurse, and Louis Cameron Gossett, a porter. He was an alumnus of Mark Twain Intermediate School 239 and Abraham Lincoln High School. Gossett contracted polio during his youth. His stage debut came at age 17, in a school production of You Can't Take It with You when a sports injury resulted in the decision to take an acting class.
Gossett's high school teacher had encouraged him to audition for a Broadway part, resulting in his selection at age 17 for his first role on Broadway in the version of Take a Giant Step in 1953. Gossett replaced Bill Gunn as Spencer Scott. The play ran from late September to late November and had 76 performances. The show was selected as one of the 10 best Broadway shows of 1953 by The New York Times. His performance was well received, and Gossett won the Donaldson Award for best newcomer of the year.
After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1954, Gossett attended New York University, declining an athletic scholarship.
1955–1977: Continued success to television breakthrough
On October 24, 1955, the Broadway play The Desk Set started its run, with Gossett acting in it. The show had 297 performances and closed on July 7, 1956. It is a comedy about office workers. On its 200th performance, Jack Y. Kohl's The Morning Call review praised the entire cast.
At the end of the 1950s, standing 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, Gossett was offered the opportunity to play for the New York Knicks, but he turned down the offer to accept a role in A Raisin in the Sun.
In 1959, continuing his Broadway career, Gossett played the role of George Murchison in A Raisin in the Sun. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances. The character of Murchison represents the "fully assimilated black man" who denies his African heritage with a "smarter than thou" attitude. The play received rave reviews. In Boyd Martin's review in The Courier Journal he said that the play is "magnificently played by the entire cast." It won best play at the New York Drama Critics' Circle.
During the early 1960s, Gossett was considered to be a talented folk musician, for which he was well known. His singing career was helped along with appearing at Gerde's Folk City in New York. In 1961, Gossett had his cinematic debut with the film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. Due to the critical acclaim of the play, Columbia Pictures bought the film rights. Most of the original cast, including Gossett, returned to their roles. The film, just like the play, received excellent reviews. In the same year, Gossett appeared in the original cast of Jean Genet's The Blacks, the longest running off-Broadway play of the decade, running for 1,408 performances. The original cast also featured James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cicely Tyson, Godfrey Cambridge, Maya Angelou and Charles Gordone. — so "their collective star power" rubbed off on Mr. Gossett.
In 1963, Gossett acted in the Broadway play Tambourines to Glory. William Glover in his review published in The Bee, describes it as the first Broadway play with a gospel score, and praised the entirety of the cast for their energy and vocals. In 1964, Gossett acted in the Broadway play Golden Boy. That same year, he signed to Powertree Records. Gossett's single, "Hooka' Dooka', Green Green" / "Goodmornin' Captain" was released in early 1964. Later in May, "Red Rosy Bush" / "See See Rider" was released. The following year, Gossett appeared in the musical play The Zulu and the Zayda on Broadway as Paulus with music and lyrics by Harold J. Rome. A December 1965 review of The Zulu, original cast recording that was released on Columbia Records noted Menasha Skulnik and Gossett's vocal performance of "It's Good to Be Alive".
Gossett ran a drama school at St. Mark's Playhouse until 1965 when they outgrew the space. In 1966, he founded the Gossett Academy of Dramatic Arts with his friend David Smyrl. The school ran programs targeted towards youths. Students included members of The Last Poets, and Jan Ackerman.
In 1966, Gossett acted in the Broadway play My Sweet Charlie. Gossett wrote the antiwar folk song "Handsome Johnny" with Richie Havens; Havens recorded the song in 1966. "Handsome Johnny" was released in 1967, appearing on Richie Havens's album Mixed Bag,. Havens performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson which resulted in a standing ovation that lasted through two commercial breaks. By September 1967, his single "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" / "Just a Girl" was released on Warner Brothers 7078. It was a Cash Box Newcomer Pick and received a good review with the reviewer calling it "easy-paced blues working and a mighty fine smooth vocal join forces in putting across a tempting r&b reading of the folk standard."
In 1968, Gossett acted in the play Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights. In the spring of 1969, Gossett was listed among the actors who could not be determined or uncredited in Stuart Rosenberg's WUSA.In 1970, Gossett's album From Me to You was released on B.T. Puppy Records BTPS-1013. It contained some of his own compositions.
In the short-lived TV series "The Young Rebels" Gossett played Isak Poole, one of the principals in 15 episodes of the 1970-1971 series alongside Rick Ely and Phillipe Forquet.
In 1971, Gossett acted in Paul Bogart's western comedy Skin Game starring James Garner. In it, they play a pair scammers who repeatedly pretend that the character played by Gossett is Garner's slave named Jason O'Rourke, to resell him repeatedly in every town they pass by. Michael Bate of The Ottawa Citizen said: "Gossett larks his way through the film's early portions and develops a complex characterization with appealing good humor and restraint. He rarely overplays an easily overdone role and for this he deserves full credit."