Richard Roundtree, the suave star of the Shaft movies who has long been called the first Black action hero, has died at the age of 81 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.
Roundtree died in his Los Angeles home with his family by his side on Tuesday, October 24, per Deadline. His manager since 1987, Patrick McMinn, said “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” in a statement to Variety. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”
Roundtree’s signature role was playing private eye John Shaft in Shaft (1971) and its follow-ups, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972), Shaft in Africa (1973), and the short-lived Shaft TV series (1973). Roundtree’s first screen credit was in As the World Turns in 1956. He broke ground for representation in Hollywood as Shaft‘s leading man at the age of 28.
Directed by Gordon Parks, Shaft was a box office smash hit, pointing a spotlight on the lack of diversity in Hollywood. The film’s success showcased the industry’s failure to recognize that Black actors could attract big theater-going audiences, and it’s considered one of the first films of the Blaxploitation genre (a portmanteau of “black” and “exploitation”). Roundtree’s performance in first Shaft film earned him a nomination for New Star of the Year at the 1972 Golden Globes, and his leading role in the hit franchise opened doors for Black filmmakers and performers that had long been closed.
Roundtree’s career spanned five decades. His lengthy resume includes starring roles in TV shows such as Generations, Being Mary Jane, and Family Reunion, as well as noteworthy roles in Roots, the original Magnum, P.I., and The Love Boat. He also guest starred in episodes of Roc, Murder, She Wrote, Chicago Fire, Diary of a Single Mom, Lincoln Heights, The Mentalist, Knight Rider, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Blade: The Series, Desperate Housewives, The Closer, Alias, 413 Hope St., The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and more.
Additional film credits include Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored, What Men Want, Speed Racer, A Family Reunion Christmas, Moving On, and more. His most recent TV appearance was in eight episodes of 2022’s Cherish the Day.
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