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| Louis Gossett Jr. as Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’, 1982. Photo: Paramount Pictures |
The esteemed actor Louis Gossett Jr. has passed away at 87. He etched his name in history as the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982's ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’. Although familiar with his acclaimed role and with his name and likeness, I knew not very much about his life and career until perusing his obituary this morning. (In truth, my film fandom ends mostly in the 1970s, and I hate television, explaining why I had not seen Mr. Gossett in more productions). The gentleman led a life of intrigue; in fact, he was still toiling up until the past year. The list of people he worked with is a ‘who’s who’ of Hollywood and Broadway luminaries of the latter half of the 20th century. He fought racism with vigor and purpose. Verily, a momentous loss for the stage and screen, and the world at large.
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