Richard Roundtree's cause of death was a short battle with cancer.
Richard Roundtree, the iconic actor best known for playing John Shaft in the original feature film, has passed away. Deadline brings word of his death, revealing he died today following"a brief battle with pancreatic cancer," he was 81 years old. Roundtree's agency Artists & Representatives confirmed, the news, writing in a statement:"Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree.
Born in New Rochelle, New York in 1942, Roundtree began his acting career on the stage, joining New York City's Negro Ensemble Company in 1967, taking on roles like boxer Jack Johnson. In 1971 he would make his feature film debut, playing the role of John Shaft in Gordon Parks' classic blaxploitation movie, Shaft. The film would go on to gross over $12 million on a reported budget of half a million.
"I used to look at it as a double-edged sword," Roundtree told WBUR in 2019 on the responsibility he felt playing the role of John Shaft."But I've had so many people from all over the country – and all over the world actually – come up and say what that film meant to them back in '71. It's heavy. And I'm appreciative of people speaking to me and sharing that with me.
Richard Roundtree's career did expand beyond Shaft like he said, including appearances in films like 1974's Earthquake, David FIncher's Se7en, Rian Johnson's Brick, and the live-action Speed Racer. His career also stretched into television, including the role of Sam Bennett in 1977's miniseries adaptation of Roots. Roundtree also had appearances in The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, 21 Jump Street, MacGyver, Beverly Hills, 90210, L.A.
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