Louis Gossett Jr., the 1st Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87

Louis Gossett Jr. poses for a portrait in New York in Bu-ray on May 2016.

Gossett won the award for An Officer And A Gentleman, and also got an Emmy for Roots. More recent prominent roles for the Broadway star and civil rights activist were in The Color Purple and Watchmen.

(Image credit: Amy Sussman)

Gossett won the award for An Officer And A Gentleman, and also got an Emmy for Roots. More recent prominent roles for the Broadway star and civil rights activist were in The Color Purple and Watchmen.