An Actor and a Gentleman »

LOUIS GOSSETT JR. is one of the most respected African American actors of stage, screen, and television. He made his Broadway debut at age seventeen in Take a Giant Step, winning the Donaldson Award as the year's best newcomer. His Emmy-winning 1977 performance in the landmark miniseries Roots made him a star, and in 1982 he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in An Officer and a Gentleman. In 2006 he started Eracism, a foundation dedicated to eradicating racism, violence, and ignorance and especially to creating programs to give children at risk a helping hand. He was heavily involved in campaigning for Barack Obama, especially raising money and involving other celebrities in the campaign.

PHYLLIS KARAS is a professor at Boston University's School of Journalism and has written several books, including the New York Times bestseller Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob and The Onassis Women.

Award-winning African-American actor Lou Gossett, Jr. takes an unvarnished look at the daunting challenges and incredible triumphs of his fifty-year career

Louis Gossett, Jr. is one of the most respected African-American stage and screen actors, who rose to fame with his Emmy-winning role in the television mini-series Roots and Oscar-winning performance in An Officer and a Gentleman. Now he tells the story of his fifty years in the entertainment world—from his early success on the New York stage appearing with Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier in Raisin in the Sun, through his long Hollywood career working alongside countless stars such as Marilyn Monroe and Dennis Quaid. He writes frankly of his struggle to get leading roles and fair pay as a black man in Hollywood, the problems with drugs and alcohol that took years to overcome, and of his current work to eradicate racism and violence and give our children a better future.

• Includes revealing stories and reminiscences involving famous performers, including Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Shirley Booth, Sammy Davis, Jr., Steve McQueen, Richard Gere, Maggie Smith, Halle Berry, and Gena Rowlands
• Spans half a century of American theater and film history, people, and performances
• Highlights the problem of racism in Hollywood and the challenges faced by African American actors from the 1950s and 1960s onward

Standing Tall penetrates the celebrity glitz and glamour to offer an honest, heartfelt portrayal of the African-American experience both in Hollywood and the New York theater world, as told by one of the nation’s most enduring and highly esteemedactors.

Foreword Christopher Lawford vii

Acknowledgments xi

1 The Bubble Burst: Hollywood, 1968 1

2 Twice as Good: 1936-1952 19

3 The Beatnik Years: 1954-1959 55

4 Hooked on Theater: 1959-1963 81

5 Finding My Place: 1964-1967 110

6 More Like Home: 1967-1970 133

7 A Rock and a Hard Place: 1970-1974 149

8 Fatherhood: 1974-1980 170

9 An Officer and a Gentleman: 1981-1983 184

10 The Eyes of a Lizard: 1983-1985 196

11 Losing Love: 1985-1992 214

12 Dodging the Bullet: 1992-1993 235

13 Six Months to Live: 1993-2001 247

14 No, Thanks: 2001-2004 255

15 Putting the Demons to Rest: July 4, 2004 263

16 Eracism: January 5, 2006 271

Photo Credits 299

Index 301