Richard Roundtree, a trailblazing Black actor who played the private eye John Shaft in the "Shaft" films of the 1970s and also took on dramatic roles dealing with race relations in America, died on Tuesday aged 81, the Hollywood Reporter said, citing his manager.
LOS ANGELES, California: Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing Black actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective John Shaft in 1971 s Shaft and its sequels, has died. He was 81.
Richard Roundtree, a trailblazing black actor who played the private eye John Shaft in the Shaft films of the 1970s and also took on dramatic roles dealing with race relations in the US, died on Tuesday aged 81, the Hollywood Reporter said, citing his manager.
Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several "Shaft" films beginning in the early 1970s, has died. He was 81.