Louis Gossett Jr.
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.
Acted in
IF
2024
as Lewis (voice)
The Color Purple
2023
as Ol' Mister
Outlaw Johnny Black
2023
as Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
Sidney
2022
as Self
Three Months
2022
as Benny
Not to Forget
2021
as Pastor John
I Forgive
2021
as God (voice)
The Reason
2020
as Pastor Jim
The Cuban
2020
as Luis Garcia
Miracle in East Texas
2020
as Irving Tanner Jr.
Watchmen
2019
as Old Man / Will Reeves
Foster Boy
2019
as Judge George Taylor
Supervized
2019
as Pendle
The Gang Activists
2019
as Self
Hal
2019
as Self
Breaking Brooklyn
2018
as Miles Bryant
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
2017
as Self
Undercover Grandpa
2017
as Mother
The Good Fight
2017
as Carl Reddick
Double Play
2017
as Coco
King of the Dancehall
2017
as The Bishop
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
2016
as Self
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
2016
as Himself
Boiling Pot
2015
as Detective Haven
The Spoils Before Dying
2015
as Duke Webster
The Book of Negroes
2015
as Daddy Moses
Madam Secretary
2014
as Father Laurent Vasseur
Extant
2014
as Quinn
The Dependables
2014
as Lou Jones
A Fighting Man
2014
as Cubby
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self (archive footage)
Miracle at Gate 213
2013
as Roy Peddington
Smitty
2012
as Mr. Smith
The Undershepherd
2012
as Bishop Redford
Dog Jack
2011
as Grown up Jed
The Grace Card
2011
as George Wright
Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Lou's father
Why Did I Get Married Too?
2010
as Porter
The Perfect Game
2009
as Cool Papa Bell
The Least Among You
2009
as Samuel Benton
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2009
as Self
Delgo
2008
as King Zahn (voice)
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth
2008
as Self
A Special Kind of Love
2008
as Self
A Love Story of Today
2008
as Self
The Black List: Volume One
2008
as Himself
Stories USA
2007
as Doc (segment "Club Soda")
Cover
2007
as Detective Hicks
Daddy's Little Girls
2007
as Willie
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
Club Soda
2006
as Doc
Psych
2006
as Lloyd Marr
Solar Attack
2006
as President Ryan Gordon
All In
2006
as Caps
Left Behind: World at War
2005
as President Geral Fitzhugh
Lackawanna Blues
2005
as Ol'lem Taylor
Black in the 80s
2005
The Batman
2004
as Lucius Fox (voice)
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
2004
as Rev. Elija Bliss (archive footage)
Jasper, Texas
2003
as R.C. Horn
Momentum
2003
as Raymond Addison
Half & Half
2002
as Ray Willis
The Dead Zone
2002
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away
2002
as Dr. Barnes
Deceived
2002
as Col. David Garrett
For Love of Olivia
2001
as Daniel Stewart
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
2000
as Lou Hastings
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
2000
as Frank
The Highwayman
2000
as Phil Bishop
Strange Justice
1999
as Vernon Jordan
Y2K
1999
as Morgan
Love Songs
1999
as Reuben
Family Guy
1999
as Drill Sargent (voice)
The Inspectors
1998
as Inspector Frank Hughes
Hercules
1998
as Chiron (voice)
Legend of the Mummy
1998
as Corbeck
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
1998
as Self
Stargate SG-1
1997
as Gerak
In His Father's Shoes
1997
as Frank Crosby / Richard
To Dance with Olivia
1997
as Daniel Stewart
Early Edition
1996
Promised Land
1996
as Anderson Walker
Inside
1996
as Questioner
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
1996
as Bob Kersee
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
1996
as James Mink
Managua
1996
as Paul
Iron Eagle on the Attack
1995
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
1995
as Ray Alexander
Zooman
1995
as Rueben Tate
A Father for Charlie
1995
as Walter Osgood
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
1995
as Narrator
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Anderson Walker
ER
1994
as Leo Malcolm
Flashfire
1994
as Ben Durand
Curse of the Starving Class
1994
as Ellis
A Good Man in Africa
1994
as Prof. Sam Adekunle
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
1994
as Ray Alexander
Blue Chips
1994
as Father Dawkins (uncredited)
Return to Lonesome Dove
1993
as Isom Pickett
Monolith
1993
as Capt. MacCandless
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
1993
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
1992
as Reader
Diggstown
1992
as "Honey" Roy Palmer
Iron Eagle III
1992
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Keeper of the City
1991
as Det. James Dela
Carolina Skeletons
1991
as James Bragg
Toy Soldiers
1991
as Dean Parker
The Josephine Baker Story
1991
as Sidney Williams
Cover-Up
1991
as Lou Jackson
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1990
as Commander Clash (voice)
Sudie and Simpson
1990
as Simpson
El Diablo
1990
as Van Leek
Zora is My Name!
1990
The Punisher
1989
as Jake Berkowitz
Gideon Oliver
1989
Roots: The Gift
1988
as Fiddler
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July
1988
as Big John Creed
Iron Eagle II
1988
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
American Experience
1988
as Self - Narrator
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play
1988
as Sam
The Father Clements Story
1987
The Principal
1987
as Jake Phillips
A Gathering of Old Men
1987
as Mathu
Firewalker
1986
as Leo Porter
Iron Eagle
1986
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Enemy Mine
1985
as Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
The Guardian
1984
as John Mack
Finders Keepers
1984
as Century
Sadat
1983
as Anwar al-Sadat
Jaws 3-D
1983
as Calvin Bouchard
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
1983
as narrator
The Powers of Matthew Star
1982
as Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
An Officer and a Gentleman
1982
as Sergeant Emil Foley
Benny's Place
1982
as Benny Moore
I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
1981
as Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
1980
as Leo Garcia
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
1980
The Lazarus Syndrome
1979
as MacArthur St. Clair
Lawman Without a Gun
1979
as Tom Hayward
Backstairs at the White House
1979
as Levi Mercer, Houseman
The Critical List
1978
as Lem Harper
To Kill a Cop
1978
as Everett Walker
The Lazarus Syndrome
1978
as Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
Freeman
1977
as Rex
The Choirboys
1977
as Calvin Motts
The Deep
1977
as Henri Cloche
Roots
1977
as Fiddler
Little Ladies of the Night
1977
as Russ Garfield
J.D.'s Revenge
1976
as Rev. Elija Bliss
The River Niger
1976
as Dr. Dudley Stanton
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within
1975
as Otis James
The Jeffersons
1975
Black Bart
1975
as Black Bart
The Rockford Files
1974
as Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
The Rockford Files
1974
as Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
Harry O
1974
Little House on the Prairie
1974
Petrocelli
1974
as District Attorney Kurt Olson
Petrocelli
1974
as Kurt Olson, DA
The White Dawn
1974
as Portagee
Sidekicks
1974
as Jason O'Rourke
It's Good to Be Alive
1974
as Sam Brockington
Good Times
1974
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
as O'Flaherty
The Laughing Policeman
1973
as Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Police Story
1973
Travels with My Aunt
1972
as Wordsworth
The Rookies
1972
Skin Game
1971
as Jason O'Rourke
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1971
as Lt. Carl Fellows
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
The Partridge Family
1970
as Sam Simon
The Young Rebels
1970
The Landlord
1970
as Copee Johnson
McCloud
1970
Love, American Style
1969
as Freddy
The Bill Cosby Show
1969
as Hurricane Smith
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
as Dr. Karnes
The Bushbaby
1969
as Tembo
Companions in Nightmare
1968
as Lt. Adam McKay
The Mod Squad
1968
as Smitty
The Mod Squad
1968
as Charley Jameson
The Mod Squad
1968
as Lloyd
Cowboy in Africa
1967
as Joseph Hemera
Cowboy in Africa
1967
as Fulah
The Invaders
1967
as Ollie
Daktari
1966
as Mkono
A Raisin in the Sun
1961
as George Murchison
The New Girl
1960
as Mary's Brother
Bonanza
1959
as Buck Walter
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Gridiron Gang
as Host
Everbrook (The Home)
Straight Up
as Cosmo
Crimes of Violence
as Self - Host