Louis Gossett Jr.
May 27, 1936 (89 years old) in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Louis Gossett Jr. (born May 27, 1936 - March 29, 2024) was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" and as Fiddler in the television miniseries "Roots". He has won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards in an acting career that spans over five decades.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · IF as Lewis (voice)
- 2023 · The Color Purple as Ol' Mister
- 2023 · Outlaw Johnny Black as Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
- 2022 · Sidney as Self
- 2022 · Three Months as Benny
- 2020 · The Reason as Pastor Jim
- 2020 · The Cuban as Luis Garcia
- 2019 · Foster Boy as Judge George Taylor
- 2019 · Supervized as Pendle
- 2019 · Hal as Self
- 2018 · Breaking Brooklyn as Miles Bryant
- 2017 · Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart as Self
- 2017 · Undercover Grandpa as Mother
- 2015 · Boiling Pot as Detective Haven
- 2014 · The Dependables as Lou Jones
- 2014 · A Fighting Man as Cubby
- 2009 · Amazing Racer as Max Donovan
- 2009 · Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy as Self
- 2007 · Stories USA as Doc (segment "Club Soda")
- 2007 · Cover as Detective Hicks
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · Solar Attack as President Ryan Gordon
- 2006 · All In as Caps
- 2005 · Left Behind: World at War as President Geral Fitzhugh
- 2003 · Jasper, Texas as R.C. Horn
- 2003 · Momentum as Raymond Addison
- 2002 · What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away as Dr. Barnes
- 2002 · Deceived as Col. David Garrett
- 2000 · The Color of Love: Jacey's Story as Lou Hastings
- 2000 · The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence as Frank
- 2000 · The Highwayman as Phil Bishop
- 1999 · Y2K as Morgan
- 1998 · The Inspectors as Inspector Frank Hughes
- 1997 · To Dance with Olivia as Daniel Stewart
- 1996 · Inside as Questioner
- 1995 · Iron Eagle on the Attack as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
- 1995 · The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
- 1995 · Zooman as Rueben Tate
- 1994 · Flashfire as Ben Durand
- 1994 · Curse of the Starving Class as Ellis
- 1994 · A Good Man in Africa as Prof. Sam Adekunle
- 1993 · Monolith as Capt. MacCandless
- 1991 · Carolina Skeletons as James Bragg
- 1991 · The Josephine Baker Story as Sidney Williams
- 1990 · Zora is My Name! as
- 1988 · Roots: The Gift as Fiddler
- 1988 · Goodbye, Miss 4th of July as Big John Creed
- 1987 · Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood as Self
- 1984 · Finders Keepers as Century
- 1978 · To Kill a Cop as Everett Walker
- 1978 · The Lazarus Syndrome as Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
- 1977 · Little Ladies of the Night as Russ Garfield
- 1976 · J.D.'s Revenge as Rev. Elija Bliss
- 1976 · The River Niger as Dr. Dudley Stanton
- 1974 · Sidekicks as Jason O'Rourke
- 1974 · It's Good to Be Alive as Sam Brockington
- 1973 · The Laughing Policeman as Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
- 1972 · Travels with My Aunt as Wordsworth
- 1971 · Skin Game as Jason O'Rourke
- Future · Forget to Remember as
- 2021 · Not to Forget as Pastor John
- 2021 · I Forgive as God (voice)
- 2020 · Miracle in East Texas as Irving Tanner Jr.
- 2019 · Watchmen as Old Man / Will Reeves
- 2019 · The Gang Activists as Self
- 2017 · The Good Fight as Carl Reddick
- 2017 · Double Play as Coco
- 2017 · King of the Dancehall as The Bishop
- 2016 · Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise as Self
- 2016 · A.C. Green: Iron Virgin as Himself
- 2015 · The Spoils Before Dying as Duke Webster
- 2015 · The Book of Negroes as Daddy Moses
- 2014 · Madam Secretary as Father Laurent Vasseur
- 2014 · Extant as Quinn
- 2014 · And the Oscar Goes To... as Self (archive footage)
- 2013 · Miracle at Gate 213 as Roy Peddington
- 2012 · Smitty as Mr. Smith
- 2012 · The Undershepherd as Bishop Redford
- 2011 · Dog Jack as Grown up Jed
- 2011 · The Grace Card as George Wright
- 2010 · Hawaii Five-0 as Lou's father
- 2010 · Why Did I Get Married Too? as Porter
- 2009 · The Perfect Game as Cool Papa Bell
- 2009 · Celebrity Ghost Stories as Self
- 2009 · The Least Among You as Samuel Benton
- 2008 · Delgo as King Zahn (voice)
- 2008 · A Love Story of Today as Self
- 2008 · A Special Kind of Love as Self
- 2008 · Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth as Self
- 2008 · The Black List: Volume One as Self
- 2007 · Daddy's Little Girls as Willie
- 2006 · Club Soda as Doc
- 2006 · Psych as Lloyd Marr
- 2005 · Lackawanna Blues as Ol'lem Taylor
- 2005 · Black in the 80s as
- 2004 · The Batman as Lucius Fox (voice)
- 2004 · The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made as Rev. Elija Bliss (archive footage)
- 2002 · Half & Half as Ray Willis
- 2002 · The Dead Zone as Pastor David Lewis
- 2001 · For Love of Olivia as Daniel Stewart
- 2001 · Dr. Lucille as
- 1999 · Strange Justice as Vernon Jordan
- 1999 · Love Songs as Reuben
- 1999 · Family Guy as Drill Sargent (voice)
- 1998 · Hercules as Chiron (voice)
- 1998 · Legend of the Mummy as Corbeck
- 1998 · Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood as Self
- 1997 · Stargate SG-1 as Gerak
- 1997 · In His Father's Shoes as Frank Crosby / Richard
- 1996 · Early Edition as Jim Matthews
- 1996 · Promised Land as Anderson Walker
- 1996 · Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story as Bob Kersee
- 1996 · Captive Heart: The James Mink Story as James Mink
- 1996 · Managua as Paul
- 1995 · Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder as Ray Alexander
- 1995 · A Father for Charlie as Walter Osgood
- 1995 · Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing as Narrator
- 1994 · Touched by an Angel as Anderson Walker
- 1994 · ER as Leo Malcolm
- 1994 · Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice as Ray Alexander
- 1994 · Ellen as Sgt. Timko
- 1994 · Blue Chips as Father Dawkins (uncredited)
- 1993 · Return to Lonesome Dove as Isom Pickett
- 1993 · Father & Son: Dangerous Relations as
- 1992 · Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II as Reader
- 1992 · Diggstown as "Honey" Roy Palmer
- 1992 · Iron Eagle III as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
- 1991 · Keeper of the City as Det. James Dela
- 1991 · Toy Soldiers as Dean Parker
- 1991 · Cover-Up as Lou Jackson
- 1990 · Captain Planet and the Planeteers as Commander Clash (voice)
- 1990 · Sudie and Simpson as Simpson
- 1990 · El Diablo as Van Leek
- 1989 · The Punisher as Jake Berkowitz
- 1989 · Gideon Oliver as
- 1988 · Iron Eagle II as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
- 1988 · American Experience as Self - Narrator
- 1988 · Sam Found Out: A Triple Play as Sam
- 1987 · The Father Clements Story as
- 1987 · The Principal as Jake Phillips
- 1987 · A Gathering of Old Men as Mathu
- 1986 · Firewalker as Leo Porter
- 1986 · Iron Eagle as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
- 1985 · Enemy Mine as Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
- 1984 · The Guardian as John Mack
- 1983 · Sadat as Anwar al-Sadat
- 1983 · Jaws 3-D as Calvin Bouchard
- 1983 · The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die as narrator
- 1982 · The Powers of Matthew Star as Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
- 1982 · An Officer and a Gentleman as Sergeant Emil Foley
- 1982 · Benny's Place as Benny Moore
- 1982 · I Love Liberty as Self
- 1981 · Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige as Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
- 1980 · It Rained All Night the Day I Left as Leo Garcia
- 1980 · Palmerstown, U.S.A. as
- 1979 · The Lazarus Syndrome as MacArthur St. Clair
- 1979 · Lawman Without a Gun as Tom Hayward
- 1979 · Backstairs at the White House as Levi Mercer, Houseman
- 1978 · The Critical List as Lem Harper
- 1977 · Freeman as Rex
- 1977 · The Choirboys as Calvin Motts
- 1977 · The Deep as Henri Cloche
- 1977 · Please Turn the Page as Self
- 1977 · Roots as Fiddler
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Delancey Street: The Crisis Within as Otis James
- 1975 · The Jeffersons as
- 1975 · Black Bart as Black Bart
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
- 1974 · Harry O as Cleon Jackson
- 1974 · Petrocelli as District Attorney Kurt Olson
- 1974 · Petrocelli as Kurt Olson, DA
- 1974 · Little House on the Prairie as
- 1974 · The White Dawn as Portagee
- 1974 · Good Times as
- 1974 · The Six Million Dollar Man as O'Flaherty
- 1973 · The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- 1973 · Police Story as
- 1972 · The Rookies as
- 1971 · Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law as Lt. Carl Fellows
- 1971 · Alias Smith and Jones as
- 1970 · The Partridge Family as Sam Simon
- 1970 · The Young Rebels as
- 1970 · The Landlord as Copee Johnson
- 1970 · McCloud as
- 1969 · Love, American Style as Freddy
- 1969 · The Bold Ones: The New Doctors as Dr. Karnes
- 1969 · The Bill Cosby Show as Hurricane Smith
- 1969 · The Bushbaby as Tembo
- 1968 · Companions in Nightmare as Lt. Adam McKay
- 1968 · The Mod Squad as Smitty
- 1968 · The Mod Squad as Charley Jameson
- 1968 · The Mod Squad as Lloyd
- 1967 · Cowboy in Africa as Joseph Hemera
- 1967 · Cowboy in Africa as Fulah
- 1967 · The Invaders as Ollie
- 1966 · Daktari as Mkono
- 1962 · The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1961 · The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- 1961 · A Raisin in the Sun as George Murchison
- 1960 · The New Girl as Mary's Brother
- 1959 · Bonanza as Buck Walter
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Audience Member
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Host
- 1944 · Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee / Presenter
- Future · Straight Up as Cosmo
- Future · Everbrook (The Home) as
- Future · Gridiron Gang as Host
- Future · Crimes of Violence as Self - Host