Louis Gossett Jr.
Known for: Acting
Louis Gossett Jr. (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 won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards in an acting career that spanned over five decades.
Filmography
Series
Family Guy
Drill Sargent (voice)
1999
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Series
Hawaii Five-0
Lou's father
2010
Series
Stargate SG-1
Gerak
1997
Series
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
Series
ER
Leo Malcolm
1994
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Psych
Lloyd Marr
2006
Series
Bonanza
Buck Walter
1959
Series
The Good Fight
Carl Reddick
2017
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Host
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter
1944
Series
Little House on the Prairie
Henry Hill
1974
Series
Love, American Style
Freddy
1969
Series
American Experience
Narrator (voice)
1988
Series
Madam Secretary
Laurent Vasseur
2014
Series
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
1962
Series
Touched by an Angel
Anderson Walker
1994
Series
The Rockford Files
Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
1974
Series
The Rockford Files
Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
1974
Series
Early Edition
Jim Matthews
1996
Series
The Six Million Dollar Man
O'Flaherty
1974
Series
Ellen
Sgt. Timko
1994
Series
The Dead Zone
Pastor David Lewis
2002
Series
The Batman
Lucius Fox (voice)
2004
Series
The Invaders
Ollie
1967
Series
Hercules
Chiron (voice)
1998
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
The Rookies
1972
Series
The Jeffersons
1975
Series
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Commander Clash (voice)
1990
Series
Celebrity Ghost Stories
Self
2009
Series
McCloud
1970
Series
The Oscars
Self
1953
Series
Picket Fences
Rick Jennings
1992
Series
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Series
Good Times
1974
Series
The Partridge Family
Sam Simon
1970
Series
Watchmen
Old Man / Will Reeves
2019
Series
Half & Half
Ray Willis
2002
Series
Police Story
1973
Series
The Mod Squad
Smitty
1968
Series
The Mod Squad
Charley Jameson
1968
Series
The Mod Squad
Lloyd
1968
Series
Harry O
Cleon Jackson
1974
Series
Petrocelli
District Attorney Kurt Olson
1974
Series
Petrocelli
Kurt Olson, DA
1974
Series
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Lt. Carl Fellows
1971
Series
Extant
Quinn
2014
Series
Roots
Fiddler
1977
Series
Promised Land
Anderson Walker
1996
Film
IF
Lewis (voice)
2024
Series
The Bill Cosby Show
Hurricane Smith
1969
Series
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
Dr. Karnes
1969
Series
Daktari
Mkono
1966
Please Turn the Page
Self
1977
Film
The Punisher
Jake Berkowitz
1989
Series
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
1973
Series
The Powers of Matthew Star
Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
1982
Film
An Officer and a Gentleman
Sergeant Emil Foley
1982
Series
Return to Lonesome Dove
Isom Pickett
1993
Film
Jaws 3-D
Calvin Bouchard
1983
Series
The Book of Negroes
Daddy Moses
2015
Series
Backstairs at the White House
Levi Mercer, Houseman
1979
Film
Enemy Mine
Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
1985
Series
The Spoils Before Dying
Duke Webster
2015
Film
Firewalker
Leo Porter
1986
Series
The Young Rebels
1970
Film
Stories USA
Doc (segment "Club Soda")
2007
Film
The Color Purple
Ol' Mister
2023
Series
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
1980
Series
Cowboy in Africa
Joseph Hemera
1967
Series
Cowboy in Africa
Fulah
1967
Film
The Deep
Henri Cloche
1977
Film
Diggstown
"Honey" Roy Palmer
1992
Film
Iron Eagle
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1986
Series
To Kill a Cop
Everett Walker
1978
Film
The Inspectors
Inspector Frank Hughes
1998
Film
Skin Game
Jason O'Rourke
1971
Series
Black in the 80s
2005
Film
Solar Attack
President Ryan Gordon
2006
Film
Toy Soldiers
Dean Parker
1991
Film
Daddy's Little Girls
Willie
2007
Film
Cover-Up
Lou Jackson
1991
Film
Cover
Detective Hicks
2007
Film
Sidney
Self
2022
Film
I Forgive
God (voice)
2021
Film
The Perfect Game
Cool Papa Bell
2009
Film
Freeman
Rex
1977
Gideon Oliver
1989
Film
Y2K
Morgan
1999
Film
Blue Chips
Father Dawkins (uncredited)
1994
Film
The Principal
Jake Phillips
1987
Film
Hal
Self
2019
Film
Undercover Grandpa
Mother
2017
Film
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Porter
2010
Film
Delgo
King Zahn (voice)
2008
Film
El Diablo
Van Leek
1990
Film
Three Months
Benny
2022
Film
The Landlord
Copee Johnson
1970
Film
Amazing Racer
Max Donovan
2009
Film
Lackawanna Blues
Ol'lem Taylor
2005
Film
Iron Eagle II
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1988
Series
The Critical List
Lem Harper
1978
Film
Finders Keepers
Century
1984
Sadat
Anwar al-Sadat
1983
Film
Monolith
Capt. MacCandless
1993
Film
Inside
Questioner
1996
Film
Smitty
Mr. Smith
2012
Film
Iron Eagle III
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1992
Film
Outlaw Johnny Black
Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
2023
Film
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
Self
1987
Film
The Reason
Pastor Jim
2020
Film
Club Soda
Doc
2006
Film
Managua
Paul
1996
Film
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self
1995
Film
Foster Boy
Judge George Taylor
2019
Film
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
Self
2009
Film
Double Play
Coco
2017
Film
A Raisin in the Sun
George Murchison
1961
Film
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Self
2007
Film
Left Behind: World at War
President Geral Fitzhugh
2005
Film
The Choirboys
Calvin Motts
1977
Film
To Kill a Cop
Everett Walker
1978
Film
Zooman
Rueben Tate
1995
Film
The Highwayman
Phil Bishop
2000
Film
Deceived
Col. David Garrett
2002
Film
Carolina Skeletons
James Bragg
1991
Film
Travels with My Aunt
Wordsworth
1972
Film
The Dependables
Lou Jones
2014
Film
The Laughing Policeman
Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
1973
Film
The Cuban
Luis Garcia
2020
Film
The River Niger
Dr. Dudley Stanton
1976
Film
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Self
2016
Film
A Fighting Man
Cubby
2014
Film
The White Dawn
Portagee
1974
Film
Momentum
Raymond Addison
2003
Film
Iron Eagle on the Attack
Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1995
Film
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
Ray Alexander
1994
Film
Roots: The Gift
Fiddler
1988
Film
Supervized
Pendle
2019
Film
Boiling Pot
Detective Haven
2015
Film
Flashfire
Ben Durand
1994
Film
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away
Dr. Barnes
2002
Film
I Love Liberty
Self
1982
Film
A Father for Charlie
Walter Osgood
1995
Series
The Lazarus Syndrome
MacArthur St. Clair
1979
Film
Legend of the Mummy
Corbeck
1998
Film
Jasper, Texas
R.C. Horn
2003
Film
The Undershepherd
Bishop Redford
2012
Film
Miracle in East Texas
Irving Tanner Jr.
2020
Film
The Grace Card
George Wright
2011
Film
Unplugged
Amos Burton (voice)
Film
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
Self
2017
Film
All In
Caps
2006
Film
The Josephine Baker Story
Sidney Williams
1991
Film
Breaking Brooklyn
Miles Bryant
2018
Film
A Gathering of Old Men
Mathu
1987
Film
Breaking at the Edge
Floyd
2013
Film
In His Father's Shoes
Frank Crosby / Richard
1997
Film
The Lazarus Syndrome
Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
1979
Film
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
Frank
2000
Film
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
Ray Alexander
1995
Film
Black Bart
Black Bart
1975
Film
The Bushbaby
Tembo
1969
Film
Strange Justice
Vernon Jordan
1999
Film
Curse of the Starving Class
Ellis
1994
Film
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
1981
Film
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within
Otis James
1975
Film
The Guardian
John Mack
1984
Film
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
James Mink
1996
Film
A Good Man in Africa
Prof. Sam Adekunle
1994
Film
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
Leonard Clay
1993
Film
Companions in Nightmare
Lt. Adam McKay
1968
Film
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
Leo Garcia
1980
Film
The Father Clements Story
1987
Film
Keeper of the City
Det. James Dela
1991
Film
It's Good to Be Alive
Sam Brockington
1974
Film
The Black List: Volume One
Self
2008
Film
Love Songs
Reuben
1999
Film
For Love of Olivia
Daniel Stewart
2001
Film
Not to Forget
Pastor John
2021
Film
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
Lou Hastings
2000
Film
Miracle at Gate 213
Roy Peddington
2013
Film
Little Ladies of the Night
Russ Garfield
1977
Film
King of the Dancehall
The Bishop
2017
Film
The Wall That Heals
Self - Host
1998
The Least Among You
Samuel Benton
2009
Film
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
Himself
2016
Film
Lawman Without a Gun
Tom Hayward
1979
Film
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
narrator
1983
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
Reader (voice)
1992
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
Bob Kersee
1996
Film
To Dance with Olivia
Daniel Stewart
1997
Film
Sidekicks
Jason O'Rourke
1974
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth
Self
2008
Film
J.D.'s Revenge
Rev. Elija Bliss
1976
The New Girl
Mary's Brother
1960
Film
Sudie and Simpson
Simpson
1990
Film
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July
Big John Creed
1988
Straight Up
Cosmo
1988
Film
Sin
Elijah
2025
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
Narrator
1995
Film
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
Self
1998
Film
Benny's Place
Benny Moore
1982
Film
Dog Jack
Grown up Jed
2011
Film
Zora is My Name!
1990
Forget to Remember
Film
A Special Kind of Love
Self
2008
Film
A Love Story of Today
Self
2008
The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots
Self
1978
Film
Dr. Lucille
2001
Film
Gridiron Gang
Host
1992
The Gang Activists
Self
2019
Film
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play
Sam
1988
Crimes of Violence
Self - Host