Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an American Emmy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award winning actor.
Louis Gossett, Jr. was born in Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. He was raised by his mother Hellen Rebecca Wray Gossett and his father, Louis Gossett, Sr. A sports injury left Gossett, Jr. with no choice but to take an acting class, and at 16 he made his stage debut in the school's production of You Can't Take It with You.
After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School (New York) in 1954, he attended New York University, on an athletic scholarship. Standing 6'4', he became a star basketball player during his college years at NYU. The New York Knicks were so impressed with Gossett's athletic ability, that they offered a professional contract upon graduation. He played with them briefly in 1958, before choosing to focus completely on his acting career.
After leaving the New York Knicks, Gossett stepped into the world of cinema in the Sidney Poitier vehicle A Raisin in the Sun in 1961.
Since his film debut, Gossett has starred in numerous film productions such as The Deep, An Officer and a Gentleman, Jaws 3-D (as SeaWorld manager Calvin Bouchard), Enemy Mine, the Iron Eagle series, Toy Soldiers and The Punisher. His role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman (opposite Richard Gere) showcased his talent and won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1986, he starred in another role as a military man in the film Iron Eagle. It was followed by three sequels.
Gossett's Broadway theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun (1959), Golden Boy (1964), and Chicago (2002).
He also has performed in other media, including television productions. His Emmy award-winning role of "Fiddler" in the 1977 groundbreaking television miniseries Roots first brought Gossett to the audience's attention. In 1983, he was cast in the title role in Sadat, a miniseries which chronicled the life and assassination of Anwar Sadat. While filming An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett was also starring in the 1982–1983 science fiction series, The Powers of Matthew Star. He also played the role of US President Gerald Fitzhugh in the movie Left Behind: World at War.
Gossett is the voice of the Vortigaunts in the video game Half-Life 2 (although he did not return for a later instalment in the series, "Half-Life 2: Episode Two") and is also the Free Jaffa Leader (Gerak) in Season 9 of Stargate SG-1. He also provides the voice of Lucius Fox in The Batman. He recorded several commercials for a (Nashville) based diabetic company, AmMed Direct, LLC.
In 1997 Gossett presented When Animals Attack! 4, a one hour special on Fox.
Gossett also co-wrote the antiwar folk song "Handsome Johnny" with Richie Havens.
In 2007, Lou Gossett, Jr., was the honored guest and keynote speaker for the alumni hall of fame gala benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast, St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Gossett has appeared every year supporting the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is an alumnus himself and has continued to work for and with the organization.
2006 Dvorak's New World: Chamber Music Plus. Louis Gossett Jr., narrator, with Aubrey Allicock (Baritone), Sanda Schuldmann (piano), and Harry Clark (writer).
