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Richard Roundtree, the movie icon behind the enduring character of Shaft, died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer. THR I will report it.
He was 81 years old.
Roundtree beat breast cancer in 1993.
The actor was born on July 9, 1942 in New Rochelle, New York. In the early 60’s Ebony he was a fashion model for his fairs, in 1967 he joined Negro Ensemble’s company and off he worked on Broadway.
After a public audition, Roundtree was chosen for the title role in Gordon Parks’ Shaft. The film was a huge hit, and Roundtree’s portrayal of the kind-hearted PI made him a star.
Over time, he frequently returned to the role of John Shaft, appearing on “Shaft’s Big Score!” (1972), “Shaft in Africa” (1973), and both Samuel L. Jackson’s versions of “Shaft” (2000 and 2019).
He played a motorcycle daredevil in the disaster epic Earthquake (1974), starred opposite Sir Laurence Olivier in Incheon (1981), and co-starred with Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. He co-starred in the buddy crime film City Heat (1984), directed by David Fincher, and starred in Brad Pitt’s Se7en (1995).
On television, he was a regular on “Roots” (1977) as Sam Bennett, “Generations” (1989-1991) as Dr. Reubens, and on a memorable episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1991). Drama “413 Hope Street” (1997-1998). He played Booker T. Washington in the 1999 television movie Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years (1999).
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In recent years, Roundtree has starred in the films What Men Want (2019), The Haunting of Mary Celeste (2020), and the Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda comedy Moving On (2022). appeared in ).
He capped off a prolific career as a regular on TV’s “Family Reunion” (2019-2022) and “Cherish the Day” (2021-2022), as well as the film “Color” (2023).
Roundtree was married and divorced twice. He is survived by five children;
