Richard Gereis paying tribute to hisOfficer and a GentlemancostarLouis Gossett Jr.after hisdeathat age 87.
Gossett portrayed Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley, a drill instructor who served over Gere’s character Zack Mayo in the 1982 film. The film earned Gossett an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — making him the first Black performer to win the Supporting Actor Oscar.
“He stayed in character the whole time,” Gere, 74, recalls. “I don’t think we ever saw him socially. He was the drill sergeant 24 hours a day, and it showed clearly in his performance. He drove every scene he was in.”
Gere also describes Gossett as “a tough guy with a heart of gold,” adding, “We were all so proud of him when he won his Oscar.” He also offers “condolences to his family.”
Richard Gere, left, and his Officer and a Gentleman co-star Louis Gossett Jr., right.Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Leon Bennett/WireImage
Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Leon Bennett/WireImage
DirectorTaylor Hackfordalso says in a statement that he “admired” Gossett’s stage work, and “hired him on the spot” after learning he’d previously served as a U.S. Army Ranger.
Louis Gossett Jr., left, and Richard Gere, right, pose together at the American Museum Of The Moving Image Salute To Richard Gere at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel April 20, 2004.Evan Agostini/Getty
Evan Agostini/Getty
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Gossett’s character was originally “written as a White man,” but Hackford says that changed after the director visited the Navy Officers Flight Training Center in Pensacola, Fla., where he learned “many of the Drill Instructors there were men of color.”
“I found it interesting that Black & Brown enlisted men had ‘make-or-break’ control over whether white college graduates would become officers and fighter pilots,” Hackford explains. “At that moment I changed the casting profile for Sargent Foley and started meeting actors of color.”
Louis Gossett Jr., left, and Richard Gere, right, in the 1982 film An Officer and A Gentleman.Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
TheAssociated Presswas first to report news of Gossett’s death. The actor’s nephew told the outlet that he died Thursday night in Santa Monica, California. No cause of death has yet been revealed.
“We would like to thank everyone for their condolences,” the family said in its statement.
source: people.com
