ATL Plus Magazine MAY-JUN 2023 "Frank Ski"

Louis Gossett Jr. reveals candid moments about his childhood, career and advocacy for equality.

ATL + Magazine sat down with the legendary actor and activist, Louis Gossett Jr., as he shared his thoughts, experiences and legacy that has spanned for more than a half of century. His reign in the film industry is storytelling of remarkable talent. It was a sheer pleasure to have had the luxury to sit and listen to the wealth of wisdom spoken by the august. You may know him for the roles that he has starred in such as Raisin in the Sun, “Fiddler” in Alex Haley’s miniseries Roots (1977), his Golden Globe award portrayal in “The Josephine Baker Story” (1991) and Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). This is only a snippet of the prolific roles played by the legendary icon. So where do I begin?

“One of Many” Born in Brooklyn, New York, Louis Gossett Jr was raised by a single mother in a diverse community where he was exposed to culture and “the cream of the crop of the intellectuals.” His neighbors were Jewish, Irish and Italian. “I was one of many, as what mankind should be. Many of them were running from Hitler, and it wasn’t until then that I realized that I was different because of the color of my skin; and that we all are running from something. I felt very comfortable being one of many.”

At the age of twelve, Gossett recalls having a life changing conversation with his “buddy” and neighbor, Stanley Ralph Ross, also known as the chief writer of the Batman series, that caused him to have a paradigm shift.

One day while playing Superman together, Gossett said he felt as though he wasn’t doing a good job of imitating the Super hero. When asked what was wrong, Gossett shared with his friend that after looking in the mirror he acknowledged that he didn’t look like Superman. In response, his friend reassured self esteem within him. “That’s ok, you’re Superman today.” It was at that very moment, Gossett became free of the destruction of being black and ultimately the color of his skin. “If it wasn’t for that wonderful meeting with Stanley Ralph Ross, I would probably be an incurable needy low self esteem black man today.”

“Everybody is Superman Today” He later became the “first” as president of his junior and senior highschool; and never having seen a play, he opened up as the lead in a broadway play, Take A Giant Step, at the age of seventeen. Gossett won the Donaldson Award for this performance in 1952 for best newcomer to theater, and before graduating from high school, he appeared in Desk Set with Shirley Booth (1954).

His best friends were the titanic moguls of film and television, Lee Strasberg, of the Actors Studio, David Siskin, also known as “Mr. Entertainment,” and Lew R. Wasserman, who created Universal Pictures. Gossett started in the first Universal movie of the week in the year of 1966.

Acting Came Naturally Gossett became acclimated to acting by practicing in front of people by singing in the intermediate choir at The First Baptist Church of Coney Island. There he sang with the Chiffons and Richie Havens and would often compete at the Brooklyn Paramount against musical greats such as The Dixie Hummingbirds, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Jackie Wilsoncoming in at either fifth or sixth place. Gossett’s height, 6 ‘4, provided him the opportunity to attend New York University with a basketball scholarship which opened the door for him to play for the New York Knicks in 1958.

Deciding to shelve his athletic skills, Gossett furthered his passion for acting and began his studies for acting at The Actors Studio. As fate would have it, his undeniable gift was recognized and he was cast in the production and play of Raisin in the Sun (1961). He performed alongside Academy Award winner, Sydney Poiter, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil and other great actors. musical “The Color Purple,” presented W W Wby . A TWarner L P L U S MBrothers.

AGAZINE.COM 65