The American actor was considered the “first black action hero”, for his role in 1971’s “Shaft”. Richard Roundtree died Tuesday at the age of 81, several American media reported. Known for having helped open new doors for black actors, Richard Roundtree died with his family “after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer”, indicated the specialist site Deadline.
“Shaft”, in which he plays the eponymous private detective John Shaft, was a huge success when it was released in cinemas and led to several sequels and series. More than fifty years later, Richard Roundtree still appeared on screen, notably in the series “Cherish the Day”, and the comedy “Moving On” in 2022. “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for first African-American male roles in cinema,” declared his agent Patrick McMinn, in a press release to Variety magazine.
“A double-edged blade”
“Shaft” is considered a cult film and founder of “Blaxpoitation”. This 1970s genre was sometimes praised for having upgraded the image of African-Americans in the United States, while its detractors claim that it only reinforced certain stereotypes.
“I saw it as a double-edged sword,” Richard Roundtree said of “Shaft” on NPR radio in 2019. “But so many people, from all over the country, and across the world even, came see me and told me what this film meant to them in 1971,” he added. “The other side of the coin was that I was typecast for a while, and then I worked hard to establish a different side to the way I play,” the actor testified.