Louis Gossett Jr. Gone Home

Louis Gossett Jr. in character.

Rest in peace (R.I.P.). He is definitely resting comfortably because he knows we will remember him, through his outstanding body of work, that makes him one of the greatest American interpreters to have ever lived.

There are actors. Then there are interpreters. I cannot call him an actor. He was too good for that. He interpreted what is on a piece of paper called the screenplay. He wore the lines in his eyes, hands, arms and gait. Films such as Don’t Look Back and Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls are memorable because he wore the characters, literally wore them. That is how great Lou Gossett Jr. was.

Film: Don’t Look Back

It’s a baseball film. Once upon a time in America, enslaved people were regarded as inferior mentally. That’s why men who controlled baseball divided it into two. White players played in the League, and black players in the Negro Leagues. Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige was one of the stars in such leagues. He was a pitcher extraordinaire.

Louis Gossett Jr. played Satchel Paige in Don’t Look Back. You don’t see him when he makes the move on Lahoma Brown where she works, you see Satchel Paige. You don’t see Louis Gossett Jr. when he is on the mound pitching to Josh Gibson, you see Satchel Paige. You don’t see Louis Gossett Jr. when he confronts white owners about their exploitation of black baseball players. You see Satchel Paige.

Film: Daddy’s Little Girls

Louis Gossett Jr. plays an activist against drug lords that control the streets. He has powerful lines about Atlanta’s importance in black history.  There is no space to review all his films. He was a great interpreter. Period.

Nonqaba waka Msimang

Executive Blogger