Louis Gossett Jr.
Department: 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.
Known For
Iron Eagle III
1992
Freeman
1977
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
The Principal
1987
An Officer and a Gentleman
1982
Toy Soldiers
1991
Momentum
2003
The Deep
1977
Iron Eagle
1986
Delgo
2008
Finders Keepers
1984
Skin Game
1971
Travels with My Aunt
1972
The White Dawn
1974
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
2000
Iron Eagle II
1988
Enemy Mine
1985
The Punisher
1989
Firewalker
1986
The New Girl
1960
Solar Attack
2006
Iron Eagle on the Attack
1995
Why Did I Get Married Too?
2010
I Love Liberty
1982
The Laughing Policeman
1973
A Raisin in the Sun
1961
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2009
J.D.'s Revenge
1976
Daddy's Little Girls
2007
Left Behind: World at War
2005
The Landlord
1970
Y2K
1999
Club Soda
2006
Jaws 3-D
1983
The Least Among You
2009
Miracle in East Texas
2020
The Choirboys
1977
All In
2006
Diggstown
1992
Dog Jack
2011
El Diablo
1990
Cover
2007
Three Months
2022
Managua
1996
The Perfect Game
2009
The River Niger
1976
A Gathering of Old Men
1987
Smitty
2012
Cover-Up
1991
The Josephine Baker Story
1991
Roots: The Gift
1988
Gridiron Gang
—
Deceived
2002
Monolith
1993
The Color Purple
2023
The Lazarus Syndrome
1979
Little Ladies of the Night
1977
Carolina Skeletons
1991
Black Bart
1975
It's Good to Be Alive
1974
Sudie and Simpson
1990
Lackawanna Blues
2005
In His Father's Shoes
1997
Legend of the Mummy
1998
Flashfire
1994
The Bushbaby
1969
IF
2024
Curse of the Starving Class
1994
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
1996
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
1993
A Father for Charlie
1995
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
2000
Sidekicks
1974
The Guardian
1984
I Forgive
2021
The Father Clements Story
1987
The Inspectors
1998
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
The Dependables
2014
Sidney
2022
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play
1988
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within
1975
Blue Chips
1994
Inside
1996
For Love of Olivia
2001
Miracle at Gate 213
2013
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
1980
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth
2008
A Good Man in Africa
1994
Outlaw Johnny Black
2023
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July
1988
Boiling Pot
2015
Companions in Nightmare
1968
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
1996
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
1992
A Fighting Man
2014
To Dance with Olivia
1997
Straight Up
—
Double Play
2017
The Highwayman
2000
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
1995
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
2016
Lawman Without a Gun
1979
Undercover Grandpa
2017
Breaking Brooklyn
2018
Zora is My Name!
1990
King of the Dancehall
2017
Hal
2019
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
2017
The Black List: Volume One
2008
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
1994
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
1995
Keeper of the City
1991
Strange Justice
1999
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away
2002
Supervized
2019
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
2016
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
1981
The Gang Activists
2019
Zooman
1995
The Cuban
2020
Jasper, Texas
2003
Love Songs
1999
Benny's Place
1982
The Grace Card
2011
Foster Boy
2019
The Reason
2020
A Love Story of Today
2008
A Special Kind of Love
2008
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
1983
Stories USA
2007
Crimes of Violence
—
Forget to Remember
—
Not to Forget
2021
To Kill a Cop
1978
The Undershepherd
2012
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
1998
Amazing Racer
2009
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
Dr. Lucille
2001
The Wall That Heals
1998
Sin
2025
Unplugged
—
Breaking at the Edge
2013
The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots
1978
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1990
Good Times
1974
The Rookies
1972
Half & Half
2002
Family Guy
1999
The Dead Zone
2002
Little House on the Prairie
1974
The Batman
2004
Early Edition
1996
The Jeffersons
1975
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
The Bill Cosby Show
1969
Stargate SG-1
1997
Return to Lonesome Dove
1993
Backstairs at the White House
1979
ER
1994
Gideon Oliver
1989
Police Story
1973
McCloud
1970
The Young Rebels
1970
The Powers of Matthew Star
1982
Roots
1977
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
1980
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
The Oscars
1953
The Lazarus Syndrome
1979
Black in the 80s
2005
Saturday Night Live
1975
Psych
2006
Extant
2014
Hawaii Five-0
2010
The Book of Negroes
2015
The Spoils Before Dying
2015
The Good Fight
2017
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
Sadat
1983
Bonanza
1959
Promised Land
1996
The Rockford Files
1974
The Rockford Files
1974
Celebrity Ghost Stories
2009
Hercules
1998
American Experience
1988
Petrocelli
1974
The Partridge Family
1970
Love, American Style
1969
Petrocelli
1974
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1971
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
Cowboy in Africa
1967
Cowboy in Africa
1967
The Mod Squad
1968
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
The Mod Squad
1968
Daktari
1966
The Mod Squad
1968
The Invaders
1967
The Critical List
1978
Please Turn the Page
1977
Ellen
1994
Touched by an Angel
1994
Watchmen
2019
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Harry O
1974
Madam Secretary
2014
Picket Fences
1992