Louis Gossett Jr. death: Colman Domingo, Jennifer Hudson, Spike Lee and Sally ... trends now
Colman Domingo, Jennifer Hudson, Spike Lee and Sally Kirkland were among the celebrities paying tribute to Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr. after his death at age 87.
Oscar-winner Gossett Jr., known for his performances in An Officer And A Gentleman and Jaws III, died in Santa Monica, California . No cause of death was given, however, he had previously announced in 2010 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer .
Colman, who starred in The Color Purple with Gossett, posted to X: 'Was able to capture my "dad" the legendary Louis Gossett Jr. He was open and generous. Kind beyond measure. Regal. We owe so much to him.'
Jennifer Hudson tweeted a snap of her with the actor and wrote, 'Rest in peace, Louis Gossett Jr!! A true legend of the stage and screen- the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Thank you for paving the way! Your legacy lives on.'
Colman Domingo, Jennifer Hudson , Spike Lee and Sally Kirkland were among the celebrities paying tribute to Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr after his death at age 87
Oscar-winner Gossett Jr., known for his performances in An Officer And A Gentleman and Jaws III, died in Santa Monica, California . No cause of death was given, however, he had previously announced in 2010 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer (pictured 2016)
Gossett Jr., poses with the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in An Officer And a Gentleman, in 1983. He became the first black man to win the supporting actor gong
Gossett Jr revealed he 'wasn't afraid to die' in his final interview two months before his death aged 87 on Thursday.
In a January interview with People, Gossett Jr. reflected on his mortality, saying: 'I’m not afraid to die and the fact of going to heaven. I know they are having some great concerts up there."
'I know that and my heroes and heroines are up there and I think it's different from what we think it is and the old days," he added. "I think after we make that transition, I think it's going to be a great time.'
Known for his decades-long career with further appearances in The Color Purple and Roots, Gossett revealed this past year that he gave up a potential professional basketball career with the New York Knicks when he decided to head to Hollywood.
He earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school's production of You Can't Take It with You while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury.
'I was hooked — and so was my audience,' he wrote in his 2010 memoir An Actor And A Gentleman.
Known for his athletic build and dominating presence on stage and screen, Gossett Jr starred in a number of demanding roles including his Oscar-winning turn as drill sergeant Emil Foley in Officer And A Gentleman in 1982.
The hard-man image he achieved in that role catapulted him to Hollywood fame, emulating the drill sergeant patois in 1989's The Punisher and repeat appearances in the Iron Eagle franchise.
After his early Broadway success, he broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries Roots, which depicted the atrocities of slavery on TV. The sprawling cast included Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton and John Amos.
He won an Emmy for the role, which earned the young actor national fame as a staggering 100million viewers tuned in for the final episode.
Gossett once said of landing the role: 'All the top African-American actors were asked, and I begged to be in there. I got the best role, I think. It was wonderful.'
In a January interview with People , Gossett Jr. reflected on his mortality, saying: 'I’m not afraid to die and the fact of going to heaven. I know they are having some great concerts up there. pictured here in 2016
His final on-screen appearance came in the 2023 Oscar-nominated film The Color Purple. According to his IMDB, the actor had 12 upcoming projects in the works at the time of his death, including Ryan Reynolds' upcoming animation IF.
Gossett Jr's decades-long acting career quickly took off after his first performance in high school, as an English teacher urged him to go into Manhattan to try out for the production of Take a Giant Step.
He got the part and debuted on Broadway in 1953 aged 16.
'I knew too little to be nervous,' Gossett wrote of his acting break. 'In retrospect, I should have been scared to death as I walked onto that stage, but I wasn't.'
Gossett Jr starred in a number of demanding roles including his Oscar-winning turn as drill sergeant Emil Foley in Officer And A Gentleman opposite Richard Gere
Gossett Jr pictured during the filming of the 1986 movie Iron Eagle. He also went on to star in the franchise's three sequels
Gossett Jr celebrates his 1982 Oscar win with actress Susan Sarandon (left) and Superman star Christopher Reeve
The actor's final on-screen appearance came in the 2023 Oscar-nominated film The Color Purple
Gossett Jr seen in December last year. At the time of his death, the actor still had 12 upcoming appearances, many of which are already completed or in post-production
Gossett attended New York University on a basketball and drama scholarship. He was soon acting and singing on TV shows hosted by stars including David Susskind, Ed Sullivan, Red Buttons, Merv Griffin, Jack Paar and Steve Allen.
Before he became a firm favorite in Hollywood circles, he was known to be 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.
He made his
