The death has been announced of Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr., best known for his portrayal of a sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman, which won him the Academy Award.
The actor, who also won an Emmy for his role in mini-series Roots, was 87 and died in California.
His family said: "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."
Mr Gossett was the second Black man to win an acting Oscar, following on from Sidney Poitier's win in 1964.
He was a good friend of James Dean as they attended the Actors Studio in New York leading to his first role in The Big Story in 1957. He was also in The Landlord in the 1970s and his other roles included Skin Game and The Deep.
Mr Gossett's last role was in The Color Purple in 2023. He had a prolific acting career with other noticeable roles in the 2003 Jasper, Texas , Daddy's Little Girls, King of the Dancehall, Foster Boy and The Cuban.
He was nominated for a Grammy for The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots; Backstairs at the White House; Palmerstown, U.S.A.; A Gathering of Old Men; and Touched by an Angel. He received an Emmy nom for each of these five projects.
Gossett founded the nonprofit Eracism Foundation, an "all out conscious offensive" to eradicate all forms of racism, he had been a victim of racism in 1966,when he was pulled over by Beverly Hills cops and handcuffed to a palm tree for no reason.
