Louis Gossett Jr.

Acting

The MovieWise Take

Refining cinematic analysis...

Biography

Louis Gossett Jr. (May 27, 1936 – March 29, 2024) was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" and as Fiddler in the television miniseries "Roots". He won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards in an acting career that spanned over five decades.

Known For

Family Guy

Drill Sargent (voice)

Hawaii Five-0

Lou's father

Stargate SG-1

Gerak

Lewis (voice)

Watchmen

Old Man / Will Reeves

Jaws 3-D

Calvin Bouchard

An Officer and a Gentleman

Sergeant Emil Foley

Enemy Mine

Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan

Full Filmography

Year	Title	Role
2025	Sin MOVIE	Elijah
2024	IF MOVIE	Lewis (voice)
2023	The Color Purple MOVIE	Ol' Mister
2023	Outlaw Johnny Black MOVIE	Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
2022	Sidney MOVIE	Self
2022	Three Months MOVIE	Benny
2021	Not to Forget MOVIE	Pastor John
2021	I Forgive MOVIE	God (voice)
2020	The Reason MOVIE	Pastor Jim
2020	The Cuban MOVIE	Luis Garcia
2020	Miracle in East Texas MOVIE	Irving Tanner Jr.
2019	Watchmen TV	Old Man / Will Reeves
2019	Foster Boy MOVIE	Judge George Taylor
2019	Supervized MOVIE	Pendle
2019	The Gang Activists MOVIE	Self
2019	Hal MOVIE	Self
2018	Breaking Brooklyn MOVIE	Miles Bryant
2017	Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart MOVIE	Self
2017	Undercover Grandpa MOVIE	Mother
2017	The Good Fight TV	Carl Reddick
2017	Double Play MOVIE	Coco
2017	King of the Dancehall MOVIE	The Bishop
2016	Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise MOVIE	Self
2016	A.C. Green: Iron Virgin MOVIE	Himself
2015	Boiling Pot MOVIE	Detective Haven
2015	The Spoils Before Dying TV	Duke Webster
2015	The Book of Negroes TV	Daddy Moses
2014	Madam Secretary TV	Laurent Vasseur
2014	Extant TV	Quinn
2014	The Dependables MOVIE	Lou Jones
2014	A Fighting Man MOVIE	Cubby
2013	Miracle at Gate 213 MOVIE	Roy Peddington
2013	Breaking at the Edge MOVIE	Floyd
2012	Smitty MOVIE	Mr. Smith
2012	The Undershepherd MOVIE	Bishop Redford
2011	Dog Jack MOVIE	Grown up Jed
2011	The Grace Card MOVIE	George Wright
2010	Hawaii Five-0 TV	Lou's father
2010	Why Did I Get Married Too? MOVIE	Porter
2009	The Perfect Game MOVIE	Cool Papa Bell
2009	Celebrity Ghost Stories TV	Self
2009	Amazing Racer MOVIE	Max Donovan
2009	The Least Among You MOVIE	Samuel Benton
2009	Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy MOVIE	Self
2008	Delgo MOVIE	King Zahn (voice)
2008	Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth MOVIE	Self
2008	A Love Story of Today MOVIE	Self
2008	A Special Kind of Love MOVIE	Self
2008	The Black List: Volume One MOVIE	Self
2007	Stories USA MOVIE	Doc (segment "Club Soda")
2007	Cover MOVIE	Detective Hicks
2007	Daddy's Little Girls MOVIE	Willie
2007	The 50 Greatest Television Dramas MOVIE	Self
2006	Club Soda MOVIE	Doc
2006	Psych TV	Lloyd Marr
2006	Solar Attack MOVIE	President Ryan Gordon
2006	All In MOVIE	Caps
2005	Left Behind: World at War MOVIE	President Geral Fitzhugh
2005	Black in the 80s TV	Self
2005	Lackawanna Blues MOVIE	Ol'lem Taylor
2004	The Batman TV	Lucius Fox (voice)
2003	Jasper, Texas MOVIE	R.C. Horn
2003	Momentum MOVIE	Raymond Addison
2002	Half & Half TV	Ray Willis
2002	The Dead Zone TV	Pastor David Lewis
2002	What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away MOVIE	Dr. Barnes
2002	Deceived MOVIE	Col. David Garrett
2001	For Love of Olivia MOVIE	Daniel Stewart
2001	Dr. Lucille MOVIE	Self
2000	The Color of Love: Jacey's Story MOVIE	Lou Hastings
2000	The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence MOVIE	Frank
2000	The Highwayman MOVIE	Phil Bishop
1999	Strange Justice MOVIE	Vernon Jordan
1999	Y2K MOVIE	Morgan
1999	Love Songs MOVIE	Reuben
1999	Family Guy TV	Drill Sargent (voice)
1998	The Inspectors MOVIE	Inspector Frank Hughes
1998	Hercules TV	Chiron (voice)
1998	The Wall That Heals MOVIE	Self - Host
1998	Legend of the Mummy MOVIE	Corbeck
1998	Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood MOVIE	Self
1997	Stargate SG-1 TV	Gerak
1997	In His Father's Shoes MOVIE	Frank Crosby / Richard
1997	To Dance with Olivia MOVIE	Daniel Stewart
1996	Early Edition TV	Jim Matthews
1996	Promised Land TV	Anderson Walker
1996	Inside MOVIE	Questioner
1996	Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story MOVIE	Bob Kersee
1996	Captive Heart: The James Mink Story MOVIE	James Mink
1996	Managua MOVIE	Paul
1995	Iron Eagle on the Attack MOVIE	Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1995	The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies MOVIE	Self
1995	Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder MOVIE	Ray Alexander
1995	Zooman MOVIE	Rueben Tate
1995	A Father for Charlie MOVIE	Walter Osgood
1995	Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing MOVIE	Narrator
1994	Touched by an Angel TV	Anderson Walker
1994	ER TV	Leo Malcolm
1994	Flashfire MOVIE	Ben Durand
1994	Curse of the Starving Class MOVIE	Ellis
1994	A Good Man in Africa MOVIE	Prof. Sam Adekunle
1994	Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice MOVIE	Ray Alexander
1994	Ellen TV	Sgt. Timko
1994	Blue Chips MOVIE	Father Dawkins (uncredited)
1993	Return to Lonesome Dove TV	Isom Pickett
1993	Monolith MOVIE	Capt. MacCandless
1993	Father & Son: Dangerous Relations MOVIE	Leonard Clay
1992	Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II MOVIE	Reader (voice)
1992	Picket Fences TV	Rick Jennings
1992	Diggstown MOVIE	"Honey" Roy Palmer
1992	Iron Eagle III MOVIE	Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1991	Keeper of the City MOVIE	Det. James Dela
1991	Carolina Skeletons MOVIE	James Bragg
1991	Toy Soldiers MOVIE	Dean Parker
1991	The Josephine Baker Story MOVIE	Sidney Williams
1991	Cover-Up MOVIE	Lou Jackson
1990	Captain Planet and the Planeteers TV	Commander Clash (voice)
1990	Sudie and Simpson MOVIE	Simpson
1990	El Diablo MOVIE	Van Leek
1990	Zora is My Name! MOVIE	Self
1989	The Punisher MOVIE	Jake Berkowitz
1989	Gideon Oliver TV	Self
1988	Roots: The Gift MOVIE	Fiddler
1988	Goodbye, Miss 4th of July MOVIE	Big John Creed
1988	Iron Eagle II MOVIE	Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1988	American Experience TV	Narrator (voice)
1988	Sam Found Out: A Triple Play MOVIE	Sam
1987	The Father Clements Story MOVIE	Self
1987	The Principal MOVIE	Jake Phillips
1987	Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood MOVIE	Self
1987	A Gathering of Old Men MOVIE	Mathu
1986	Firewalker MOVIE	Leo Porter
1986	Iron Eagle MOVIE	Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
1985	Enemy Mine MOVIE	Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
1984	The Guardian MOVIE	John Mack
1984	Finders Keepers MOVIE	Century
1983	Sadat TV	Anwar al-Sadat
1983	Jaws 3-D MOVIE	Calvin Bouchard
1983	The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die MOVIE	narrator
1982	The Powers of Matthew Star TV	Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
1982	An Officer and a Gentleman MOVIE	Sergeant Emil Foley
1982	Benny's Place MOVIE	Benny Moore
1982	I Love Liberty MOVIE	Self
1981	Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige MOVIE	Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
1980	It Rained All Night the Day I Left MOVIE	Leo Garcia
1980	Palmerstown, U.S.A. TV	Self
1979	The Lazarus Syndrome MOVIE	Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
1979	The Lazarus Syndrome TV	MacArthur St. Clair
1979	Lawman Without a Gun MOVIE	Tom Hayward
1979	Backstairs at the White House TV	Levi Mercer, Houseman
1978	The Critical List TV	Lem Harper
1978	To Kill a Cop MOVIE	Everett Walker
1978	The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots MOVIE	Self
1977	Freeman MOVIE	Rex
1977	The Choirboys MOVIE	Calvin Motts
1977	The Deep MOVIE	Henri Cloche
1977	Please Turn the Page TV	Self
1977	Roots TV	Fiddler
1977	Little Ladies of the Night MOVIE	Russ Garfield
1976	J.D.'s Revenge MOVIE	Rev. Elija Bliss
1976	The River Niger MOVIE	Dr. Dudley Stanton
1975	Saturday Night Live TV	Self - Host
1975	Delancey Street: The Crisis Within MOVIE	Otis James
1975	The Jeffersons TV	Self
1975	Black Bart MOVIE	Black Bart
1974	The Rockford Files TV	Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
1974	The Rockford Files TV	Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
1974	Harry O TV	Cleon Jackson
1974	Little House on the Prairie TV	Henry Hill
1974	Petrocelli TV	Kurt Olson, DA
1974	Petrocelli TV	District Attorney Kurt Olson
1974	The White Dawn MOVIE	Portagee
1974	Sidekicks MOVIE	Jason O'Rourke
1974	It's Good to Be Alive MOVIE	Sam Brockington
1974	Good Times TV	Self
1974	The Six Million Dollar Man TV	O'Flaherty
1973	The Laughing Policeman MOVIE	Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
1973	The American Film Institute Salute to ... TV	Self
1973	Police Story TV	Self
1972	Travels with My Aunt MOVIE	Wordsworth
1972	The Rookies TV	Self
1971	Skin Game MOVIE	Jason O'Rourke
1971	Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law TV	Lt. Carl Fellows
1971	Alias Smith and Jones TV	Self
1970	The Partridge Family TV	Sam Simon
1970	The Young Rebels TV	Self
1970	The Landlord MOVIE	Copee Johnson
1970	McCloud TV	Self
1969	Love, American Style TV	Freddy
1969	The Bill Cosby Show TV	Hurricane Smith
1969	The Bold Ones: The New Doctors TV	Dr. Karnes
1969	The Bushbaby MOVIE	Tembo
1968	Companions in Nightmare MOVIE	Lt. Adam McKay
1968	The Mod Squad TV	Smitty
1968	The Mod Squad TV	Lloyd
1968	The Mod Squad TV	Charley Jameson
1967	Cowboy in Africa TV	Fulah
1967	Cowboy in Africa TV	Joseph Hemera
1967	The Invaders TV	Ollie
1966	Daktari TV	Mkono
1962	The Merv Griffin Show TV	Self
1962	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson TV	Self
1961	The Mike Douglas Show TV	Self
1961	A Raisin in the Sun MOVIE	George Murchison
1960	The New Girl MOVIE	Mary's Brother
1959	Bonanza TV	Buck Walter
1953	The Oscars TV	Self
1948	The Ed Sullivan Show TV	Self
1944	Golden Globe Awards TV	Self - Nominee
1944	Golden Globe Awards TV	Self - Audience Member
1944	Golden Globe Awards TV	Self - Presenter
1944	Golden Globe Awards TV	Self - Host
1944	Golden Globe Awards TV	Self - Nominee / Presenter
	Gridiron Gang MOVIE	Host
	Straight Up MOVIE	Cosmo
	Crimes of Violence MOVIE	Self - Host
	Forget to Remember MOVIE	Self
	Unplugged MOVIE	Amos Burton (voice)

Quick Facts

Louis Gossett Jr.

The MovieWise Take

Biography

Known For

Full Filmography

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