LOUIS GOSSETT, JR.
Name: Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr.
Born: 27 May 1936 Brooklyn, New York
Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and
Academy Award winning American 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 high school, 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 continued working. He 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
garnered 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. In fact,
it was his Emmy award-winning role of "Fiddler" in the 1977 groundbreaking
television miniseries Roots that first brought Gossett to the audience's
attention. In 1983, Gossett 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.
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 played the role of US President Gerald Fitzhugh in the movie Left Behind:
World at War.
As of June 2007, Gossett recorded several commercials for a (Nashville) based
diabetic company, AmMed Direct, LLC.
Gossett provides the voice of Lucius Fox in The Batman.
Name: Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr.
Born: 27 May 1936 Brooklyn, New York
Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. (born May 27, 1936) is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and
Academy Award winning American 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 high school, 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 continued working. He 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
garnered 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. In fact,
it was his Emmy award-winning role of "Fiddler" in the 1977 groundbreaking
television miniseries Roots that first brought Gossett to the audience's
attention. In 1983, Gossett 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.
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 played the role of US President Gerald Fitzhugh in the movie Left Behind:
World at War.
As of June 2007, Gossett recorded several commercials for a (Nashville) based
diabetic company, AmMed Direct, LLC.
Gossett provides the voice of Lucius Fox in The Batman.