Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar for his performance as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, has died at the age of 87.
As reported by Variety, Gossett Jr.’s family confirmed he passed away on the morning of March 29, 2024.
“It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time,” the family wrote in a statement.
An Officer and a Gentleman was released in 1982 and Gossett Jr.’s Foley was a tough drill instructor at an Aviation Officer Candidate School near Washington who challenged Richard Gere’s Zack Mayo at every turn. His performance was so lauded that he won the supporting actor Oscar award at the 1983 show and changed history forever.
His accolades didn’t stop there, however, as he would go on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series for his performance as Fiddler in 1977’s Roots miniseries.
He starred in other such films as Enemy Mine and Iron Eagle, and earned Emmy nods for his work on such TV projects as Sadat, The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots, Backstairs at the White House, Palmerstown, U.S.A., A Gathering of Old Men, and Touched by an Angel.
In more recent times, he appeared in Boardwalk Empire, Extant, Watchmen, The Reason, The Color Purple, and many more.
When asked what his favorite role was in his storied career, he told Variety in 2015 that it was playing Anwar Sadat in Sadat.
“It was a challenge to play someone with history like that,” Gossett Jr. said. “His spirit was very much like Mandela’s. He transitioned from a hawk to a dove. He’d lost his brother and people he loved. He said he’d be willing to step into Israel in the name of peace. Mandela was willing to come out of prison with a smile on his face.”
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was born in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York on May 27, 1936, and had his on-stage debut at 17-year-old when he was cast in a school production of You Can’t Take It With You. He fell in love with theater and actually denied an athletic scholarship for basketball to instead pay his way to attend NYU. He would then make his Broadway debut in 1953 as Spencer Scott in Take a Giant Step.
Gossett Jr. was married and divorced three times, and he is survived by his son Satie Gossett, adopted son Sharron, and nephew Robert Gossett.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
