Richard Roundtree, the stage and screen actor best known for his role in Gordon Parks’ 1971 action thriller Shaft, has died. The actor passed away Tuesday afternoon after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer with his family at his bedside, his manager, Patrick McMinn, and his agency, Artists & Representatives, confirmed in a statement to Deadline. Roundtree was 81.
“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
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Born July 9, 1942, in Rochester, New York, Roundtree dropped out of Southern Illinois University in 1963 to pursue a modeling career, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and went on to pose for print ads for Salem cigarettes and Duke hair products. After moving to New York in 1967, he joined the Negro Ensemble Company, working with the likes of Esther Rolle, Arthur French, Robert Hooks, Rosalind Cash, Denise Nicholas, and Moses Gunn.
It was while he was acting in New York stage productions that he heard about the auditions for Shaft. He secured the role of John Shaft at the age of 28 and was hailed as the first Black action hero. He also became one of the faces of the 1970s Blaxploitation movement and was nominated for a New Star of the Year Golden Globe. Shaft went on to earn $12 million in ticket sales off of a $500,000 production budget. Roundtree returned to the Shaft franchise for its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) as well as the 1973 Shaft TV series.
Roundtree’s career spanned 50 years and included over 150 screen credits. On TV, the actor notably starred in Roots, Outlaws, Generations, Rescue 77, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Soul Food, Roc, Chicago Fire, Being Mary Jane, and Family Reunion. His big-screen credits include Earthquake (1974), Escape to Athena (1979), Opposing Force (1986), Maniac Cop (1988), Seven (1995), George of the Jungle (1997), Corky Romano (2001), Brick (2005), Speed Racer (2008), and What Men Want (2019). He was last seen last year in the Paul Weitz comedy Moving On, starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda.
Roundtree is survived by his daughters, Kelli, Nicole, Tayler and Morgan, and a son, John.
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