Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win an Oscar for best supporting actor, has died at 87.
Gossett's nephew told The Associated Press that the Emmy Award-winning actor died Thursday in Santa Monica, California. In 1982, Gossett Jr. starred as Marine Gunnery Sgt. Emil Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman," for which he scored an Academy Award for best supporting actor and became the first Black man to win in the category.
The Brooklyn-born actor, who attended New York University, became one of the most famous Black actors of his time with decades of commercial and critical acclaim. In addition to his groundbreaking Oscar, the pioneering talent won an Emmy for his role in the TV miniseries "Roots" based on Alex Haley's book of the same name.