Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth interview with Louis Gossett Jr., Legendary Actor, Author and Humanitarian.
Louis Gossett Jr. is one of our most beloved and respected actors, who’s been thrilling audiences with his iconic performances since he first conquered Broadway at the age of 17 in “Take a Giant Step”, followed by “The Desk Set”, “Golden Boy”, “The Zulu and the Zayda”, and “My Sweet Charlie”. He also starred on Broadway in “A Raisin in the Sun”, and then made his film debut in the 1961 movie adaptation of the play.
His unforgettable portrayal of “Fiddler” in the groundbreaking miniseries “Roots” earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding lead actor. And of course, who can ever forget him as Sgt. Emil Foley in “An Officer and a Gentleman”, for which he won the 1983 Academy Award AND Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Black actor to win in that category.
Besides his Emmy Award for Roots, he received 7 more Emmy Award nominations for his work in “The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots”, “Backstairs at the White House”, “Palmerstown, USA”, “A Gathering of Old Men”, “Touched By an Angel”, “Watchmen” and “Sadat”, for which he was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Louis Gossett Jr. got another Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in “The Josephine Baker Story”. He’s had 3 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and won the award for Best Children’s Special, for “In His Father’s Shoes”.
He’s been nominated 6 times for NAACP Image Awards and won twice. In 1992, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We also got to see him in his latest role, as “Mister” in the musical film version of “The Color Purple”.
In addition to his illustrious acting career, Louis Gossett Jr. is an accomplished writer, producer, director and musician – and perhaps most importantly, he’s a social activist, educator and humanitarian, dedicated to eliminating racism and fighting injustice wherever it exists, in all its forms.
In 2010 he released his riveting memoir entitled “An Actor and a Gentleman,” chronicling not only the many triumphs of his monumental career, but also the heartbreaking and sometimes insurmountable obstacles he confronted and overcame as a working actor, and especially as a Black man in America.
In 2006, he founded The Eracism Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating racism, fostering cultural diversity, historical enrichment, education and anti-violence initiatives.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Louis Gossett Jr. on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
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