2022–23 Guest Speaker: Louis Gossett Jr.
Actor, writer, producer 和 director
Stretansky Concert Hall
周五,11月. 11, 2023, 5 p.m.
Louis Gossett Jr. is one of the most respected 和 beloved actors on stage, screen 和 television 和 is also an accomplished writer, producer 和 director. Off-screen he is a social activist, educator 和 author dedicated to enriching the lives of others.
Gossett was the first African-American to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable performance as drill Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer 和 a Gentleman. Among his other awards are an Emmy for Outst和ing Lead Actor for his portrayal of Fiddler in the groundbreaking ABC series 根, a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for The Josephine Baker Story 和 a Golden Globe for An Officer 和 a Gentleman. He has been nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, one Academy Award, five Images Awards, two Daytime Emmy Awards, 和 in 1992 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Throughout his illustrious career, Gossett has also received numerous other honors. His film debut was in the 1961 classic movie A Raisin in the Sun with Sidney Poitier. Other film credits include 深, 蓝筹股, Daddy’s Little Girls, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?, 火焰行者, Jaws-3D, 我的敌人 和 铁鹰 1-4, among many others. Television credits include 守望的人, 现存的, Madam Secretary, Boardwalk Empire, 家庭的人 和 ER, among dozens of others. Gossett is the author of the bestselling autobiography An Actor 和 a Gentleman, in which he chronicles the challenges 和 triumphs of his 50+ year career.
Gossett is recognized as much for his humanitarian efforts as he is for his accomplishments as an actor. In 2006, Gossett founded The Eracism Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating racism. The foundation provides young adults with tools to live a racially diverse 和 culturally inclusive life. 项目 focus on fostering cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education 和 anti-violence initiatives.
Born in Brooklyn, Gossett made his stage debut when he was 17 in Take a Giant Step, which was selected as one of the 10 best Broadway shows of 1953 by The New York Times.