—continued from front flap— An unvarnished account of a AN ACTOR $26.95 USA/$31.95 CAN an L.A. County sheriff for DWB (Driving While stellar career in interesting times Black). He was stopped six more times before He was a Broadway star at age seventeen. His he reached the hotel. In the end, that short trip fi rst job out of college was the 530-performance took four hours. But the horror and humiliation From his days as a teenage Broadway star through his prominent role in Barack run of Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking play of that experience were just a foretaste of what Obama’s presidential campaign, Louis Gossett Jr. has always had an unusual perch from A N D A G E N T L E M A N A Raisin in the Sun, in which he appeared with L.A. police offi cers would put him through later Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis. At age which to view American life. In An Actor and a Gentleman, he uses that unique that same night. These events, and many more like GOSSETT JR. thirty-two, he became the fi rst African American perspective to create a smart, funny, and bittersweet memoir of his career and of the them, were part of what inspired him to launch Karas actor to play an authority fi gure in a major many changes, positive or not, that have reshaped America during his extraordinary life. the Eracism Foundation in 2006 and devote the primetime network broadcast, which was also rest of his life to an all-out offensive against racism, A the fi rst-ever made-for-TV movie, Companions in violence, and ignorance. “Lou Gossett Jr., one of America’s most repected actors, has placed both his highly Nightmare. As impressive as these accomplishments N Louis Gossett Jr. is not your run-of-the-mill praised career and the story of his life between the covers of a book. He stands tall in are, they all occurred long before Louis Gossett movie star, and An Actor and a Gentleman isn’t just both instances.” Jr. won an Emmy Award and an Oscar and another Hollywood memoir. It is a funny, fascinat- A became one of the best-loved and most famous and —Sidney Poitier ing, and sometimes heartbreaking tour through the respected actors in America. C last half-century of American life, as seen through In this frank and revealing autobiography, “Bold, original, defi ant, and uplifting, Academy Award–winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. the eyes of one of our most talented artists. T Mr. Gossett looks back over his fi fty-fi ve-year has written a compelling memoir alternating between struggle and progress. Whether career in theater, fi lm, and television (with a little O LOUIS GOSSETT JR. is one of the most you read it and weep, or read it and cheer, it is a great read and a must-read! Every basketball, singing, and guitar playing on the side). respected African American actors of stage, woman, man, and child will be overwhelmed by Gossett’s ability to overcome adversity He reminisces about a mostly happy childhood R screen, and television. He made his Broadway and to become a true leader in the twenty-fi rst century. Read this book. It will change in Coney Island; tells wonderful stories about debut at age seventeen in Take a Giant Step, your life.” working and playing with the biggest names in A winning the Donaldson Award as the year’s show business; and reveals how, in spite of what N best newcomer. His Emmy-winning 1977 —C harles J. Ogletree Jr., professor, Harvard Law School, and might seem to many a charmed life, his road was D performance in the landmark miniseries Roots author of All Deliberate Speed, When Law Fails, and The Presumption often made rocky by the scourge of racism from made him a star, and in 1982 he won the of Guilt: The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates A without and personal demons within. Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in G Among the most treasured memories of his An Offi cer and a Gentleman. In 2006 he started “What an amazing story . . . what an amazing book! You certainly have been ‘there’ and early Broadway days are the twice-weekly poker Eracism, a foundation dedicated to eradicating E games with Poitier and Paul Newman, between back. Thanks, Lou, for sharing your story with me. It’s a treasure!” racism, violence, and ignorance and especially to N shows on matinee days, and playing softball in the creating programs to give children at risk a helping —James Garner Broadway Show League, where he discovered very hand. He was heavily involved in campaigning for T quickly that he wasn’t the only gifted athlete in Barack Obama, especially raising money and in- “You’ve always exceeded every expectation as an Actor, and as a Gentleman you have show business. He tells the story of his brief but L volving other celebrities in the campaign. inspired young and old. Through all the generations we have lived together, you have unforgettable romance with the highly talented brought me much joy and laughter and enriched my life. I love you, man!” E but tragically short-lived actress Diana Sands, PHYLLIS KARAS is a professor at Boston M and he reveals how Shirley Booth kept him from —Hilly Elkins, long-time theater and fi lm producer University’s School of Journalism and has written being fi red from the cast of a pre-Broadway several books, including the New York Times bestseller touring show and got him invited to a lot of A Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey parties at the same time. Bulger’s Irish Mob and The Onassis Women. N Mr. Gossett’s bitterest memories include a day that still ranks among the worst in his life. Having arrived in Hollywood and being put Jacket Design: Wendy Mount up, for the fi rst time, in the lavish Beverly Hills Cover portrait by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders LOUIS GOSSETT JR. Hotel, he started out on what should have been a leisurely drive from the rental car offi ce back to the hotel. Almost immediately, he was pulled over by and Phyllis Karas —continued on back flap— ffffiirrss..iinndddd iivv 33//1177//1100 1100::1144::5500 AAMM An Actor and a Gentleman louis gossett jr. and phyllis karas foreword by christopher lawford John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffffiirrss..iinndddd ii 33//1177//1100 1100::1144::4488 AAMM This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2010 by Louis Gossett Jr. and Phyllis Karas. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada Design by Forty-fi ve Degree Design LLC Photo credits appear on page 299 and constitute an extension of the copyright page. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or t ransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, r ecording, s canning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or a uthorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750–8400, fax (978) 646–8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748–6011, fax (201) 748–6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. 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For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762–2974, outside the United States at (317) 572– 3993 or fax (317) 572–4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Gossett, Louis, date. An actor and a gentleman / Louis Gossett Jr. and Phyllis Karas. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-57471-3 (cloth : alk. paper); ISBN 978-0-470-62087-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-62093-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-0-470-62094-6 (ebk) 1. Gossett, Louis, 1936- 2. Actors—United States—Biography. 3. African American actors— Biography. I. Karas, Phyllis. II. Title. PN2287.G65A3 2010 792.02'3092—dc22 [B] 2009049266 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiii 33//1177//1100 1100::1144::4499 AAMM To my two sons, Satie and Sharron. Don’ t forget who is in charge. It is defi nitely not you or me or anybody else on the planet. — Lou Gossett Jr. To Jason, Belle, and Danny, the loves of my life. — Phyllis Karas ffffiirrss..iinndddd iiiiii 33//1177//1100 1100::1144::5500 AAMM ffffiirrss..iinndddd iivv 33//1177//1100 1100::1144::5500 AAMM contents Foreword by 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 Offi cer 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 v ffttoocc..iinndddd vv 33//1177//1100 1100::1155::2299 AAMM contents Photo Credits 299 Index 301 Photo galleries begin on pages 106, 210, and 290. vi ffttoocc..iinndddd vvii 33//1177//1100 1100::1155::3300 AAMM foreword by Christopher Lawford I met Lou Gossett Jr. fi fteen years ago when I walked into his production offi ce to sell him on a movie I wanted to produce with him for Showtime. Lou liked the idea, and we worked on the pitch for weeks. The network passed, but a friendship was born. Lou was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars; he took a chance on someone with an idea who wasn’t afraid to knock on his door. He treated me as an equal, and in Tinseltown that’s a rarity. No matter how many awards he has won, and there have been many, Lou has never changed—he’s always willing to help when he can and believes it is the right thing to do. It takes guts to write a book this honest, this revealing, with this level of detail and care. I know—I did it. It’s scary to put your life out there like this for all to see. It is clear when you read this book why it has never been in Lou Gossett’s nature to shy away from revealing any aspect of his story, no matter how controversial it might be. For his entire life, Lou has never been able to keep quiet. He always had to demand what was rightfully his and say what needed to be said. The gift of hav- ing someone like Lou in our world is that there are people out there who don’t even know him but will benefi t because he vii ffllaasstt..iinndddd vviiii 33//1177//1100 1100::1155::0099 AAMM foreword will not be quiet. Because he has experienced discrimination and addiction fi rsthand, he can speak to these issues, and people who hear him know he is speaking the truth. Reading this book today, in an America where Barack Obama is the forty-fi fth president, it is painful to remember what Lou Gossett and other African Americans had to endure to realize their dreams. This book reminds us that it wasn’t just people in the South or those marching in Selma who con- fronted hatred and faced discrimination. Although I admire Lou Gossett Jr. for myriad reasons, it is our recovery from the disease of addiction that has joined the two of us. We both have a profound commitment to recovery and to our belief that by sharing our stories publicly we will make a differ- ence in someone’s life. When I asked Lou to be interviewed for my book about recovery, Moments of Clarity, he never hesitated. He revealed a piece of himself that was so vulnerable and so per- sonal. He has done it again in An Actor and a Gentleman because he knows that by telling the story about his own descent into addiction and the rebirth into a life beyond his wildest dreams, he is making a difference in a world where this conversation is usually avoided because of fear and misunderstanding. But more than being an actor or a man in recovery, Lou is a man who cares about humanity, not unlike one of his heroes, Nelson Mandela, a man who feels another human being’s pain and struggle and is unconditionally committed to a life of love and service to his fellows. I come from a family where it was never enough to worry about your own well-being or success, but rather it was important to affect change in the world and help others less fortunate. Growing up in Coney Island, Lou developed that same ethic, thanks to his mother, who never stopped caring for children less fortunate than her son. L iving in a community fi lled with teachers and neighbors viii ffllaasstt..iinndddd vviiiiii 33//1177//1100 1100::1155::1100 AAMM