Louis Gossett, Jr. Movies
Louis Gossett Jr. ranks as one of the most respected African-American actors of stage, screen, and television. Tall, lanky, and bald-pated, Gossett was a basketball player in high school until a leg injury benched him and his interest turned toward acting. In 1953, at the age of 17, Gossett made his Broadway debut in Take a Giant Step, and ended up with a Donaldson Award for the year's best newcomer. Though working steadily on stage and television, Gossett was still interested in basketball. The New York Knicks drafted him out of college in 1958 and he played with them briefly before returning to performing.In 1961, Gossett reprised on film the role he played in the theatrical production of A Raisin in the Sun. It was a well-regarded beginning, and he continued to appear on stage and television, and beginning in 1967, the occasional feature film or television movie. During this early period, he also occasionally sang in nightclubs. Gossett did not become a bona fide star until his Emmy-winning performance in the landmark television miniseries Roots (1977). His career picked up considerably after that. In 1982, Gossett earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing a deceptively heartless drill sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman. That same year, he also starred in another television series as the wise mentor to an alien prince in The Powers of Matthew Star (1982-1983). After the success of An Officer and a Gentleman, Gossett reprised his roll as the tough sergeant, albeit using different character names, in several films, including the Iron Eagle series, The Punisher (1989), and others. But though he makes an excellent rough guy, Gossett has showed a willingness to let his softer side show through in such made-for-TV movies as Sudie and Simpson (1990). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2010
- Add For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots to Queue Add For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots to top of Queue
Halle Berry hosts this eye-opening account of the African-American contribution to the United States military, beginning with the role of black soldiers in the American Revolution and spanning to the African-American experience in Iraq. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Halle Berry, Avery Brooks, (more)
- 2009
- Add Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement to Queue Add Let Freedom Sing: How Music Inspired the Civil Rights Movement to top of Queue
Oscar and Emmy-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. narrates this dramatic look at the people who raised their voices in song against racism and inequality. Change was in the air, and it was the singers and songwriters of such unforgettable melodies as "A Change is Gonna Come", "Blowin' in the Wind", and "People Get Ready who helped give the Civil Rights Movement it's anthems and soul. Hear firsthand accounts of how the Mississippi Freedom Riders used music to summon courage in the face of great danger, reflect on the brutality of enforced segregation with Billy Holiday's haunting ballad "Strange Fruit", and watch as the seeds of change that were planted in the 1960s blossoms in the music, politics, and culture of the decades that followed. Extensive interviews with Quincy Jones, Chuck D, Isaac Hayes, Gladys Knight, and others combine with never-before-seen historic footage to offer an absorbing account of a time of unprecedented social transformation. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr.
- 2008
Directed by filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and produced by journalist Elvis Mitchell, this collaborative documentary offers an informative collection of portraits of twenty influential African Americans ranging from powerful CEOs to prolific artists, well-known politicians, and dedicated activists. Artist Bill T. Jones discusses the reaction of his contemporaries after he described himself as an artist first and a black man second, Chris Rock describes how equality in sports didn't come about until there were bad black athletes in the major leagues, and Vernon Jordan ponders the reason why there is a clear definition of black America while white America remains a vague, undefined standard. Other conversations find Academy Award-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. discussing institutionalized racism and its effect on his onscreen career, museum curator Thelma Golden reflecting on the times when people mistakenly assumed she was her own assistant, and, by contrast, the manner in which author Toni Morrison was encouraged as a young girl to believe that women can be just as strong as men. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Mitchell
A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben Junior's parents were from Lackawanna, a city in Upstate New York, and were living in a rooming house run by Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson), whose place was a hub for the local African-American community. When Ruben Junior's parents split up, he and his mother return to Lackawanna and Nanny's rooming house; with mother overworked physically and in sad shape emotionally, Nanny takes Ruben Junior under her wing, and offers him the sort of nurturing she gives all her boarders. Nanny's house is full of people struggling for a fresh start in life, ranging from former convicts to recovering drug addicts, and she opens both her doors and her heart to them as they strive to make themselves better people. Ruben Junior finds a loving home amidst the colorful eccentrics in Nanny's circle of friends, but as America changes over the course of the 1950s and '60s, so does the neighborhood where Nanny and her tenants live -- and not for the better. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Lackawanna Blues features a stellar supporting cast, including Delroy Lindo, Louis Gossett Jr., Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, and Ernie Hudson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- S. Epatha Merkerson, Julie Benz, (more)
- 2003
Upon the death of his clergyman father, David Lewis (Louis Gossett Jr.), Bruce (John L. Adams) heads to Indianapolis for the funeral, bringing along his friend Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) for emotional support. Brushing past the body of Pastor Lewis, Johnny experiences a strange vision which he inadvertently passes along to Bruce. Suddenly, Bruce is hurtled into a whole new existence -- precipitated by a completely revised past life, with events radically changed, but the principal characters remaining the same. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John L. Adams, Nicole deBoer, (more)
- 2002
- Add What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away to Queue Add What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away to top of Queue
A rare original movie offering from the UPN network, What About Your Friends: Weekend Get-Away focuses on three high school girls: aspiring singer Temple (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and her lifelong friends Alex (Angell Conwell) and Breena (Monica McSwain). Attending a weekend college-scholarship retreat, the three heroines endeavor to gain financial support for their chosen academic fields. Along the way, Temple squares off against longtime rival Doreen (Alexis Fields), Alex is distracted by a handsome frat boy, and Breena tries to prove that she's a lot more mature than her hip-hop image. The film originally aired on May 31, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keshia Knight Pulliam, Angell Conwell, (more)
- 2001
The scene is the small Missouri town of Silver Shade in the mid-'60s. Despite deeply ingrained prejudice, black lawyer Daniel Webster Stewart (Louis Gossett Jr.) has managed to achieve success, and is now on the verge of winning an important political race. Things take a startling turn when Stewart's friend Curtis Gallegher (Sterling Macer) is accused of killing the wife of Daniel's white political opponent, Horton Roundtree (Robert Urich). Fearing accusations of "conflict of interest," Stewart at first refuses to defend Curtis in court, but a hitherto unrevealed secret in the past of his own wife Olivia (Lonette McKee) forces him to change his mind. Meanwhile, someone in town is determined to prevent Daniel from taking up Curtis' defense -- and that someone is clearly willing to stop at nothing. A sequel to the 1997 TV movie To Dance With Olivia, which also starred Louis Gossett Jr. and Lonette McKee, For Love of Olivia was telecast by CBS on March 18, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2000
When the daughter of widowed Southern dowager Georgia Porter (Gena Rowlands) is killed in an accident, Georgia learns to her horror that she is the grandmother of an African-American child named Jacey (Penny Bae Bridges). At first, Georgia's inbred racism holds sway, and she does everything she can to avoid taking custody of the little girl. Eventually, however, Georgia finds herself sharing Jacey -- and her household -- with the girl's black paternal grandfather, Lou Hastings (Louis Gossett Jr.), who, truth be told, is equally appalled by the situation at hand. The Color of Love made its CBS network debut on March 19, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gena Rowlands, Penny Bae Bridges, (more)
This made-for-TV drama is based on the true-life story of Dr. Lucille Teasdale (Marina Orsini), who was one of the first female surgeons to practice in Canada. After establishing a practice in Quebec, Teasdale was re-introduced to Dr. Piero Corti (Massimo Ghini), a fellow surgeon she first met while studying in Montreal. Corti persuaded Teasdale to join him as he traveled to Uganda, and they soon fell in love and got married. Corti and Teasdale dedicated themselves to helping heal the people of Uganda through poverty, plague, and bloody civil war; together they founded St. Mary's Hospital, which was regarded as one of the finest medical facilities in Africa, and they selflessly devoted 14 hours a day to treating their patients. Teasdale contracted the HIV virus when she cut herself while performing surgery on an infected patient in 1979, but continued her practice, using careful precautions to prevent her from spreading the disease, and displaying her devotion to the Ugandan people until her death in 1996. Originally produced for Canadian television, Dr. Lucille also features Louis Gossett Jr.. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marina Orsini, Massimo Ghini, (more)
- 2000
- Add The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence to Queue Add The Inspectors 2: A Shred of Evidence to top of Queue
Originally aired on the Showtime cable network, this sequel continues the adventures of two determined postal inspectors as they track down a serial killer who uses mail fraud as a means of hunting down his victims, murdering them, and then stealing their identities. Jonathan Silverman and Louis Gossett, Jr. reprise their roles as the titular inspectors. This film was made with the full cooperation of the U.S. Postal Service. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Jonathan Silverman, (more)
Louis Gossett Jr. and Robert Townsend take turns directing each other in this multi-part film about the many facets of love and passion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Andre Braugher, (more)
Originally made for the Showtime cable network, this fast-paced thriller allows viewers a look into the sometimes dangerous world of two United States Postal Inspectors as they try to find the culprit behind a mail bombing. The two inspectors couldn't be more different. Frank Hughes (Louis Gossett Jr.) has been at the job for years and is an ace crime solver with his own way of doing things. His partner, Alex Urbina (Jonathan Silverman), is fresh out of Harvard and knows all of the latest crime-solving techniques. Both of their skills are tested when they are assigned to locate the person responsible for the mail bomb that left a Baltimore man dead and his wife in critical condition. The prime suspect is the couple's son Drew Carrigan, but they soon found out he was meant to be the victim. Drew points out his own suspects, but they turn out to be in prison, leaving the detectives with plenty of questions and very few clues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr., Jonathan Silverman, (more)
- 1998
In this episode of Story of a People, Danny Glover hosts an in-depth look at the issues surrounding affirmative action. All sides of the issue are given equal time. The same weight is assigned affirmative action's triumphs and its failures. Through interviews with people from a wide variety of ethnic and economic backgrounds, this video sheds light on a divisive issue. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi
- 1998
In this episode of Story of a People, Danny Glover hosts an in-depth look at the problems and triumphs of interracial couples. Interviews with friends, enemies, and families of the couples are featured. Special attention is paid to society's changing attitudes regarding such unions. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi
- 1997
In this first episode of a two-part story, Tess (Della Reese) pays a visit to the Greene family, the protagonists of the Touched by an Angel spinoff series Promised Land. She informs Joshua Greene (Austin O'Brien) that God has reserved a special purpose for him, specifically act as the "eyes" for the temporarily blinded Monica during her next assignment. Hitching a ride with one Michael Burns (George Newbern), Joshua and Monica end up in a rundown Denver neighborhood, where Michael's grandfather runs an inner-city mall. Here the travellers befriend lunch-counter owner Mary Harding (Esther Rolle) and her grandchildren Calvin (Sean Nelson) and Chanice (Myriah Darden), and also beauty salon proprietor Queenie (Jenifer Lewis). Unfortunately, the neighborhood is rife with tension over a dangerous band of "taggers" who have covered the walls with gang graffiti--and just before the episode ends, tragedy strikes one of the principal characters. Though the concluding half of this story originally aired as an episode of Promised Land, it is currently included in the Touched by an Angel syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1997
- Add Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood to Queue Add Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood to top of Queue
Though almost all actors and directors must struggle to find gainful employment in their profession, this challenge continues to be an even greatest one for many African-American actors. Fortunately, some advances have been made. This film seeks to document the types of discrimination and unique challenges these actors have had to overcome, as well as recent triumphs. Actor Louis Gossett, Jr., hosts this program that uses both older black-and-white film clips, along with color ones, to review the absence and presence of African-Americans in Hollywood productions over the years. As many viewers know, minority actors continue to be hired more often for lesser comedy roles than positive dramatic ones. However, the film remains upbeat as it praises the talented African-Americans who continue to be trailblazers for many others. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi
- 1997
Originally an episode of the Touched by an Angel spinoff Promised Land, this is the conclusion of a two-part story begun on Angel (and as such is included in the current Angel syndication package. Having been chosen to act as the "eyes" for temporarily inded angel Monica (Roma Downey), young Joshua Greene (Austin O'Brien) is himself rendered sightless in a drive-by shooting. Dr. Serena Hall (Lynn Whitfield) holds Michael Burns (George Newbern), the man who brought Joshua to the inner-city Denver neighborhood where the shooting occurred, responsible for the tragedy, but both Monica and friendly beauty-shop owner Queenie (Jenifer Lewis) do their best to alleviate Michael's guilt feelings. Meanwhile, Joshua's dad Russell (Promised Land star Gerald McRaney) rallies the neighborhood to take a strong stand against gang violence. Evidently, this episode was intended as the pilot for a new series starring George Newbern, which never got off the ground; however, the Denver-ghetto setting would be utilized again during Promised Land's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
In 1988, Gail Devers was one of the best female sprinters in America, and seemed assured of a place on the United States Olympic Team to compete in the 100-meter hurdles in that year's games in Seoul, South Korea. However, tragedy struck Devers in the form of Grave's Disease, a rare ailment that causes swelling and bleeding in the feet. Devers' illness not only prevented her from competing in the Seoul Olympics, it also continued to spread and nearly forced her to have her feet amputated, until a new form of therapy led her to a miraculous recovery -- and a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for the 1992 games in Atlanta. Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story is a made-for-TV drama based on Devers' remarkable true story; Charlayne Woodard stars as Gail Devers, with Louis Gossett Jr. co-starring as her coach, Bob Kersee. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlayne Woodard, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 1996
This program explores the inspirations and accomplishments of African-American men and examines issues they often face in contemporary society. Hosted by Academy Award-winning actor, Louis Gossett Jr., the program emphasizes the importance of clarity, commitment, and caring. Interviews with Robert Guillaume, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Sinbad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Cuba Gooding Jr. are featured. This is one volume in the four-part series, Images & Realities, which examines contemporary concerns and issues faced by African- American people, and discusses how solutions can be found through shared values and a sense of community. ~ Alice Duncan, Rovi
- 1996
A highly entertaining retrospective of the famous basketball team. Harlem Globetrotters: 6 Decades of Magic, hosted by Louis Gossett Jr., showcases the multi-talented and athletic players that have been delighting audiences all over the world since 1927. Special profiles of famous players like Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon are included, as well as guest appearances and insights by Dick Clark and Cab Calloway.
~ Sarah Block, Rovi
~ Sarah Block, Rovi
- 1996
Devoted parents search for their daughter in this strange, fact-based made-for-television movie. Set in the 1850s, Louis Gossett Jr. stars as James Mink, a wealthy Canadian businessman who is married to a white woman (Kate Nelligan). When their daughter is duped into marrying a slave trader, the Minks set out for the American South to track down their missing daughter and bring her back home. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- 1995
Rare archival footage and interviews tell tales of public triumph and personal defeats of the greatest names in boxing -- from Jess Willard in 1915 to Mike Tyson. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Louis Gossett, Jr.
Battered and left alone, a 10-year-old sharecropper's son finds comfort and unconditional love from a big-hearted farmer. Because, however, the kindly agrarian is a black man (Louis Gossett Jr.) and the boy (Joseph Mazzello) is white, their relationship causes an uproar in their heretofore peaceful Southern community. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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