Richard Roundtree, the actor who starred in the hit series Shaft and was known as "the first black action hero," has died at the age of 81.
Shaft actor Richard Roundtree has passed away at the age of 81. The award-winning actor, who appeared in many television and film roles during his illustrious career spanning some five decades, was born on July 9, 1942. His professional acting career began around 1963, but he did not gain fame until 1971, when he took on the lead role of Detective John Shaft in the open crime thriller Gordon Park's blatant falls.
According to Deadline, Roundtree passed away on an October afternoon. On February 24, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer with his family at his bedside. Roundtree's departure was confirmed by his agency Artists & Rep and his longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, who wrote in a statement: "His pioneering career changed the face of entertainment." His lasting legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.
Roundtree's passing is a great loss and his contributions to the entertainment industry as a whole are undeniable. Before Roundtree brought the iconic character John Shaft to life in Ernest Tidyman's 1970 novel Shaft, he began his career modeling at Ebony Fashion Fair and for a number of notable brands. other. After achieving relative success as a model, Roundtree turned to acting, joining a New York-based theater company called the Negro Ensemble Company.
After passing through various stages, he then got the role of private detective John Shaft in Gordon Park's film adaptation of Ernest Tidyman's book and the first of the Shaft series. He appeared in later versions of Shaft, Shaft's Big Score, Shaft In Africa and two contemporary versions of Shaft released in 2000 and 2019 respectively.
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During her illustrious career, Roundtree starred in several other notable shows and movies such as Inchon, City Heat, Diary of a Single Mom, Buddies, Have Our Say: The Delany: Sisters' First 100 Years, Soul Food, Being Mary Jane, and he also starred in several episodes of the first season of Desperate Housewives. Since news of Roundtree's passing, a number of tributes have poured in online from both and their colleagues, showing how important, influential and loved Roundtree was.
