Louis Gossett Jr. (born 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 has won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards in an acting career that spans over five decades.
Movies
Iron Eagle III
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Freeman
Rex
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Self
The Principal
Jake Phillips
An Officer and a Gentleman
Sergeant Emil Foley
Toy Soldiers
Dean Parker
Momentum
Raymond Addison
The Deep
Henri Cloche
Iron Eagle
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Finders Keepers
Century
Delgo
King Zahn (voice)
Skin Game
Jason O'Rourke
Travels with My Aunt
Wordsworth
The White Dawn
Portagee
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
Frank
Iron Eagle II
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Enemy Mine
Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
The Punisher
Jake Berkowitz
Firewalker
Leo Porter
The New Girl
Mary's Brother
Solar Attack
President Ryan Gordon
Iron Eagle on the Attack
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Porter
I Love Liberty
Self
The Laughing Policeman
Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
A Raisin in the Sun
George Murchison
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Self
J.D.'s Revenge
Rev. Elija Bliss
Daddy's Little Girls
Willie
Left Behind: World at War
President Geral Fitzhugh
The Landlord
Copee Johnson
Y2K
Morgan
Club Soda
Doc
Jaws 3-D
Calvin Bouchard
The Least Among You
Samuel Benton
Miracle in East Texas
Irving Tanner Jr.
The Choirboys
Calvin Motts
All In
Caps
Diggstown
"Honey" Roy Palmer
El Diablo
Van Leek
Dog Jack
Grown up Jed
Cover
Detective Hicks
Three Months
Benny
Managua
Paul
The Perfect Game
Cool Papa Bell
The River Niger
Dr. Dudley Stanton
A Gathering of Old Men
Mathu
Smitty
Mr. Smith
Cover-Up
Lou Jackson
The Josephine Baker Story
Sidney Williams
Roots: The Gift
Fiddler
Gridiron Gang
Host
Deceived
Col. David Garrett
Monolith
Capt. MacCandless
The Color Purple
Ol' Mister
The Lazarus Syndrome
Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
Little Ladies of the Night
Russ Garfield
Carolina Skeletons
James Bragg
Black Bart
Black Bart
It's Good to Be Alive
Sam Brockington
Sudie and Simpson
Simpson
Lackawanna Blues
Ol'lem Taylor
In His Father's Shoes
Frank Crosby / Richard
Legend of the Mummy
Corbeck
Flashfire
Ben Durand
The Bushbaby
Tembo
IF
Lewis (voice)
Curse of the Starving Class
Ellis
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
Bob Kersee
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
A Father for Charlie
Walter Osgood
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
Lou Hastings
Sidekicks
Jason O'Rourke
The Guardian
John Mack
I Forgive
God (voice)
The Father Clements Story
The Inspectors
Inspector Frank Hughes
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
The Dependables
Lou Jones
Sidney
Self
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play
Sam
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within
Otis James
Blue Chips
Father Dawkins (uncredited)
Inside
Questioner
For Love of Olivia
Daniel Stewart
Miracle at Gate 213
Roy Peddington
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
Leo Garcia
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth
Self
A Good Man in Africa
Prof. Sam Adekunle
Everbrook (The Home)
Outlaw Johnny Black
Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July
Big John Creed
Boiling Pot
Detective Haven
Companions in Nightmare
Lt. Adam McKay
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
James Mink
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
Reader
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
Rev. Elija Bliss (archive footage)
A Fighting Man
Cubby
To Dance with Olivia
Daniel Stewart
Straight Up
Cosmo
Double Play
Coco
The Highwayman
Phil Bishop
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
Narrator
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Self
Lawman Without a Gun
Tom Hayward
Undercover Grandpa
Mother
Breaking Brooklyn
Miles Bryant
Zora is My Name!
King of the Dancehall
The Bishop
Hal
Self
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
Self
The Black List: Volume One
Himself
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
Ray Alexander
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
Ray Alexander
Keeper of the City
Det. James Dela
Strange Justice
Vernon Jordan
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away
Dr. Barnes
Supervized
Pendle
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
Himself
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
The Gang Activists
Self
And the Oscar Goes To...
Self (archive footage)
Zooman
Rueben Tate
The Cuban
Luis Garcia
Jasper, Texas
R.C. Horn
Love Songs
Reuben
Benny's Place
Benny Moore
The Grace Card
George Wright
Foster Boy
Judge George Taylor
The Reason
Pastor Jim
A Love Story of Today
Self
A Special Kind of Love
Self
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
narrator
Stories USA
Doc (segment "Club Soda")
Crimes of Violence
Self - Host
Forget to Remember
Not to Forget
Pastor John
To Kill a Cop
Everett Walker
The Undershepherd
Bishop Redford
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
Self
Shows
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Commander Clash (voice)
Good Times
The Rookies
Half & Half
Ray Willis
Family Guy
Drill Sargent (voice)
The Dead Zone
Little House on the Prairie
The Batman
Lucius Fox (voice)
Early Edition
The Jeffersons
Alias Smith and Jones
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
The Bill Cosby Show
Hurricane Smith
Stargate SG-1
Gerak
Return to Lonesome Dove
Isom Pickett
Backstairs at the White House
Levi Mercer, Houseman
ER
Leo Malcolm
Gideon Oliver
Harry O
Police Story
McCloud
The Young Rebels
The Powers of Matthew Star
Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
Roots
Fiddler
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
The Oscars
Self
The Lazarus Syndrome
MacArthur St. Clair
Black in the 80s
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
Madam Secretary
Father Laurent Vasseur
Psych
Lloyd Marr
Extant
Quinn
Hawaii Five-0
Lou's father
The Book of Negroes
Daddy Moses
The Spoils Before Dying
Duke Webster
The Good Fight
Carl Reddick
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
The Six Million Dollar Man
O'Flaherty
Sadat
Anwar al-Sadat
Bonanza
Buck Walter
Promised Land
Anderson Walker
The Rockford Files
Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
The Rockford Files
Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
Celebrity Ghost Stories
Self
American Experience
Self - Narrator
Hercules
Chiron (voice)
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Lt. Carl Fellows
The Partridge Family
Sam Simon
Petrocelli
Kurt Olson, DA
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
Dr. Karnes
Petrocelli
District Attorney Kurt Olson
Love, American Style
Freddy
Cowboy in Africa
Fulah
The Mod Squad
Smitty
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Mod Squad
Charley Jameson
Daktari
Mkono
Cowboy in Africa
Joseph Hemera
The Mod Squad
Lloyd
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Invaders
Ollie
The Critical List
Lem Harper
Bitte umblättern
Self
Ellen
Sgt. Timko
Touched by an Angel
Anderson Walker
Watchmen
Old Man / Will Reeves
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Host
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter