Richard Roundtreea

By Nehru Odeh

Richard Roundtree, a US actor best known for his starring role in the Shaft film franchise, and who redefined African-American masculinity, has died aged 81, the BBC reported.

He died at home in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon with his family by his side, his manager Patrick McMinn said.

His death came after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He had been diagnosed with the disease two months before.

Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” McMinn said in a statement.

“The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated,” he added.

Born on 9 July, 1942 in New Rochelle, New York, Roundtree began his acting career in the early 1960s.

“Shaft,” which was released in 1971, was among the first of the so-called blaxploitation movies, and it made Mr. Roundtree a star at 29. The blaxploitation movie is a genre featuring action movies that centred on heroic black characters.

“The character John Shaft is his own man, a private detective who jaywalks confidently through moving Times Square traffic in a handsome brown leather coat with the collar turned up; sports a robust, dark mustache somewhere between walrus-style and a downturned handlebar; and keeps a pearl-handled revolver in the fridge in his Greenwich Village duplex apartment.

As Mr. Roundtree observed in a 1972 article in The New York Times, he is “a Black man who is for once a winner,” The York Times reported.

Shaft” was made for $500,000 and grossed $13 million, nabbing a best original song Oscar for Isaac Hayes, who composed the title track. Soon, the floodgates would open, releasing a deluge of so-dubbed Blaxploitation movies throughout the 1970s.

The films were a turning point for Black people in American cinema, and “Shaft” set a template for the genre with Black actors featured in every key role and its unvarnished portrayal of ghetto street life.

Roundtree’s performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for most promising male newcomer in 1972. Roundtree went on to portray John Shaft in 1972’s “Shaft’s Big Score!,” 1973’s “Shaft in Africa” and the “Shaft” TV series.

Though Roundtree just died of pancreatic cancer, after being diagnosed with it two months before, he had survived breast cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 1993, after he underwent a double masectomy.

A cancer survivor, Roundtree was initially quiet about it, he later became an advocate for raising awareness of the disease.

He once spoke about how a flight attendant had told him his awareness campaign saved her husband. “Not talking about my cancer was really tough,” Roundtree told ABC News in a 2007 interview.

“And now that I do talk about it all the time, it’s really become a backhanded blessing. I was getting on a plane recently, and a flight attendant ran up to me and said, ‘You save my husband’s life.’

Roundtree also appeared in a number of movies and TV series, which include the films Inchon and Seven as well as the television series Roots, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Desperate Housewives.

Samuel L Jackson, who appeared in the 2000 Shaft reboot as well as an 2019 instalment of the franchise with Roundtree, described the late actor as “the prototype, the best to ever do it”.

“His passing leaves a deep hole not only in my heart, but I’m sure a lotta y’all’s, too,” Jackson wrote on Instagram.

“Love you Brother, I see you walking down the Middle Street in Heaven & Isaac’s Conducting your song,” he added, referring to Shaft’s famous theme song which won an Oscar for best original music.

Union, Roundtree’s “Being Mary Jane” co-star, mourned the actor’s death in an X post on Tuesday, writing that working with Roundtree was “a dream.”

“He was ALWAYS the coolest man in the room with the best vibes (and people) would literally run over to come see him,” Union wrote. “We all loved him.”

Tia Mowry, who worked with Roundtree on the Netflix sitcom “Family Reunion,” shared her tribute on Instagram.

“I have no words for this loss,” she captioned a photo featuring herself and Roundtree with fellow co-stars Loretta Devine, Anthony Alabi and others. “Richard, you have made such a lasting impact on my life. I am forever grateful for your warm energy, your light, your heart, and your incredible wisdom.”

“I will miss you and our times together in our trailers – you teaching me the right way to take down some whiskey. I love you,” she continued. “Thank you for blessing this world with your gifts. Rest in Power.”

Jeffrey Wright, who also starred in the 2000 “Shaft” movie with Roundtree and Jackson, also mourned the actor on X, formerly Twitter: “The OG. And a lovely man. RIP.”

Sheryl Lee Ralph also paid her respects.

“When I was a teenager I use to dream about growing up to meet Richard Roundtree,” the “Abbott Elementary” star wrote on X. “I did and what a wonderful human being.”

Contributing: Marco della Cava, Taijuan Moorman, Rasha Ali, USA TODAY; Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press

He is survived by four daughters – Kelli, Nicole, Taylor, Morgan – his son John, and at least one grandchild, according to the New York Times.