His death was first reported by his cousin to the Associated Press. No cause of death was given.
“It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning,” his family said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Gossett, the first black actor to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, was born on May 27, 1936 in Brooklyn. He made his stage debut at the age of seventeen in a school production of You Can't Take It With You and would soon successfully audition for the Broadway production Take a Giant Step and then have a star-making supporting role in the hit A Raisin in the Sun (1959). He would reprise his Raisin role of George Murchison, the suitor of the play's rebellious Beneatha, in the 1961 film adaptation directed by Daniel Petrie.
Gossett's TV career began with his appearances in the late 1960s in series such as The Invaders and Daktari. In the early 1970s he appeared in Bonanza, Alias Smith and Jones, The Mod Squad and McCloud.
But his big, signature television role came in 1977 when he played the character Fiddler in the critically acclaimed and influential Roots (pictured below). He won an Emmy for it and that was the start of a career in series that would continue almost uninterrupted until 2019, when he had a regular role in Watchmen (2019). This earned Gossett his seventh Emmy nomination.
In the 1970s, Gossett had big screen roles such as The Landlord, Skin Game, The Deep, The Choirboys and Jaws 3-D, but it was his performance as the tough-as-nails Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley opposite Richard Gere's new recruit Zack Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman that would make his film career as assured as Roots made his TV appearances. His performance as the grim drill sergeant earned Gossett an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He also won a Golden Globe for it.
Later film roles include appearances in The Punisher (1989), Toy Soldiers (1991), A Gathering of Old Men (1987), Curse of the Starving Class (1994) and countless others – a steady stream, in fact, until The Color Purple in 2023 .
His career in episodic television was equally prolific, with roles in the 1980s (The Guardian, The Powers of Matthew Star and a reprise as Fiddler in Roots: The Gift), the 1990s (Picket Fences, Touched by an Angel, Early Edition and Ellen) and the 2000s (Stargate SG-1, Family Guy, ER, Boardwalk Empire, Extant, The Good Fight), among many others.
During his career, Gossett also earned two Golden Globes and a third nomination, two NAACP Image Awards among six nominations, a Daytime Emmy and two other nominations, a SAG Award nomination and four CableACE Awards nominations. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.
Gossett was married three times, first (annulled) in 1964 to Hattie Glascoe, then to Christina Mangosing, from 1973-75 and to Cyndi James Gossett from 1987-92.
He is survived by sons Satie Gossett and Sharron, and a nephew, the actor Robert Gossett.