Louis Gossett Jr.

Born: 1936-05-27 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Died: 2024-03-29

Known For: Acting

Biography

Louis Gossett Jr. (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 won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards in an acting career that spanned over five decades.

Filmography

2025

Sin as Elijah

2024

IF as Lewis (voice)

2023

The Color Purple as Ol' Mister
Outlaw Johnny Black as Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)

2022

Sidney as Self
Three Months as Benny
African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey as Self

2021

I Forgive as God (voice)
Not to Forget as Pastor John

2020

Miracle in East Texas as Irving Tanner Jr.
The Cuban as Luis Garcia
The Reason as Pastor Jim

2019

Watchmen as Old Man / Will Reeves
Foster Boy as Judge George Taylor
Supervized as Pendle
Hal as Self
The Gang Activists as Self

2018

Breaking Brooklyn as Miles Bryant

2017

The Good Fight as Carl Reddick
Undercover Grandpa as Mother
King of the Dancehall as The Bishop
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart as Self
Double Play as Coco

2016

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise as Self
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin as Himself

2015

The Spoils Before Dying as Duke Webster
The Book of Negroes as Daddy Moses
Boiling Pot as Detective Haven

2014

Madam Secretary as Laurent Vasseur
Extant as Quinn
A Fighting Man as Cubby
The Dependables as Lou Jones

2013

Breaking at the Edge as Floyd
Miracle at Gate 213 as Roy Peddington

2012

The Undershepherd as Bishop Redford
Smitty as Mr. Smith

2011

Dog Jack as Grown up Jed
The Grace Card as George Wright

2007

Daddy's Little Girls as Willie
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
Stories USA as Doc (segment "Club Soda")
Cover as Detective Hicks

2006

Psych as Lloyd Marr
Solar Attack as President Ryan Gordon
Club Soda as Doc
All In as Caps

2005

Black in the 80s as Self
Left Behind: World at War as President Geral Fitzhugh
Lackawanna Blues as Ol'lem Taylor

2004

The Batman as Lucius Fox (voice)

2003

Momentum as Raymond Addison
Jasper, Texas as R.C. Horn

2002

The Dead Zone as Pastor David Lewis
Half & Half as Ray Willis
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away as Dr. Barnes
Deceived as Col. David Garrett

2001

For Love of Olivia as Daniel Stewart
Dr. Lucille

2000

The Color of Love: Jacey's Story as Lou Hastings
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence as Frank
The Highwayman as Phil Bishop

1999

Family Guy as Drill Sargent (voice)
Y2K as Morgan
Love Songs as Reuben
Strange Justice as Vernon Jordan

1998

Hercules as Chiron (voice)
Legend of the Mummy as Corbeck
The Inspectors as Inspector Frank Hughes
The Wall That Heals as Self - Host
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood as Self

1997

Stargate SG-1 as Gerak
In His Father's Shoes as Frank Crosby / Richard
To Dance with Olivia as Daniel Stewart

1996

Early Edition as Jim Matthews
Promised Land as Anderson Walker
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story as James Mink
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story as Bob Kersee
Managua as Paul
Inside as Questioner

1995

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self
Iron Eagle on the Attack as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder as Ray Alexander
Zooman as Rueben Tate
A Father for Charlie as Walter Osgood
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing as Narrator

1994

ER as Leo Malcolm
Touched by an Angel as Anderson Walker
Ellen as Sgt. Timko
Blue Chips as Father Dawkins (uncredited)
A Good Man in Africa as Prof. Sam Adekunle
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice as Ray Alexander
Curse of the Starving Class as Ellis
Flashfire as Ben Durand

1993

Return to Lonesome Dove as Isom Pickett
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations as Leonard Clay
Monolith as Capt. MacCandless

1992

Picket Fences as Rick Jennings
Diggstown as "Honey" Roy Palmer
Iron Eagle III as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II as Reader (voice)
Gridiron Gang as Host

1991

Toy Soldiers as Dean Parker
Cover-Up as Lou Jackson
The Josephine Baker Story as Sidney Williams
Keeper of the City as Det. James Dela
Carolina Skeletons as James Bragg
A Party For Richard Pryor as Self

1990

Captain Planet and the Planeteers as Commander Clash (voice)
Zora is My Name!
El Diablo as Van Leek
Sudie and Simpson as Simpson

1989

The Punisher as Jake Berkowitz
Gideon Oliver

1988

American Experience as Narrator (voice)
Iron Eagle II as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Roots: The Gift as Fiddler
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July as Big John Creed
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play as Sam
Straight Up as Cosmo

1987

The Principal as Jake Phillips
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood as Self
A Gathering of Old Men as Mathu
The Father Clements Story

1986

Iron Eagle as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Firewalker as Leo Porter

1985

Enemy Mine as Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan

1984

Finders Keepers as Century
The Guardian as John Mack

1983

Jaws 3-D as Calvin Bouchard
Sadat as Anwar al-Sadat
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die as narrator

1982

American Playhouse
An Officer and a Gentleman as Sergeant Emil Foley
The Powers of Matthew Star as Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
I Love Liberty as Self
Benny's Place as Benny Moore

1981

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige as Leroy 'Satchel' Paige

1980

Palmerstown, U.S.A.
It Rained All Night the Day I Left as Leo Garcia

1979

Backstairs at the White House as Levi Mercer, Houseman
The Lazarus Syndrome as MacArthur St. Clair
Lawman Without a Gun as Tom Hayward
The Lazarus Syndrome as Dr. MacArthur St. Clair

1978

To Kill a Cop as Everett Walker
The Critical List as Lem Harper
To Kill a Cop as Everett Walker
The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots as Self

1977

Roots as Fiddler
Please Turn the Page as Self
The Deep as Henri Cloche
The Choirboys as Calvin Motts
Little Ladies of the Night as Russ Garfield
Freeman as Rex

1976

J.D.'s Revenge as Rev. Elija Bliss
The River Niger as Dr. Dudley Stanton

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
The Jeffersons
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within as Otis James
Black Bart as Black Bart

1974

Little House on the Prairie as Henry Hill
The Rockford Files as Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
The Six Million Dollar Man as O'Flaherty
Good Times
Harry O as Cleon Jackson
Petrocelli as Kurt Olson, DA
The White Dawn as Portagee
It's Good to Be Alive as Sam Brockington
Sidekicks as Jason O'Rourke

1973

Police Story
The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
The Laughing Policeman as Insp. James Larrimore SFPD

1972

The Rookies
Travels with My Aunt as Wordsworth

1971

Alias Smith and Jones
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law as Lt. Carl Fellows
Skin Game as Jason O'Rourke

1970

McCloud
The Partridge Family as Sam Simon
The Young Rebels
The Landlord as Copee Johnson

1969

Love, American Style as Freddy
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors as Dr. Karnes
The Bill Cosby Show as Hurricane Smith
The Bushbaby as Tembo

1968

The Mod Squad as Smitty
Companions in Nightmare as Lt. Adam McKay

1967

The Invaders as Ollie
Cowboy in Africa as Fulah

1966

Daktari as Mkono

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
The Merv Griffin Show as Self

1961

The Mike Douglas Show as Self
A Raisin in the Sun as George Murchison

1960

The New Girl as Mary's Brother

1959

Bonanza as Buck Walter

1953

The Oscars as Self

1948

The Ed Sullivan Show as Self

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee