Louis Gossett Jr dead at 87: First black man to win supporting actor Oscar for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman passes away in Santa Monica [Video]

09:16 EDT 29 Mar 2024 , updated 11:18 EDT 29 Mar 2024

Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr., known for his turns in An Officer And A Gentleman and Jaws III, has died at the age of 87.

His daughter confirmed his passing on Thursday night in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death was given, however, he had previously announced in 2010 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

Known for his decades-long career with further appearances in The Color Purple and Roots, Gossett revealed this past year that he gave up a potential professional basketball career with the New York Knicks when he decided to head to Hollywood.   

He earned his first acting credit in his Brooklyn high school’s production of You Can’t Take It with You while he was sidelined from the basketball team with an injury.

‘I was hooked — and so was my audience,’ he wrote in his 2010 memoir An Actor And A Gentleman.