Trailblazing Oscar Winner Louis Gossett Jr. Dead At 87

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The trailblazing Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr., has died, according to a statement from the actor’s family. He was 87.

A star of film and television, Gossett was best known for his role as Sgt. Emil Foley in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentlemen.” Playing a tough Gunnery Sergeant, Gossett’s character helps protagonist Zack Mayo, a young Richard Gere, graduate from Navy Officer Candidate School.

The role made Gossett the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The New York Times has more:

Mr. Gossett was 46 when he played Emil Foley, the Marine drill instructor from hell who ultimately shapes the humanity of an emotionally damaged young Naval aviation recruit (Richard Gere) — in “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982). Reviewing the movie in The New York Times, Vincent Canby described Sergeant Foley as a cruel taskmaster “recycled as a man of recognizable cunning, dedication and humor” revealed in “the kind of performance that wins awards.”

Mr. Gossett told The Times that he had recognized the role’s worth immediately. “The words just tasted good,” he recalled.

Gossett also starred in the 1977 miniseries “Roots.”

When he won the Oscar, Gossett was just the third Black performer to win an Academy Award after Hattie McDaniel (“Gone with the Wind”) and Sidney Poitier (“Lilies of the Field”).

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