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Lou Gossett




  Birthname Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr
  Location Brooklyn, New York ,
  Notable Role Col Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair in '' Iron Eagle '' (1986) <br> George Murchison in '' A Raisin In The Sun '' (1961 film) <br> Fiddler in '' Roots ''<br> GySgt Emil Foley in '' An Officer And A Gentleman ''
  Academyawards ''' Best Supporting Actor ''' <br> 1982 '' An Officer And A Gentleman ''
  Emmyawards '''Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series'''<br> 1977 '' Roots ''<br>'''Outstanding Children's Special'''<br>1998 ''In His Father's Shoes''
  Goldenglobeawards '''''' <br> 1992 ''The Josephine Baker Story''


Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. (born May 27 1936 ) is an Emmy , Golden Globe , and Academy Award winning American Actor .

He was born in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn and attended Abraham Lincoln High School , where he was ''class president'' and an academic and athletic achiever. A Sports injury left him with no choice but to take an acting class, and at 16 he made his stage debut in the school's production of '' You Can't Take It With You ''. After high school, he attended New York University , where he was a star basketball player.


PROFESSIONAL CAREER

Gossett was chosen to play for the New York Knicks , but he decided his true vocation was acting. He took a big step into the world of cinema in the Sidney Poitier vehicle '' A Raisin In The Sun '' in 1961 .

Gossett made several TV guest appearances early in his career, including a role as a bounty hunter on the western comedy '' Alias Smith And Jones ''.
Gossett has starred in numerous film productions such as '' The Deep '', '' An Officer And A Gentleman '', '' Jaws 3-D '' (as SeaWorld manager Calvin Bouchard), '' Enemy Mine '', the '' Iron Eagle '' series, '' Toy Soldiers '' and '' The Punisher ''. His role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film '' An Officer And A Gentleman '' (opposite Richard Gere ) showcased his talent and garnered him an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor .
During the 1980s' the beginning of a quadrilogy which featured Louis in all volumes began, that quadrilogy was Iron Eagle . This cult series which still has many fans could have started life without Louis, but he was convinced by his good friend Lou Diamond Phillips that the role would be positive for his career. In a famous conversation http://www.louisgossett.com/ Louis Gossett asked, "What flies better than an eagle?" to which Lou Diamond replied, "An Iron Eagle" and history was made.

While filming '' An Officer And A Gentleman '', Gossett was also starring in the 1982–1983 science fiction series, '' The Powers Of Matthew Star ''.

Gossett's Broadway Theatre credits include '' A Raisin In The Sun '' (1959), '' Golden Boy '' (1964), and '' Chicago '' (2002).

Gossett also has performed in other media, including television productions. In fact, it was his Emmy award-winning role of "Fiddler" in the 1977 groundbreaking television miniseries '' Roots '' that first brought Gossett great notice. In 1983, Gossett was cast in the title role in ''Sadat'', a miniseries which chronicled the life and assassination of Anwar Sadat .
Gossett is the voice of the Vortigaunt s in the video game '' Half-Life 2 '' and is also the Free Jaffa Leader ( Gerak ) in Season 9 of Stargate SG-1 .

He also played the role of US President .

Recently, Gosset provides the voice of Lucius Fox in The Batman .

As of June 2007, Gossett has signed on as spokesman for a ( Nashville ) based diabetic company, AmMed Direct, LLC.


TRIVIA

  • His role in ''Enemy Mine'' resulted in a first: portraying a member of a single-gendered alien species, he was the first ''male'' to be shown giving birth on screen.


  • Played title role in the pilot of "Black Bart", the proposed TV adaptation of the Mel Brooks hit Blazing Saddles . Cleavon Little having played the role of "Bart" in the movie.


  • According to the development journal and behind-the-scenes book ''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'', when casting directors asked the development team what sort of voice talent they wanted for the Half-Life 2 alien characters called " Vortigaunt s," the team explained that they wanted someone who could create an intelligible voice that was still alien. As an example, they told the casting group to look for someone "like Louis Gossett, Jr. in 'Enemy Mine.'" Reportedly, the development team was shocked when they were told that Gossett was interested in taking the role.



  • Nick-name in the 70s' was Lou Gossy Goss



EXTERNAL LINKS






REFERENCES


  Title Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor
  Years 1982<br>'''for '' An Officer And A Gentleman '' '''
  Before John Gielgud <br>for '' Arthur ''