Louis Gossett Jr.

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Birthday:

27 May 1936, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name:

Louis Cameron Gossett Jr.

Height:

189 cm

Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was born on May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York City. He made his professional acting debut at age 17, winning the Donaldson Award as best newcomer to theatre. He went to New York University on a basketball scholarship and was invited to try out for the New York Knicks, yet he decided to continue his acting career with a role in the Broadway production of "A Raisin in the Sun". Gossett stepped into the world in cinema in the Sidney Poitier version of A Raisin in the Sun (1961). His role as the tough drill sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) showcased his talent and won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the first African-American male to win an Academy Award in a supporting role, the second to win for acting, and the third to win overall. He also starred as United States Air Force pilot Colonel Charles "Chappy" Sinclair in the action film Iron Eagle (1986) and its sequels. Show less «

If a role isn't different, it's not worth doing.

When I'm offered a role, I look at what I think I can do with it. I look to see if I can project myself into it.

I can do more than anyone suspects. I pride myself on my versatility. It took 32 years of difficult parts, second leads, villains and juveni...Show more »

I can do more than anyone suspects. I pride myself on my versatility. It took 32 years of difficult parts, second leads, villains and juveniles. The Oscar changed the quality of the roles I was being offered. Show less «

The Lord may not come when you want Him, but he's always going to be there on time.

[2010, on filming Enemy Mine (1985)] That was a challenge. I prefer a challenge, because when you've done that, you've done something. That ...Show more »

[2010, on filming Enemy Mine (1985)] That was a challenge. I prefer a challenge, because when you've done that, you've done something. That was something where nobody could see my face or my eyes; I was giving somebody a performance through that makeup. That was six months in Germany. A lot of pain in the eyes and stuff. Show less «

[2010, on An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)] When I went in for that part, I don't know what my agent said, but when I knocked on the door, ...Show more »

[2010, on An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)] When I went in for that part, I don't know what my agent said, but when I knocked on the door, he looked at me and said, "You've got the part". I didn't have to do anything. It was a case of "be careful what you ask for", because now that I've got the part, I've really got to deliver the goods. I took 30 days and went down to San Diego, where I studied drill instructors and studied with them for 28 of those days. Then I came to the set with one of them, and when I showed up, I said I was the DI. I had to move away from them, because they didn't take me seriously. So I didn't hang out with anybody. I just moved away...It took a bit of a toll. But I was getting ready to do anything in order to do that performance. It was my shot, and I was doing as much as I could to do a good performance. Show less «

[2010, on winning the Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)] It did create a lot of opportunities, but I thought there would be more. ...Show more »

[2010, on winning the Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)] It did create a lot of opportunities, but I thought there would be more. I thought it would be a windfall. But it wasn't. It was what it was. It only affected me for a little while, and then it stopped affecting me. I just come out the other end. Show less «

[2010, on The Landlord (1970)] Hal Ashby was a great man. A great man. I had some great experiences with Hal and Diana Sands and Beau Bridge...Show more »

[2010, on The Landlord (1970)] Hal Ashby was a great man. A great man. I had some great experiences with Hal and Diana Sands and Beau Bridges and Pearl Bailey and Lee Grant. We had a very good time. For a lot of us, it was our first major motion picture, and we had a ball. An absolute ball. My favorite scene is when "Copee" goes crazy. It's a magic scene there. I was very satisfied with that performance. That entire movie. Show less «

[2010, on coming close to being killed by the Manson Family] When I was living in Laurel Canyon, we were there to welcome The Rolling Stones...Show more »

[2010, on coming close to being killed by the Manson Family] When I was living in Laurel Canyon, we were there to welcome The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles were in town, and they were staying at the Chateau Marmont Hotel. We had taken pictures and were talking and stuff. Roman Polanski was there, and his wife, she was pregnant. It was a nice bunch of people. The Mamas and the Papas were there, the people I hung out with most of the time. So they said, "Everybody's going to have late coffee and breakfast at Roman Polanski's house". Right around the corner is where my house is, so I'm going to go to the house, take a shower, and put on some fresh clothes. I take a shower, put on some fresh clothes, and turn on the TV, and there the news is. So I dodged a bullet. Show less «

[1983 interview] What happens in real life should be represented on the screen, but it isn't. Just glance inside a restaurant, or look out o...Show more »

[1983 interview] What happens in real life should be represented on the screen, but it isn't. Just glance inside a restaurant, or look out onto the streets. You will see more black people there than you do on the screen. In that sense the movies are letting us down. Show less «

[on his receiving an Academy Award] The only Oscar I ever knew was a cousin.

[on about his absence from 1970s blaxploitation films] Sometimes it was by choice, sometimes by coincidence. I did have other jobs during th...Show more »

[on about his absence from 1970s blaxploitation films] Sometimes it was by choice, sometimes by coincidence. I did have other jobs during that entire era. Show less «

[on his 9 year-old son Satie in 1983] As much energy and love I put into my acting, I put into him. I have to be careful he's not my shadow,...Show more »

[on his 9 year-old son Satie in 1983] As much energy and love I put into my acting, I put into him. I have to be careful he's not my shadow, that he can create his own personality and be what he wants. That means walking a tightrope as a parent. Show less «

[in 1983] Here I am, a black actor getting attention, and suddenly I'm asked to do "Othello." I'll do "Richard III, I'll do "Macbeth," but I...Show more »

[in 1983] Here I am, a black actor getting attention, and suddenly I'm asked to do "Othello." I'll do "Richard III, I'll do "Macbeth," but I don't have any interest in doing "Othello." James Earl Jones is good enough for me. Show less «

I'm the first generation born in the north after the migration from the south to the north, so I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood. My ...Show more »

I'm the first generation born in the north after the migration from the south to the north, so I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood. My parents knew all about lynchings and all that kind of stuff, but I didn't know anything about it. They kept an eye on me , they worried about me and slowly and surely I survived and was able to get them to this wonderful mentality of things going very well. Show less «

[on preparing to portray the historical life of black people] You have to make an adjustment. I remember my elders and how we handled the ha...Show more »

[on preparing to portray the historical life of black people] You have to make an adjustment. I remember my elders and how we handled the hard times, and there's a lot of feeling that comes out of it, a lot of music that comes out of it. We got from one day to the next with a sense of humanity, joie de vivre - whatever it takes to get from night to the next day. You have to learn how to withstand it and get through it, break through it like water off a duck's back. Show less «