RIP Louis Gosset Jr., at 87 years old Louis Gossett Jr. leaves us. His portrayal of the drill instructor in the film “An Officer and a Gentleman” earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He was the first black artist to win in that category.
Louis Gossett Jr. in 2016
he died early Friday morning in Santa Monica, California. He was 87 years old.
Mr. Gossett’s first cousin, Neal L. Gossett, confirmed the death without specifying the cause.
As we were saying, when he accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1983, he was the first black actor to win in that category – and only the third (after Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier) to win an Oscar for acting.
Gossett was a versatile actor, playing various roles in his long career and we’re talking about more than 50 films, but he was best known for playing honest and outspoken men, often authoritative figures. In addition to the famous “Officer and Gentleman” (1982) directed by Taylor Hackford, we also remember him in other films such as “Jaws 3-D” directed by Joe Alves (1983), “The Man with One Red Shoe” directed by Stan Dragoti (1985), “Enemy Mine” directed by Wolfgang Petersen (1985), “Iron Eagle” directed by Sidney J. Furie (1986), “Firewalker” directed by J. Lee Thompson (1986), “The Principal” directed by Christopher Cain (1987), “Iron Eagle II” directed by Sidney J. Furie (1988).
Recently, he had appeared in the TV series Watchmen (2019), inspired by the eponymous comic book miniseries by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons published between 1986 and 1987 by DC Comics. The series is an unofficial sequel to the graphic novel, set thirty years after the events of the comic, focusing on both new characters and old protagonists.
Safe journey, RIP Louis Gosset Jr.
