Louis Gossett, Jr. RIP

Gossett in 2015, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr.

Date of Birth: May 27, 1936

Place of Birth: Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Death: March 29, 2024

Place of Death: Santa Monica, California, U.S.

Ethnicity: African-American

Louis Gossett, Jr. was an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). His roles also include the films The Landlord, Skin Game, Travels with My Aunt, The Laughing Policeman, The White Dawn, The Deep (1977), Enemy Mine, Iron Eagle, and its sequels; The Principal, The Punisher (1989), Toy Soldiers (1991), Jasper, Texas, and The Color Purple (2023); television’s Bonanza, The Jeffersons, Roots, The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots, Palmerstown, U.S.A., Sadat (1983), A Gathering of Old Men, American Playhouse, Touched by an Angel, Stargate SG-1, Left Behind: World at War, Boardwalk Empire, The Book of Negroes, and Watchmen (2019); and many acclaimed stage performances.

Louis was the son of Helen/Hellen, a nurse, and Louis Gossett, a porter. His father was from South Carolina. His mother was from Georgia. According to a DNA test, he had ancestry from Liberia and Sierra Leone. He had a son with his former wife Christina Mangosing; and a son, who was adopted, with his former wife, Star Search champion Cyndi James-Reese.

Louis’s paternal grandfather was named Lacy Gossett, Jr. (the son of Lacy/Latha “Green, Jr.” Gossett, Sr. and Louise). Louis’s grandfather Lacy was born in South Carolina. Louis’s great-grandfather Lacy was a preacher, and was the son of Green Gossett, Sr.

Louis’s paternal grandmother was named Ida/Ada. Ida was born in South Carolina.

Louis’s maternal grandfather was named Tennie Ray. Tennie was born in Georgia.

Louis’s maternal grandmother was named Eddie. Eddie was born in Georgia.

Sources: Family history of Louis Gossett, Jr. – http://rootsrevealed.blogspot.ca

Louis’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Louis’s mother on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org