Los Angeles [US], March 30 : Veteran actor Richard Gere paid a glowing tribute to his 'An Officer and a Gentleman' co-star Louis Gossett Jr, who passed away at the age of 87, People reported.
Gosset Jr played Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley, a drill instructor who served over Gere's character Zack Mayo in the acclaimed 1982 film. The film won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first African American from Hollywood to win the coveted award in that category.
According to a statement quoted by People, Gere remembered his costar as "a sweetheart" who "took his job very seriously" and "did his research."
"He stayed in character the whole time," Gere, 74, recalled, adding, "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 described 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."
Taylor Hackford, who helmed 'An Officer and a Gentlemen', shared in a statement that he 'admired' Gossett's stage work, and "hired him on the spot" after learning that he had previously served as a US Army Ranger.
"Lou Gossett's Sargent Foley may have been the first Black character in American cinema to have absolute authority over white characters," Hackford, 79 said in the statement, adding, "The Academy recognized his consummate performance by voting him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He definitely deserved it."
Gossett's character was originally "written as a White man", but Hackford said it changed after the director visited the Navy Officers Flight Training Center in Pensacola, Fla., where he came to know that "many of the Drill Instructors there were men of colour."
"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 said, adding, "At that moment I changed the casting profile for Sargent Foley and started meeting actors of colour."
Gossett's family confirmed the actor's demise in a statement, asking people to respect their "privacy during this difficult time".
"We would like to thank everyone for their condolences," the family said in a statement, according to People.
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