Richard Roundtree Dies: ‘Shaft’ Star Was 81

Richard Roundtree, the suave star of the Shaft movies who has long been called the first Black action hero, has died at the age of 81 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

Roundtree died in his Los Angeles home with his family by his side on Tuesday, October 24, per Deadline. His manager since 1987, Patrick McMinn, said “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” in a statement to Variety. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”

Roundtree’s signature role was playing private eye John Shaft in Shaft (1971) and its follow-ups, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972), Shaft in Africa (1973), and the short-lived Shaft TV series (1973). Roundtree’s first screen credit was in As the World Turns in 1956. He broke ground for representation in Hollywood as Shaft‘s leading man at the age of 28.

Directed by Gordon Parks and based on the character created by Ernest Tidyman in his 1970 novels, Shaft was a box office smash hit, pointing a spotlight on the lack of diversity in Hollywood. The film’s success showcased the industry’s failure to recognize that Black actors could attract big theater-going audiences, and it’s considered one of the first films of the Blaxploitation genre (a portmanteau of “black” and “exploitation”). Roundtree’s performance in the first Shaft film earned him a nomination for New Star of the Year at the 1972 Golden Globes, and his leading role in the hit franchise opened doors for Black filmmakers and performers that had long been closed.

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Roundtree’s career spanned five decades. His lengthy resume includes starring roles in TV shows such as Generations, Being Mary Jane, and Family Reunion, as well as noteworthy roles in Roots, the original Magnum, P.I., and The Love Boat. He also guest starred in episodes of Roc, Murder, She Wrote, Chicago Fire, Lincoln Heights, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Blade: The Series, Desperate Housewives, The Closer, Alias, 413 Hope St., The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and more.

His many film credits include City Heat with Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds, Seven, Earthquake, Man Friday opposite Peter O’Toole, Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored, What Men Want, Speed Racer, A Family Reunion Christmas, Moving On, and more. His most recent TV appearance was in eight episodes of 2022’s Cherish the Day.

Shaft was remade in 2000 starring Samuel L. Jackson. Roundtree made a cameo in the film, as well as its 2019 sequel. In the rebooted franchise, Jackson plays the nephew of Roundtree’s character.

Roundtree was born on July 9, 1942 in New Rochelle, New York. After a successful high school football career on the nationally ranked New Rochelle High School’s football team, he was offered an athletic scholarship by Southern Illinois University. He was later scouted by Ebony Fashion Fair founder Eunice W. Johnson and began his modeling career, working for brands like Duke hair products and Salem cigarettes. He left college and took acting lessons, eventually joining the Negro Ensemble Company theatrical group in New York City in the 1960s, with which he appeared in several Off-Broadway shows. His career hit new heights once he was cast in Shaft.

Roundtree is survived by his four daughters, Kelli, Nicole, Taylor, Morgan; his son, John; and at least one grandchild. He was married to Mary Jane Grant from 1963 to 1973, and then Karen M. Cierna from 1980 to 1998.