Actor Richard Roundtree, unforgettable Shaft and first black action film hero, has died at 81

After Melvin Van Peebles in 2021 and Sidney Poitiers in 2022, another great African-American figure in cinema disappears with Richard Roundtree. Considered as the “first black action film hero”for his 1971 role in Shaftthe actor died Tuesday October 24 at the age of 81, reported several American media, including the cultural magazine Variety citing the press release from his agent, Patrick McMinn. Richard Roundtree died near his family “after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer“, indicated the specialized site Deadline.

Shaft, in which he plays the eponymous private detective John Shaft, was a huge success upon its release and led to several sequels and series. It is considered a cult film and founder of “Blaxploitation”. 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.

“A turning point for the first African-American male roles in cinema”

“I saw it as a double-edged blade,” said Richard Roundtree about Shaft on NPR radio in 2019. “But so many people, from all over the country, and even around the world, have come up to 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.