LOUIS GOSSETT JR. BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
 
Louis Gossett Jr. was born on May 27th, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York with the birth name Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. to parents, Hellen Rebecca and Louis Gossett Sr.  When he was in high school he first became involved in acting when he was cast in a school production of, "You Can't Take It with You".  After earning his high school diploma from Abraham Lincoln High in 1954, Gossett went on to enroll at New York University.  He was actually offered an athletic scholarship to play basketball, but instead chose to direct his focus towards theater.
 
Before attending college, a high school teacher had suggested he try out for a Broadway role, which he ended up being cast in 1953 in, "Take a Giant Step" and from this point on, he chose to pursue stage work, even winning the Donaldson Award as best newcomer to theatre.
 
In 1961 he had his debut film role in, "A Raisin in the Sun", followed by a number of other film and television roles such as, "Companions in Nightmare" (1968) and a guest appearance on, "The Bill Cosby Show" (1970).  Then in 1982 he played, U.S. Navy Gunnery Sergeant Drill Instructor Emil Foley in the film, "An Office and a Gentleman" which won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 
 
Throughout his career other feature film appearances included roles on, "Iron Eagle" (1986), "A Gathering of Old Men" (1987), "Solar Attack" (2006), "Robison" (2011) and his final appearance to date in, "The List" (2011).
 
Gossett also continued to work as a stage actor and appeared on Broadway in, "Golden Boy" (1964) and "Chicago" (2002).  He also added a number of television credits to his resume such as playing the character, Fiddler in "Roots" that made him an Emmy winning star and "The Powers of Matthew Star".
 
He also has a number of voice over projects on his resume such as the video game, Half-Life 2 and the voice of Lucius Fox in, "The Batman" animated series.  
 
Gossett Jr. married three times throughout his lifetime.  His first wife was Hattie Glascoe in 1964 but this marriage was annulled.  He then married Christina Mangosing from 1973 to 1975 and together they had one child.  His final marriage was to Cyndi James Gossett in 1987 and they adopted one son. This marriage was also short lived ending in 1992. 
 
In 2010 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, however he did not let that stop him from doing what he loved best.  Louis also started a foundation called Eracism that is dedicated to getting rid of racism.  He is also a big supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.  

Filmography

2011 The List 
2011 Redemption 
2011 A Fonder Heart 
2011 The Home
2011 Sweetwater 
2011 Robeson 
2011 The Lamp
2010 The Grace Card
2010 Dog Jack
2010 Why Did I Get Married Too?
2010 Smitty
2009 The Perfect Game
2009 ER 
2009 The Least Among You
2009 Shannon's Rainbow
2008 Delgo 
2007 Stories USA
2007 Cover 
2007 The Batman 
2007 Daddy's Little Girls 
2006 Family Guy 
2006 Club Soda 
2006 Half-Life 2: Episode One
2006 Solar Attack 
2006 All In 
2005-2006 Stargate SG-1
2005 Left Behind: World at War 
2005 Window
2005 Lackawanna Blues 
2004 Half & Half 
2004 Half-Life 2 
2003 Momentum 
2003 Jasper, Texas
2003 Stephen King's Dead Zone
2002 Resurrection Blvd. 
2002 What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway
2002 Deceived 
2001 For Love of Olivia
2001 Dr. Lucille
2000 The Highwayman
2000 The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
2000 The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
1999 Strange Justice
1999 Y2K
1999 Love Songs
1998 The Inspectors
1998 Legend of the Mummy
1997 Ellen 
1997 Early Edition 
1997 In His Father's Shoes
1997 To Dance with Olivia 
1997 Touched by an Angel 
1996 Inside
1996 Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story 
1996 Captive Heart: The James Mink Story 
1996 Managua
1996 The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century 
1995 Iron Eagle IV 
1995 Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder 
1995 Zooman 
1995 A Father for Charlie 
1994 Curse of the Starving Class 
1994 A Good Man in Africa
1994 Flashfire
1994 Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice
1994 Picket Fences
1994 Blue Chips
1993 Return to Lonesome Dove 
1993 Loft 
1993 Monolith 
1993 Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
1992 Diggstown
1991-1992 Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1992 Aces: Iron Eagle III
1991 Keeper of the City 
1991 Carolina Skeletons 
1991 Toy Soldiers
1991 The Josephine Baker Story 
1991 Cover Up 
1990 Sudie and Simpson 
1990 El Diablo
1990 American Playhouse
1989 The Punisher 
1989 Gideon Oliver
1989 The Last Plane from Coramaya 
1988 Roots: The Gift
1988 Goodbye, Miss 4th of July 
1988 Iron Eagle II
1988 Sam Found Out: A Triple Play 
1988 Straight Up  
1987 The Father Clements Story 
1987 The Principal
1987 A Gathering of Old Men 
1986 Firewalker 
1986 Iron Eagle
1985 Enemy Mine 
1984 The Guardian
1984 Finders Keepers 
1983 Sadat 
1983 Jaws 3 
1982-1983 The Powers of Matthew Star 
1982 Saturday Night Live
1982 An Officer and a Gentleman
1982 Benny's Place 
1981 Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
1981 Palmerstown, U.S.A.
1980 It Rained All Night the Day I Left 
1979 The Lazarus Syndrome 
1979 Lawman Without a Gun
1979 Backstairs at the White House 
1978 The Critical List 
1978 To Kill a Cop
1978 The Lazarus Syndrome
1977 The Choirboys
1977 Visions
1977 Freeman
1977 The Deep
1976-1977 The Rockford Files
1977 Little Ladies of the Night 
1977 Roots 
1976 J.D.'s Revenge 
1976 The River Niger 
1976 Little House on the Prairie 
1975-1976 Police Story
1975 The Six Million Dollar Man
1975 The Jeffersons 
1974-1975 Good Times 
1975 Harry O 
1975 Caribe 
1975 Insight 
1975 Delancey Street: The Crisis Within 
1975 Black Bart 
1974-1975 Petrocelli 
1975 Lucas Tanner
1974 McCloud
1974 The White Dawn 
1974 Sidekicks
1974 It's Good to Be Alive 
1973 The Laughing Policeman 
1973 The Fuzz Brothers 
1973 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1972 Travels with My Aunt 
1972 Love, American Style
1968-1972 Mod Squad 
1972 The Rookies 
1972 The Living End 
1971 Cade's County
1971 Alias Smith and Jones
1971 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors 
1971 Skin Game
1971 Longstreet
1971 Bonanza
1971 The Partridge Family
1970-1971 The Young Rebels
1971 Big Fish, Little Fish
1970 The Landlord
1970 Leo the Last
1970 The Bill Cosby Show
1969 The Bushbaby
1968 Companions in Nightmare
1968 Daktari
1968 The Invaders
1967-1968 Cowboy in Africa 
1962 The Doctors and the Nurses 
1961 A Raisin in the Sun 
1958 The Big Story