Richard Roundtree, the talented actor famous for playing the lead role in “Shaft,” is dead after a battle with cancer.
The actor died Monday as a result of pancreatic cancer, according to his manager Patrick McMinn.
According to reports, Richard was diagnosed two months ago, and his family was with him when he died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.
Richard Roundtree was regarded as the first Black action hero in Hollywood … and his breakthrough performance in “Shaft” saw him nominated for New Star of the Year at the Golden Globe Awards.
The face of the ‘Shaft’ franchise, Richard also starred in the 1973 ‘Shaft’ TV series.
When ‘Shaft’ got a remake in 2000, Richard reprised his role as John Shaft alongside Samuel L Jackson, who plays Shaft’s nephew. He also plays the character in the 2019 version.
Richard also had a role in the famous “Roots” miniseries, playing the role of Sam Bennett.
More recently, Richard played Gabrielle Union‘s father in the drama series “Being Mary Jane.”
Gabrielle says working with Richard “was a dream” … and she’s remembering him as “the coolest man in the room with the BEST vibes.” She says folks “literally run over to come see him…we all loved him.”
The last time we talked to Richard Roundtree was in 2018 when he told us about filming ‘Shaft’ reboots with Samuel L. Jackson.
Roundtree was married and divorced twice and had five children. His first marriage was to Mary Jane Grant, whom he married on November 27, 1963. Roundtree and Grant had two children before divorcing in December 1973. He dated actress and TV personality Cathy Lee Crosby shortly thereafter.
Richard Roundtree later married Karen M. Ciernia in September 1980; together they had three children. Roundtree and Ciernia divorced in 1998. Roundtree was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.