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Who Was Louis Gossett Jr.? Exploring Life And Career Of The Oscar Winner Amid His Demise At 87
Actor Louis Gossett Jr., who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982, passed away at 87. Learn more about him here.
Trigger Warning: This article has mentions of death.
Actor Louis Gossett Jr. died at the age of 87. The Associated Press reported the news, which was informed of his death by the actor’s nephew, who also informed that he passed away on Thursday in Santa Monica. The cause of death was not revealed. Gossett won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982 for his role in the movie An Officer and A Gentleman, making him the first black man to win an Oscar in the category.
The celebrated Career of Louis Gossett Jr.
Gossett began his acting career in 1953, when he was just 17, with the Broadway play Take a Giant Step while still in Abraham Lincoln High School. In his 2010 memoir, he mentioned that his English teacher at high school wanted him to try out for the role.
"They're looking for a young, Black kid to play a lead in a Broadway show called Take a Giant Step. They can't find anybody in the business, so they're going to the high schools. 'Tell your mother to take you down there.' So, that's how I got in show business," he told Bob Costas in a 1991 interview. 
After that, he attended New York University and starred in another Broadway play called The Dark Set. He also starred in the film A Raisin in the Sun, marking his film debut after acting in the original play by Lorraine Hansberry. He moved to continue his acting career in TV and movies in the 60s, but his breakthrough role came in 1977 when he starred in the miniseries Roots as Fiddler, which earned him an Emmy.
He starred in many movies throughout the 1970s, but it was in 1982 that his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Folley in Taylor Hackford's An Officer and A Gentleman earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first black man to win in the category. The films also starred Richard Gere and Debra Winger, the latter of whom also received a nomination for Best Actress for her role.
In a 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Gossett discussed the film, saying, "They had hired another actor who was White, but when director Taylor Hackford found out that 75% of the Marine DIs were Black, they paid him off and hired me. I went down to the San Diego Marine Corps to learn for six weeks. When I showed up on set, I was a Marine."
In another interview with CBS Sunday Morning, the actor mentioned that he did not believe that he had won the award at the time, and his agent had to hit his chest and say, "They mentioned your name," for him to notice. "And I looked at him because I thought I was asleep. And I looked around and there was applause. Not supposed to be possible. So I said thank you. That's a piece of history," the Oscar winner continued.
He continued his streak of great performances throughout his life
Louis Gossett Jr.’s acting career is full of memorable roles in movies like The Punisher, Jaws 3D, Toy Soldiers, The Perfect Game, and many more. He also appeared in the widely acclaimed 2019 series The Watchmen, where he played Will Reeves. He most recently appeared in the 2023 rendition of The Color Purple, in which he played Ol’ Mister.
Louis Gossett Jr. was married three times throughout his life. His first marriage with Hattie Glascoe was annulled. In 1973, the actor married Christina Mangosing, and they had a son named Satie together in 1974. The two of them got divorced the following year. In 1987, the actor married a third time to Cyndi James-Reese, and the two adopted their son Sharron, who was born in 1977. The couple got divorced in 1992. Gossett is survived by his two sons, Satie and Sharron.
In 2024, Gossett said he had no plans to retire any time soon and told PEOPLE, “God must have something left for me to do.” He voiced the character of Bear in the upcoming movie IF. Three other movies that he appeared in are in the post-production stage: Soul to Keep, Sin, and Unplugged. The actor left behind a great legacy, and his passing is indeed a significant loss to Hollywood.
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