Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. has reportedly passed away at the age of 87. Gossett was known as the first Black man to win an Oscar for best-supporting actor.
The news of his passing was confirmed by his family, with his nephew revealing that he died on Friday morning. Gossett was a man of many talents, making his start in acting on Broadway while he was a high school student.
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Louis Gossett Jr. Has Died At 87
According to the Associated Press, Gossett’s family confirmed the news of his death, stating that he passed away Friday morning. However, his cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
His first cousin Neal L. Gossett, who spoke with the news outlet, revealed that he died in Santa Monica. Neal fondly remembers his cousin as a man who walked with Nelson Mandela. He also notes that Gossett was great with jokes and a relative who was faced with racism and fought it with dignity and humor.
“Never mind the awards, never mind the glitz and glamor, the Rolls-Royces, and the big houses in Malibu. It’s about the humanity of the people that he stood for,” Gossett’s cousin told the news outlet.
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Louis Gossett’s Illustrious Career
Gosset once talked about how he had a “promising high school career.” During a conversation with Bob Costas in 1991, he opened up about his start in Broadway at an early age and how it set him on the path of show business.
“‘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,'” Gossett recalled being told. “So, that’s how I got in show business.”
Gossett went on to study at New York University and performed in Broadway productions of “The Desk Set” in 1955 and 1956. His feature début was “Raisin in the Sun” (1961), which the Library of Congress has now added to the United States National Film Registry, per People Magazine.