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We are sad to report that legendary African-American actor Louis Gossett Jr. passed away on March 28, 2024 in Santa Monica, CA. He was 87 years old at the time of death, and was on his way to celebrate his 88th birthday in May this year. No official cause of death has been given, but Gosset has had health issues in the recent decade, being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2010 and being hospitalized for Covid-19 during the pandemic. The news was confirmed by Gossett’s first cousin Neal L. Gossett.

A true acting legend, Louis Gossett Jr. was born in New York on May 27, 1936. His mother was a nurse, and his father was a porter. Although he was proficient in sports as well, after his stage debut at the age of 17, his teacher encouraged him to pursue an acting career. Although he obtained a sports scholarship at the NYU and was offered to play basketball,...

Louis Gossett, Jr., a trailblazing actor who became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, sadly passed away late Thursday night on March 28, 2024. He was 87 years old. The news was reported by the Associated Press, who confirmed his death through the late actor's nephew Robert.

Most recently appearing in Warner Bros.' "The Color Purple" remake and in HBO's "Watchmen" series, Gossett, Jr. is perhaps most well known for his award-winning turn as drill instructor Emil Foley in 1982's "An Officer and a Gentleman." Additionally, he won an Emmy award for his role in the popular 1977 miniseries "Roots" and went on to earn widespread acclaim and recognition on both television and movies, racking up numerous Primetime Emmy Awards over the years. After first getting his start on Broadway at a time when the odds were severely stacked against him, Gossett, Jr. made his big-screen...

Louis Gossett Jr., who won a supporting actor Oscar for playing the hard-as-nails drill instructor in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” a few years after winning an Emmy for his role as the cunning Fiddler in “Roots,” died early Friday morning. He was 87.

Gossett’s family announced his death in a statement, writing: “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

In Taylor Hackford’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett’s Sgt. Emil Foley memorably drove Richard Gere’s character to the point of near collapse at a Navy flight school. Gossett was the first Black man to win the best supporting actor Oscar for that role.

In addition to “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett is best known...

Norman Lear, who recently passed away at the age of 101, transformed the network television sitcom in the 1970s by confronting America's cultural contentiousness head-on and daring viewers to laugh at a bigot like Archie Bunker on "All in the Family" or the white-folks-hating George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons." People were more than ready to accept this challenge. "All in the Family" was the top-rated show on television for six of its nine seasons, while "The Jeffersons" ranked in the top 10 for four of its remarkable 11 seasons. Along with "Good Times," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "One Day at a Time" and "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear basically dominated the decade. It was a creative hot streak that's never been matched and one that Lear could never replicate.

After the 1978 premiere of "Diff'rent Strokes," Lear went ice cold. "The Baxters" and "Palmerstown, USA" only hung around for two seasons, while "Hanging In" and "aka...

Four top film production designers will reveal the secrets behind their crafts when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Btl Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Oscar contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to be published on Monday, December 14, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Joyce Eng and a group chat with Joyce and all of the designers together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Btl Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Oscar contenders:

“I’m Your Woman” (Amazon Prime): Gae Buckley

Buckley’s career has included such projects as “Stargirl,” “Breakthrough,...

George Clooney will present the Art Directors Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award to his old pal and longtime collaborator, production designer Jim Bissell. The awards show and presentation will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 31.

Clooney’s collaboration with Bissell began in 2002 with Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, followed by Good Night, And Good Luck, Leatherheads, and most recently The Monuments Men.

Bissell’s other credits include E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, 300, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). He won an Emmy for Palmerstown, U.S.A., and and received an Oscar nomination for Good Night, And Good Luck.

Production designer Jim Bissell will receive the Art Directors Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards on Jan. 31, 2015, at at the Beverly Hilton. The honor was announced Tuesday by John Shaffner, Adg Council chairman and Adg Award producers Dave Blass and James Pearse Connelly. List The Hollywood Reporter Reveals Hollywood's 100 Favorite Films An Oscar nominee for best achievement in art direction for 2005’s Good Night, and Good Luck and an Emmy winner for outstanding art direction for a series for 1980’s Palmerstown, U.S.A., Bissell has worked on such films

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THR is reporting that Willard Rodgers has died at the age of 69. Rodgers passed away at the Country Villa nursing home in Monrovia, near Los Angeles.

In addition to launching the AFI's Alumni Association Writers Workshop in 1979, Rodgers was also reportedly a writer on CBS' short-lived Palmerstown, USA series.

Though not well-remembered today, Palmerstown revolves around two young boys and their working class families -- one African-American and one Caucasian -- in the Southern Us during the 1930s. The series was co-produced by Norman Lear (All in the Family) and Alex Haley (Roots) and co-starred a young Michael J. Fox. It lasted just 11 episodes in 1980 and 1981, was nominated for three Emmys and won one Emmy for art direction.

A memorial service for Rodgers is planned for Monday and burial services will be held on Tuesday at...

In my quest to figure out good Xmas and Kwanzaa gifts for my people this year, I realized we always recommend movies, DVD’s and VODs, but I’ve seldom read about good books here on S&A. So, I’ve compile a great list for of Black cinephile-based books for the filmgoing audience. Some you’re definitely familiar with, others maybe not, but nonetheless here it is:

Donald Bogle’s books

I’ve been reading Bogle’s books for 20 years now, so considering I’m just on the precipice of my (eek!) mid-30’s, that’s saying a lot of the amount of Black film knowledge that he’s imparted to the masses for decades.

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks

Arguably Bogle’s greatest, if not simply his best known book, “Toms…” is the definitive study of American Black film images going back to the beginning with Birth of...