Every Black Actor to Win an Oscar
1982 – Louis Gossett Jr. – Best Supporting Actress – An Officer and a Gentleman
Louis Gossett Jr. has had such a legendary career that being the first Black man to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor is a small part of it. Before he was ever an Oscar winner, he gave us Roots. Since he won, we’ve gotten Enemy Mine, Iron Eagle (if that’s your jam), Lonesome Dove, Lackawanna Blues, and of course Watchmen. While he is 100 percent the best thing in An Officer and a Gentleman, that’s not the role most people know him from.