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 Veteran TV/film actor Louis Gossett, Jr. made two guest appearances on "Good Times", in different roles. | ||||
| Personal Information | ||||
| Gender: | Male | |||
| Born: | May 27, 1936 | |||
| Birthplace: | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |||
| Career/Family Information | ||||
| Occupation/ Career: |
Actor, Voice actor, Director, Screenwriter and Producer | |||
| Years active: | 1959-present | |||
| Character information | ||||
| Appeared on: | Good Times | |||
| Character played: | Donald Knight in "Thelma's Young Man" (Season 1) Uncle Wilbert in "Michael's Big Fall" (Season 3) | |||
Louis Gossett, Jr. (born May 27, 1936) made two guest appearances on Good Times; first as Donald Knight, a new boyfriend of Thelma's who's closer to James's age in "Thelma's Young Man" in Season 1 and then as Uncle Wilbert, Florida's younger brother, in "Michael's Big Fall" in Season 3. Louis is perhaps best known for his role in the 1982 Oscar-Winning film An Officer and a Gentleman, and his role as Fiddler in the 1977 Emmy Award-winning ABC-TV miniseries Roots (Alongside John Amos).
Career[]
Lou is also well known for his role in the Iron Eagle film series. Gossett stepped into the world of cinema in the Sidney Poitier vehicle A Raisin in the Sun in 1961.
Since his film debut, 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 An Officer and a Gentleman, where he appeared opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger showcased his talent and won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1986, he starred in another role as a military man in the film Iron Eagle with bodybuilder/actress Rachel McLish. It was followed by three sequels.
Theatre[]
Gossett's Broadway theatre credits include A Raisin in the Sun (1959), Golden Boy (1964), and Chicago (2002).
Television[]
He also has performed in other media, including television productions. His Emmy award-winning role of "Fiddler" in the 1977 groundbreaking television miniseries Roots first brought Gossett to the audience's attention. In 1983, he was cast in the title role in Sadat, a miniseries which chronicled the life and assassination of Anwar Sadat. While filming An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett was also starring in the 1982–1983 NBC-TV science fiction series, The Powers of Matthew Star. He also played the role of US President Gerald Fitzhugh in the movie Left Behind: World at War.
Other work[]
Gossett is the voice of the Vortigaunts in the video game Half-Life 2 (although he did not return for a later installment in the series, "Half-Life 2: Episode Two") and is also the Free Jaffa Leader (Gerak) in Season 9 of Stargate SG-1. He also provides the voice of Lucius Fox in The Batman. He recorded several commercials for a Nashville-based diabetic company, AmMed Direct, LLC.
In 1997 Lou presented When Animals Attack! 4, a one hour special on Fox.
He also co-wrote the antiwar folk song "Handsome Johnny" with Richie Havens.
External links[]
- Louis Gossett, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database
- Louis Gossett, Jr. article at Wikipedia
