On August 20th, Mr. Gossett will be receiving the Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award at the 4th Annual Hope Gala in Century City, from the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. This award highlights his accomplishments and his work establishing the Eracism Foundation.
About the HDSA:
The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is a national non-profit voluntary health agency dedicated to finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease. They provide vital support, information and educational services to improve the lives of those affected by HD, offer resources and guidance for HD families through a national network of volunteer-based chapters and affiliates as well as through HDSA Centers of Excellence for Family Services and also promote and support research to find a cure for HD. For more information, visit their website.
Lou Gossett Jr. is a lucky man. The veteran actor got to spend his 73rd birthday Tuesday with his family in L.A., then fly to Miami and do it all over again with Santana Moss.
The former Miami Hurricane and current wide receiver for the Washington Redskins is turning 30 in grand style Friday night at the Eden Roc (his actual birthday is Monday). Hosted by Wild on E! host Cindy Taylor, Moss’ party will feature a Frederick’s of Hollywood fashion show and guest appearances by former baseball star Sammy Sosa, comedian Angel Salazar, former Miss Universe Barbara Palacios, salsa great Willy Chirino and Steven Bauer, with whom Gossett is starring in a new Fox cop show, Miracle Mile.
Gossett plays a ready-to-retire police chief in this upcoming gritty drama set in 1975 Los Angeles.
”This is about as deep and rough as cops get in real life,” says Gossett, on the way to LAX. “My character is going through some personal challenges; it’s not your standard blah blah blah. You really appreciate police work. ”
The U.S. Dream Academy tonight held its 8th annual Power of a Dream Gala, which raised over $600,000 for its nationally-recognized nonprofit afterschool and mentoring program.
Gala co-chairs U.S. Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Mark L. Pryor (D-AR), along with Congresswomen Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Diane Watson (D-CA), and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen and his wife Janet Langhart Cohen were among the 500 attendees who joined U.S. Dream Academy CEO Wintley Phipps to honor three individuals who have shown by example the positive results of following your dreams and serving as role models for at-risk youth.
Mr. Gossett received the prestigious 2009 Legacy Award for his work with the Eracism Foundation. Previous honorees had included former Pres. Bill Clinton, Cicely Tyson and Neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson.
DC native Taraji P. Henson was presented with the 2009 President’s Award, and LDS Business College dean of academic outreach Keith Poelman was honored as 2009 Mentor of the Year for his volunteer service at the Dream Academy Learning Center in Salt Lake City, UT.
Mr. Gossett has been an enduring public presence for more than five decades and ranks as one of the most respected actors of stage, screen, and television. He has appeared in almost 160 television and film productions since his career began in 1958.
In 1983, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film, An Officer and a Gentleman. Mr. Gossett also performed in the renowned television miniseries Roots and was a member of the original Broadway cast of A Raisin in the Sun. In 1961, he starred alongside Sidney Poitier in the film adaptation of the play. During his career, Mr. Gossett has won several Emmy, Golden Globe, and NAACP Image awards.
In 2006, Gossett launched The Eracism Foundation with the aim of eradicating the systematic impacts of all forms of racism by providing programs that foster cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education, and antiviolence initiatives. By addressing these issues, connecting individuals to their history and culture, The Eracism Foundation empowers the recipients of these services to improve the quality of life in their respective communities.
Mr. Gossett will deliver the commencement address.
PARADE Magazine featured a quick blurb covering a reader question regarding both Lou and Robert Gossett.
PARADE is the most widely read magazine in America, being carried by more than 470 of the nation’s finest Sunday newspapers and reaches 72.775 million Americans every week.
U.S. actor Louis Gossett Jr. poses for pictures as he attends the premiere of the film The Perfect Game during the Guadalajara International Film Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, Saturday, March 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)
Much-loved actor Louis Gossett Jr. has come to the Bay Area to accept an award for his long career.
The Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose screened a new Gossett movie called The Least Among You.” Gossett attended the screening, which was held on Tuesday, March 3. The festival bestowed the “Maverick Spirit Award” on Gossett.
Actor Louis Gossett Jr. introduces Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Indian Wells. (Richard Lui The Desert Sun)
Desert Town Hall-Indian Wells speakers series is in its 17th season bringing famous leaders, writers and icons to the Coachella Valley. Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize 25 years ago, was widely viewed as a guiding force along with Nelson Mandela in bringing an end some 15 years ago to the apartheid system that had long persecuted South Africa’s blacks. Tutu spoke out against the racial injustice, calling for economic sanctions against his home country. He rose to become one of its key voices of conscience.
Mr. Gossett was honored to introduce Archbishop Tutu at this prestigious event. Among the things Tutu talked about was the election of President Barack Obama. “That you could choose for your president a man who is part African what an unbelievable thing,” he said.
Read the full story at mydesert.com and watch the video below!
Actor Louis Gossett, Jr. receives the Maverick Spirit Award duirng the 19th Cinequest Film Festival at the California Theater on March 3, 2009 in San Jose, California. (Photo Courtesy Black News Tribune)
Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. will deliver Wheelock College’s 2009 Commencement address on May 15, 2009.
In 1983, Gossett won an Academy Award for best actor in a supporting role for his performance in An Officer and a Gentleman. In 2006, Gossett launched the Eracism Foundation, with the aim of developing and producing entertainment that brings awareness and education to issues such as racism, ignorance, and societal apathy.
Gossett, along with Howard Gardner, Ph.D., and Margot Stern Strom, will receive an honorary degree from the College during the ceremony.
