Louis Gossett Jr.
Acting
217
Acting Credits
2
Directed
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
Filmography
Sin
2025
as Elijah
IF
2024
as Lewis (voice)
The Color Purple
2023
as Ol' Mister
Outlaw Johnny Black
2023
as Reverend Tharrington (voice) (uncredited)
Three Months
2022
as Benny
Sidney
2022
as Self
I Forgive
2021
as God (voice)
Not to Forget
2021
as Pastor John
Miracle in East Texas
2020
as Irving Tanner Jr.
The Cuban
2020
as Luis Garcia
The Reason
2020
as Pastor Jim
Hal
2019
as Self
Supervized
2019
as Pendle
The Gang Activists
2019
as Self
Foster Boy
2019
as Judge George Taylor
Watchmen
2019
as Old Man / Will Reeves
Breaking Brooklyn
2018
as Miles Bryant
Double Play
2017
as Coco
Undercover Grandpa
2017
as Mother
King of the Dancehall
2017
as The Bishop
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes / Feeling Heart
2017
as Self
The Good Fight
2017
as Carl Reddick
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
2016
as Self
A.C. Green: Iron Virgin
2016
as Himself
Boiling Pot
2015
as Detective Haven
The Book of Negroes
2015
as Daddy Moses
The Spoils Before Dying
2015
as Duke Webster
The Dependables
2014
as Lou Jones
A Fighting Man
2014
as Cubby
Extant
2014
as Quinn
Madam Secretary
2014
as Laurent Vasseur
Miracle at Gate 213
2013
as Roy Peddington
Breaking at the Edge
2013
as Floyd
Smitty
2012
as Mr. Smith
The Undershepherd
2012
as Bishop Redford
Dog Jack
2011
as Grown up Jed
The Grace Card
2011
as George Wright
Why Did I Get Married Too?
2010
as Porter
Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Lou's father
Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy
2009
as Self
The Least Among You
2009
as Samuel Benton
The Perfect Game
2009
as Cool Papa Bell
Amazing Racer
2009
as Max Donovan
Celebrity Ghost Stories
2009
as Self
Delgo
2008
as King Zahn (voice)
Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth
2008
as Self
The Black List: Volume One
2008
as Self
A Love Story of Today
2008
as Self
A Special Kind of Love
2008
as Self
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
Daddy's Little Girls
2007
as Willie
Cover
2007
as Detective Hicks
Stories USA
2007
as Doc (segment "Club Soda")
Solar Attack
2006
as President Ryan Gordon
Club Soda
2006
as Doc
All In
2006
as Caps
Psych
2006
as Lloyd Marr
Left Behind: World at War
2005
as President Geral Fitzhugh
Lackawanna Blues
2005
as Ol'lem Taylor
Black in the 80s
2005
as Self
The Batman
2004
as Lucius Fox (voice)
Momentum
2003
as Raymond Addison
Jasper, Texas
2003
as R.C. Horn
Deceived
2002
as Col. David Garrett
What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away
2002
as Dr. Barnes
Half & Half
2002
as Ray Willis
The Dead Zone
2002
as Pastor David Lewis
For Love of Olivia
2001
as Daniel Stewart
Dr. Lucille
2001
The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence
2000
as Frank
The Color of Love: Jacey's Story
2000
as Lou Hastings
The Highwayman
2000
as Phil Bishop
Y2K
1999
as Morgan
Strange Justice
1999
as Vernon Jordan
Love Songs
1999
as Reuben
Family Guy
1999
as Drill Sargent (voice)
Legend of the Mummy
1998
as Corbeck
The Inspectors
1998
as Inspector Frank Hughes
Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood
1998
as Self
The Wall That Heals
1998
as Self - Host
Hercules
1998
as Chiron (voice)
In His Father's Shoes
1997
as Frank Crosby / Richard
To Dance with Olivia
1997
as Daniel Stewart
Stargate SG-1
1997
as Gerak
Managua
1996
as Paul
Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story
1996
as Bob Kersee
Inside
1996
as Questioner
Captive Heart: The James Mink Story
1996
as James Mink
Early Edition
1996
as Jim Matthews
Promised Land
1996
as Anderson Walker
Iron Eagle on the Attack
1995
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
A Father for Charlie
1995
as Walter Osgood
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self
Kings of the Ring: Four Legends of Heavyweight Boxing
1995
as Narrator
Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder
1995
as Ray Alexander
Zooman
1995
as Rueben Tate
Flashfire
1994
as Ben Durand
Curse of the Starving Class
1994
as Ellis
Blue Chips
1994
as Father Dawkins (uncredited)
A Good Man in Africa
1994
as Prof. Sam Adekunle
Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
1994
as Ray Alexander
ER
1994
as Leo Malcolm
Ellen
1994
as Sgt. Timko
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Anderson Walker
Monolith
1993
as Capt. MacCandless
Father & Son: Dangerous Relations
1993
as Leonard Clay
Return to Lonesome Dove
1993
as Isom Pickett
Iron Eagle III
1992
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Diggstown
1992
as "Honey" Roy Palmer
Gridiron Gang
1992
as Host
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
1992
as Reader (voice)
Picket Fences
1992
as Rick Jennings
Toy Soldiers
1991
as Dean Parker
Cover-Up
1991
as Lou Jackson
The Josephine Baker Story
1991
as Sidney Williams
Carolina Skeletons
1991
as James Bragg
Keeper of the City
1991
as Det. James Dela
El Diablo
1990
as Van Leek
Sudie and Simpson
1990
as Simpson
Zora is My Name!
1990
Captain Planet and the Planeteers
1990
as Commander Clash (voice)
The Punisher
1989
as Jake Berkowitz
Gideon Oliver
1989
Iron Eagle II
1988
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Roots: The Gift
1988
as Fiddler
Sam Found Out: A Triple Play
1988
as Sam
Goodbye, Miss 4th of July
1988
as Big John Creed
Straight Up
1988
as Cosmo
American Experience
1988
as Narrator (voice)
The Principal
1987
as Jake Phillips
A Gathering of Old Men
1987
as Mathu
The Father Clements Story
1987
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood
1987
as Self
Iron Eagle
1986
as Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair
Firewalker
1986
as Leo Porter
Enemy Mine
1985
as Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan
Finders Keepers
1984
as Century
The Guardian
1984
as John Mack
Jaws 3-D
1983
as Calvin Bouchard
The Making of Jaws 3-D: Sharks Don't Die
1983
as narrator
Sadat
1983
as Anwar al-Sadat
An Officer and a Gentleman
1982
as Sergeant Emil Foley
I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
Benny's Place
1982
as Benny Moore
The Powers of Matthew Star
1982
as Walter "Walt" Shepherd (D'Hai)
American Playhouse
1982
Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige
1981
as Leroy 'Satchel' Paige
It Rained All Night the Day I Left
1980
as Leo Garcia
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
1980
The Lazarus Syndrome
1979
as Dr. MacArthur St. Clair
Lawman Without a Gun
1979
as Tom Hayward
Backstairs at the White House
1979
as Levi Mercer, Houseman
The Lazarus Syndrome
1979
as MacArthur St. Clair
To Kill a Cop
1978
as Everett Walker
The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots
1978
as Self
The Critical List
1978
as Lem Harper
To Kill a Cop
1978
as Everett Walker
Freeman
1977
as Rex
The Deep
1977
as Henri Cloche
The Choirboys
1977
as Calvin Motts
Little Ladies of the Night
1977
as Russ Garfield
Roots
1977
as Fiddler
Please Turn the Page
1977
as Self
J.D.'s Revenge
1976
as Rev. Elija Bliss
The River Niger
1976
as Dr. Dudley Stanton
Black Bart
1975
as Black Bart
Delancey Street: The Crisis Within
1975
as Otis James
The Jeffersons
1975
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
The White Dawn
1974
as Portagee
It's Good to Be Alive
1974
as Sam Brockington
Sidekicks
1974
as Jason O'Rourke
Good Times
1974
Little House on the Prairie
1974
as Henry Hill
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
as O'Flaherty
The Rockford Files
1974
as Marcus Aurelius Hayes / O'Brien
The Rockford Files
1974
as Marcus Aurelius 'Gabby' Hayes
Petrocelli
1974
as Kurt Olson, DA
Petrocelli
1974
as District Attorney Kurt Olson
Harry O
1974
as Cleon Jackson
The Laughing Policeman
1973
as Insp. James Larrimore SFPD
Police Story
1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self
Travels with My Aunt
1972
as Wordsworth
The Rookies
1972
Skin Game
1971
as Jason O'Rourke
Alias Smith and Jones
1971
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
1971
as Lt. Carl Fellows
The Landlord
1970
as Copee Johnson
McCloud
1970
The Young Rebels
1970
The Partridge Family
1970
as Sam Simon
The Bushbaby
1969
as Tembo
The Bill Cosby Show
1969
as Hurricane Smith
Love, American Style
1969
as Freddy
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
as Dr. Karnes
Companions in Nightmare
1968
as Lt. Adam McKay
The Mod Squad
1968
as Smitty
The Mod Squad
1968
as Lloyd
The Mod Squad
1968
as Charley Jameson
Cowboy in Africa
1967
as Fulah
Cowboy in Africa
1967
as Joseph Hemera
The Invaders
1967
as Ollie
Daktari
1966
as Mkono
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
A Raisin in the Sun
1961
as George Murchison
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
The New Girl
1960
as Mary's Brother
Bonanza
1959
as Buck Walter
The Oscars
1953
as Self
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Audience Member
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Host
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee / Presenter