Richard Roundtree, iconic Shaft actor, dead at 81

Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several Shaft films beginning in the early 1970s, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81.

Richard Roundtree, iconic Shaft actor, dead at 81
A dark-complected man with a white beard wearing a hat stands and holds his hands apart in a red carpet photo at an event.

Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several Shaft films beginning in the early 1970s, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 81.