Richard Roundtree's rise to fame as the charismatic private eye John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft catapulted him to international stardom. The film's success spawned a genre, two sequels, and a television series, making Roundtree a household name and a hot box-office commodity.
Born in New Rochelle, New York, to Kathryn and John Roundtree, Richard's early life was marked by modest beginnings. He won an athletic scholarship to Southern Illinois University but dropped out in 1963 to work various jobs, including as a janitor and salesman. After being signed by Ebony Magazine, he became a fashion model, posing for advertisements and eventually deciding to pursue acting.
Roundtree joined the acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company in 1967, working alongside notable actors like Robert Hooks, Rosalind Cash, and Moses Gunn. He soon landed roles in off-Broadway productions and had his breakthrough as boxing legend Jack Johnson in The Great White Hope.
In 1971, Roundtree's breakout role as Shaft cemented his status as a leading man. The film's success was a game-changer, satisfying both black and white audiences and likely saving MGM from bankruptcy. Shaft also spawned the blaxploitation action genre of the 1970s.
Roundtree went on to star in two less successful sequels and a television series. He reprised his role as John Shaft in a 2000 motion picture, this time starring Samuel L. Jackson as his nephew.
Throughout his career, Roundtree portrayed a range of characters, including a Union army deserter, a professional jewel thief, and a treasure hunter. By the mid-1980s, he found himself relegated to supporting roles, often as police or army officers. Television provided him with notable roles, including the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Roots and the drama Outlaws.
Roundtree received numerous accolades, including an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award for Shaft, a Peabody Award, and a Black Theater Alliance Award Lifetime Achievement Award.
Despite being diagnosed with male breast cancer in 1993 and undergoing chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, Roundtree continued to act, battling pancreatic cancer until his passing on October 24, 2023, at the age of 81.
