Louis Gossett Jr., 'Officer and a Gentleman' Star, Dead at 87

Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a Supporting Actor Oscar, has died.

The actor's nephew said Gossett passed away Thursday night in Santa Monica. No cause of death has been revealed.

Gossett had a celebrated career, most noticeably earning his groundbreaking Academy Award for 1982's "An Officer and a Gentleman" ... which he said was a huge affirmation of his position as a Black actor in his 2010 memoir, "An Actor and a Gentleman."

The trophy had been a long time coming. The NYC-born actor had been working hard in the movie biz, receiving critical acclaim for his 1964 role in Broadway's "A Raisin in the Sun" and cementing his stage presence by replacing Billy Daniels in "Golden Boy."

His Hollywood break came when he bagged an Emmy for his role in the 1977 TV series, "Roots."

Louis also won a Golden Globe for the 1991 TV movie, "The Josephine Baker Story."

He's also starred in the movie, "Enemy Mine," the TV series "Sadat" and is also known for his role as Colonel Charles "Chappy" Sinclair in the "Iron Eagle" film series.

His last credit came in the role of Ol' Mister in the 2023 remake of "The Color Purple."

Gossett revealed in 2010 he had prostate cancer, which was caught in the early stages.

He was married 3 times and is survived by sons Satie -- from his second marriage -- and Sharron, a chef he adopted after seeing him as a young child on TV during a segment on kids in desperate situations.

He was 87.