Charismatic black actor with a flair for projecting quiet authority, Gossett has scored well personally in a string of diverse and occasionally challenging roles. The aspiring actor caught a break at his first Broadway audition for "Take A Giant Step" (1953), where, beating out 400 other candidates, the then 16-year-old landed the lead. His acting career soon flourished and his work in the stage and film versions of the groundbreaking drama about African-American family life in Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961) proved a watershed. This led to numerous appearances on network series in the 1960s and 70s culminating in 1977, when Gossett picked up an Emmy for his eloquent portrayal of Fiddler in the landmark ABC miniseries "Roots". 5Meanwhile, his big screen reputation grew with critically acclaimed work in such comedies as "The Landlord" (1970) and "Travels with My Aunt" (1972) and the film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning drama "The River Niger" (1975). A riveting performance as a drug-dealing cut-throat stalking Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset in "The Deep" (1977) catapulted Gossett to wider popularity, but the tough by-the-book drill sergeant in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) won him a Best Supporting Oscar that consolidated his place in the Hollywood hierarchy. While his Oscar win did not bring the avalanche of plum movie roles anticipated, he still made regular big screen appearances, being singled out for his work as a razor sharp con-man in the comedy thriller "Finders Keepers" (1984), the sci-fi adventure "Enemy Mine" (1985) where his lizard-like makeup won kudos, and in the action adventure trilogy "Iron Eagle" (1985, 1986, 1992) which introduced him to a whole new generation of moviegoers. Still going strong in the 90s, Gossett cuts quite a figure with his shaved head and imposing six-foot-four physique, a look which served him well in "Diggstown" (1992) where he played a down-and-out boxer, and as an African dignitary in "A Good Man in Africa" (1994) doing ensemble work with the likes of Colin Friels, Sean Connery and Diana Rigg. Gossett's well thought out and nuanced performances also managed to give credibility to a number of lackluster theatrical vehicles, many of which were released directly to home video.