“He was one of my childhood heroes”: “Shaft” star Richard Roundtree is dead

He was considered the first great hero of black cinema. Not only did he bring an Oscar-winning (!) cult classic to life with ‘Shaft’, but he also shaped blaxploitation cinema with his super-cool larger-than-life performance. Almost 50 (!) years later, in 2019, he took on the role of the legendary researcher for the last time, for the fifth time, in ‘Shaft’ – now deceased Richard Rondeboom on October 24, 2023 at the age of 81.

Such as his agent Patrick McGinn confirmed, the New York resident succumbed to the consequences of his illness. Roundtree suffered from pancreatic cancer.

That was Richard Roundtree

Born July 9, 1942, Roundtree knew in his early twenties that he wanted to try acting. He left university and initially tried his hand as a model, for example for pomade and cigarettes, and eventually became part of the Negro Ensemble Company, under which he was able to get his first roles on stage. But Roundtree’s big break came in 1971 with “Shaft”.

From now on, the actor was considered a driving force behind black cinema, and as such within a very short time played a major role in the skyrocketing popularity of blaxploitation films – eventually immortalizing himself by repeatedly slipping into his signature role: as early as 1972 This was followed by “Greetings from Pistols” aka “Shaft’s Big Score!”, and in 1973 he followed with “Shaft In Afrika”. When Samuel L. Jackson took on the title role in “Shaft” (2000), Roundtree returned once again as “Uncle Shaft” – before also appearing in the aforementioned 2019 film adaptation, again alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Jesse T. Usher .

Roundtree was nominated for a Golden Globe for his first portrayal of Shaft, but over the course of his career he also appeared in such diverse Hollywood films as ‘Seven’, ‘Speed ​​​​Racer’ or ‘Brick’ from ‘Star Wars’. and “Knives Out” creator Rian Johnson on camera. He has also guest-starred on numerous TV series, from “Murder Is Her Hobby” to “Magnum” and “Love Boat” to “Lethal Weapon” and “Blade.”

Samuel L. Jackson and other stars remember Richard Roundtree

Many of his companions, as well as people for whom Roundtree was merely a source of inspiration, express their concerns on social media. Includes “Shaft” co-star Samuel L. Jackson. Shaft will “forever be his creation,” Tarantino’s regular actor writes on Instagram. “His death leaves a big hole in my heart.”

Gabrielle Union (“Bad Boys II”) talks about a dream come true when she had the opportunity to work with Roundtree on the series “Being Marie Jane,” in which he starred for 33 episodes. “He was ALWAYS the coolest guy in the room – with the BEST vibes,” she writes on X (formerly Twitter).

And Deion Sanders, head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football team, also expresses his love for Roundtree and John Shaft: “He was truly one of my childhood heroes.”

Taraji P. Henson (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Hidden Figures”), Loni Love (“Soul Plane”), Kin Shriner (“The Shaft of Love”) and Carl Weathers also commented on performance has influenced so many and so many,” writes the actor, known for ‘Predator’, the ‘Rocky’ series and ‘The Mandalorian’:

Until recently, Richard Roundtree worked in front of the camera for the TV series ‘Buddies’ and for the film ‘Thelma’ by director Josh Margolin (‘New Girl’). In the action comedy starring ‘A Clockwork Orange’ star Malcolm McDowell, Marvel’s Agent Phil Coulson actor Clark Gregg and June Squibb (‘Nebraska’), we will probably see Roundtree for the last time. However, it is still unclear when.