Louis Gossett Jr., trailblazing Black actor who won Oscar, Emmy awards, dead at 87

Louis Gossett Jr., who became the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, for An Officer and a Gentleman, five years after earning an Emmy for his role in the seminal TV miniseries Roots, has died. He was 87.

Louis Gossett Jr., trailblazing Black actor who won Oscar, Emmy awards, dead at 87
A cleanhaven dark-complected man is shown in a closeup photo.

Louis Gossett Jr., who became the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, for An Officer and a Gentleman, five years after earning an Emmy for his role in the seminal TV miniseries Roots, has died. He was 87.