Louis Gossett Jr.

Louis Gossett Jr.

Birthdate
May 27, 1936 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Date of Death
March 29, 2024
Known For
Acting

Details

Birthdate
May 27, 1936 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Date of Death
March 29, 2024
Known For
Acting

Biography

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.

Louis Gossett Jr.'s LGBTQ+ Titles

Three Months
Three Months
Benny

Acting (212)

Straight Up as Cosmo
Everbrook (The Home)
Crimes of Violence as Self - Host
Forget to Remember
Gridiron Gang as Host
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
2021
Not to Forget as Pastor John
2021
I Forgive as God (voice)
2020
The Reason as Pastor Jim
2020
The Cuban as Luis Garcia
2020
Miracle in East Texas as Irving Tanner Jr.
2019
Watchmen as Old Man / Will Reeves (7 episodes)
2019
Foster Boy as Judge George Taylor
2019
Supervized as Pendle
2019
The Gang Activists as Self
2019
Hal as Self
2018
Breaking Brooklyn as Miles Bryant
2017
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart as Self
2017
Undercover Grandpa as Mother
2017
The Good Fight as Carl Reddick (1 episode)
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
Boiling Pot as Detective Haven
2015
The Spoils Before Dying as Duke Webster (6 episodes)
2015
The Book of Negroes as Daddy Moses (6 episodes)
2014
Madam Secretary as Father Laurent Vasseur (1 episode)
2014
Extant as Quinn (4 episodes)
2014
The Dependables as Lou Jones
2014
A Fighting Man as Cubby
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 (1 episode)
2010
Why Did I Get Married Too? as Porter
2009
The Perfect Game as Cool Papa Bell
2009
Celebrity Ghost Stories as Self (1 episode)
2009
The Least Among You as Samuel Benton
2009
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy as Self
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 Himself
2007
Stories USA as Doc (segment "Club Soda")
2007
Cover as Detective Hicks
2007
Daddy's Little Girls as Willie
2007
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
2006
Club Soda as Doc
2006
Psych as Lloyd Marr (1 episode)
2006
Solar Attack as President Ryan Gordon
2006
All In as Caps
2005
Left Behind: World at War as President Geral Fitzhugh
2005
Lackawanna Blues as Ol'lem Taylor
2005
Black in the 80s (3 episodes)
2004
The Batman as Lucius Fox (voice) (3 episodes)
2004
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made as Rev. Elija Bliss (archive footage)
2003
Jasper, Texas as R.C. Horn
2003
Momentum as Raymond Addison
2002
Half & Half as Ray Willis (2 episodes)
2002
The Dead Zone (1 episode)
2002
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away as Dr. Barnes
2002
Deceived as Col. David Garrett
2001
For Love of Olivia as Daniel Stewart
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
Strange Justice as Vernon Jordan
1999
Y2K as Morgan
1999
Love Songs as Reuben
1999
Family Guy as Drill Sargent (voice) (1 episode)
1998
The Inspectors as Inspector Frank Hughes
1998
Hercules as Chiron (voice) (1 episode)
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 (5 episodes)
1997
In His Father's Shoes as Frank Crosby / Richard
1997
To Dance with Olivia as Daniel Stewart
1996
Early Edition (1 episode)
1996
Promised Land as Anderson Walker (1 episode)
1996
Inside as Questioner
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
Iron Eagle on the Attack as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1995
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
1995
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder as Ray Alexander
1995
Zooman as Rueben Tate
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 (1 episode)
1994
ER as Leo Malcolm (1 episode)
1994
Flashfire as Ben Durand
1994
Curse of the Starving Class as Ellis
1994
A Good Man in Africa as Prof. Sam Adekunle
1994
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice as Ray Alexander
1994
Ellen as Sgt. Timko (1 episode)
1994
Blue Chips as Father Dawkins (uncredited)
1993
Return to Lonesome Dove as Isom Pickett (4 episodes)
1993
Monolith as Capt. MacCandless
1993
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
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
Carolina Skeletons as James Bragg
1991
Toy Soldiers as Dean Parker
1991
The Josephine Baker Story as Sidney Williams
1991
Cover-Up as Lou Jackson
1990
Captain Planet and the Planeteers as Commander Clash (voice) (2 episodes)
1990
Sudie and Simpson as Simpson
1990
El Diablo as Van Leek
1990
Zora is My Name!
1989
The Punisher as Jake Berkowitz
1989
Gideon Oliver (5 episodes)
1988
Roots: The Gift as Fiddler
1988
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July as Big John Creed
1988
Iron Eagle II as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1988
American Experience as Self - Narrator (1 episode)
1988
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play as Sam
1987
The Father Clements Story
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
1984
Finders Keepers as Century
1983
Sadat as Anwar al-Sadat (2 episodes)
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) (22 episodes)
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. (1 episode)
1979
The Lazarus Syndrome as MacArthur St. Clair (10 episodes)
1979
Lawman Without a Gun as Tom Hayward
1979
Backstairs at the White House as Levi Mercer, Houseman (4 episodes)
1978
The Critical List as Lem Harper (2 episodes)
1978
To Kill a Cop as Everett Walker
1978
The Lazarus Syndrome as Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
1977
Freeman as Rex
1977
The Choirboys as Calvin Motts
1977
The Deep as Henri Cloche
1977
Bitte umblättern as Self (1 episode)
1977
Roots as Fiddler (3 episodes)
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
1975
Saturday Night Live as Self - Host (1 episode)
1975
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within as Otis James
1975
The Jeffersons (1 episode)
1975
Black Bart as Black Bart
1974
The Rockford Files as Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes (1 episode)
1974
The Rockford Files as Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien (1 episode)
1974
Harry O (1 episode)
1974
Little House on the Prairie (1 episode)
1974
Petrocelli as District Attorney Kurt Olson (1 episode)
1974
Petrocelli as Kurt Olson, DA (1 episode)
1974
The White Dawn as Portagee
1974
Sidekicks as Jason O'Rourke
1974
It's Good to Be Alive as Sam Brockington
1974
Good Times (2 episodes)
1974
The Six Million Dollar Man as O'Flaherty (1 episode)
1973
The Laughing Policeman as Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self (1 episode)
1973
Police Story (2 episodes)
1972
Travels with My Aunt as Wordsworth
1972
The Rookies (1 episode)
1971
Skin Game as Jason O'Rourke
1971
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law as Lt. Carl Fellows (1 episode)
1971
Alias Smith and Jones (1 episode)
1970
The Partridge Family as Sam Simon (1 episode)
1970
The Young Rebels (15 episodes)
1970
The Landlord as Copee Johnson
1970
McCloud (1 episode)
1969
Love, American Style as Freddy (1 episode)
1969
The Bill Cosby Show as Hurricane Smith (1 episode)
1969
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors as Dr. Karnes (1 episode)
1969
The Bushbaby as Tembo
1968
Companions in Nightmare as Lt. Adam McKay
1968
The Mod Squad as Charley Jameson (1 episode)
1968
The Mod Squad as Lloyd (1 episode)
1968
The Mod Squad as Smitty (1 episode)
1967
Cowboy in Africa as Fulah (1 episode)
1967
Cowboy in Africa as Joseph Hemera (1 episode)
1967
The Invaders as Ollie (1 episode)
1966
Daktari as Mkono (1 episode)
1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self (2 episodes)
1962
The Merv Griffin Show as Self (1 episode)
1961
The Mike Douglas Show as Self (1 episode)
1961
A Raisin in the Sun as George Murchison
1960
The New Girl as Mary's Brother
1959
Bonanza as Buck Walter (1 episode)
1953
The Oscars as Self (2 episodes)
1948
The Ed Sullivan Show as Self (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards as Self - Audience Member (2 episodes)
1944
Golden Globe Awards as Self - Host (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee / Presenter (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter (2 episodes)
1944
Golden Globe Awards as Self - Winner (1 episode)

Directing (2)

1999
Love Songs • Director
• Director
1982
The Powers of Matthew Star • Director (1 episode)
• Director (1 episode)

Production (6)

2001
For Love of Olivia • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
2000
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
1997
In His Father's Shoes • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
1997
To Dance with Olivia • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
1996
Inside • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer
1995
A Father for Charlie • Executive Producer
• Executive Producer

Crew (1)

2024
IF • In Memory Of
• In Memory Of