Louis Gossett, Jr. - DIFF 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Born May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn, Louis Gossett, Jr. has a flair for projecting quiet authority and has scored well personally in a string of diverse and challenging roles. The aspiring actor caught a break at his first Broadway audition for Take A Giant Step (1953), where, beating out 400 other candidates, the then 16-year-old landed the lead. After attending NYU on a basketball scholarship, Lou was drafted by the New York Knicks but instead continued to nurture his burgeoning acting career. His acting career soon flourished and his work in the stage and film versions of the groundbreaking drama about African-American family life in Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun (1961) proved a watershed. This led to numerous appearances on network series in the 1960’s and 1970’s culminating in 1977, when he picked up an Emmy for his eloquent portrayal of Fiddler in the landmark ABC miniseries Roots. Meanwhile, his big screen reputation grew with critically acclaimed work in such comedies at The Landlord (1970), The Skin Game (1971) with James Garner, Travel with My Aunt (1972) and the film adaptation of the Tony Award winning drama The River Niger (1975). A riveting performance as a drug dealing cut-throat stalking Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset in The Deep (1977) catapulted him to wider popularity, but the tough by-the-book drill sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) won him a Best Supporting Oscar that consolidated his place in the Hollywood hierarchy.

Following his Oscar, he made numerous big screen and television appearances, being singled out for his work as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in Sadat (1983), the sci-fi adventure Enemy Mine (1985) where his lizard -like makeup won kudos, and in the action adventure series Iron Eagle (1985, 1986, 1992, 1995) which introduced him to a whole new generation of moviegoers. Still going strong, Lou’s trendsetting bald head and imposing six-foot-four physique served him well in Diggstown (1991) where he played a down-and-out boxer, a heroic headmaster in Toy Soldiers (1991). Lou’s well thought out and nuanced performances such as To Dance with Olivia (1991), and the critically acclaimed Jasper, Texas (2003).

The recipient of every know acting accolade, including multiple Golden Globes, Emmy’s and People’s Choice Awards, Lou’s performance has connected him with his fans on a global scale. Organizations such as the NAACP, CARE and the United States Armed Forces have used his likeness to add validly and integrity to their causes.

Currently, Lou is developing a nonprofit foundation called the Eracism Foundation. It is aimed toward developing and producing entertainment that brings awareness and education to issues such as racism, ignorance and societal apathy.