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When it comes to trailblazers in the world of movies, Richard Roundtree ranks pretty high on the list. His time as private detective John Shaft earned him the designation of being the “first Black action hero,” and he built an impressive resume of film and TV work outside of that role. Unfortunately, it’s been announced that Roundtree has passed away at the age of 81 years old.
Per Deadline, the actor died earlier today, October 24, following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The outlet reports that his family was by his bedside in his final moments. Roundtree’s agency, Artists & Representatives, issued the following statement:
Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree. 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.
Born on July 9, 1942, Richard Roundtree began his professional life as a model, and that paved the way for him to start acting on stage. He then hit the big time when he was cast as the lead of 1971’s Shaft, a film adaptation of the same-named novel by Ernest Tidyman (it can be streamed if you have a Brown Sugar add-on to your Amazon Prime Video subscription). The movie followed John Shaft being hired by a Harlem mobster to save his daughter from the Italian mobsters who kidnapped her. Made off a reported budget of $500,000, Shaft is estimated to have made around $12 million at the box office, making it one of the blaxploitation genre’s biggest success.
But that was just the start of Roundtree bringing John Shaft to life. He went on to reprise the role in two direct sequels, 1972’s Shaft’s Big Score! and 1973’s Shaft in Africa, as well as the short-lived Shaft TV series that only aired seven episodes between October 1973 and February 1974. Fast-forward to 2000, Roundtree stepped back into John Shaft’s shoes for the Shaft movie starring Samuel L. Jackson as the man’s nephew of the same name.
Then in 2019, both Roundtree and Jackson teamed back up for, you guessed it, Shaft, with this movie also featuring Jessie T. Usher as J.J. Shaft, the son of Jackson’s Shaft. This movie also retconned Roundtree and Jackson’s characters to be father and son instead. This Shaft earned mixed reception from professional critics with CinemaBlend’s review giving it 2.5 out of 5 stars, but general audiences were much kinder to it.
Outside of these Shaft projects, Richard Roundtree’s notable film credits included Inchon, The Big Score, City Heat, Amityville: A New Generation, Se7en, George of the Jungle, Speed Racer and What Men Want. In TV, he recurred/guest appeared on shows like Roots, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Alias, Heroes, Being Mary Jane, Star and Family Reunion. In late 2022, it was reported that Roundtree had finished shooting the action comedy Thelma, which costars June Squibb, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell and Clark Gregg, among others. So even though he’s no longer with us, we’ll be treated to one final appearance from him in the cinematic realm.
We here at CinemaBlend express our condolences to Richard Roundtree’s family and friends during their time of mourning. He was an acting heavyweight, and he will be dearly missed.