Oscar Winner Louis Gossett Jr. And Charles Manson: The Eerie Near Miss Tying Them Together

Louis Gossett Jr. and Charles Manson? Wait, what? Yes. Let us explain.

When Gossett died this week at age 87, obituaries recalled his many onscreen victories including his Emmy-winning turn in the seminal TV miniseries Roots and becoming the first Black man to take home a Best Supporting Oscar for his role as the Marine drill instructor in An Officer And A Gentleman.

Obituaries also delved into Gossett’s life offscreen, including his friendship with James Dean, the time he studied acting with Marilyn Monroe, the shocking levels of racism he faced all too often as a young actor in Los Angeles, and the Eracism Foundation he created to fight inequality.

OK, so where does Charles Manson come in?

Then there was this record-scratch detail:

Gossett recalling that he had been heading to Sharon Tate's Benedict Canyon home back in August 1969 when he learned that the pregnant actress and several of her friends had been murdered. The Tate murders would be part of a killing spree that shocked L.A.: The following night, supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were both killed in their Los Feliz home.

Soon, the world would learn that the murders were commited by several associates of Manson, who by this time had positioned himself as a guru in the California hippie scene and created a commune populated with devoted followers. According to testimony from ex-followers, Manson was trying to incite a race war by framing the Black Panthers for the murders of various wealthy, white people. His followers, who eagerly bought into it, agreed to commit the gruesome slayings on their leader's behalf, earning them nickname The Manson Family.

What Gossett said about that night

So, back to Gossett. According to the Associated Press, which was quoting from Gossett’s 2010 autobiography, An Actor And A Gentleman, here’s what the actor said happened:

A 2010 article in The Malibu Times also quotes from the book, referring to the time Gossett “was late getting to Sharon Tate’s house for a party the night she was murdered by Charles Manson” as one of the many death defying experiences Gossett had in his life.

We tried to find the autobiography to read more about this chilling coincidence, but ran into a brick wall — couldn’t find it at local B&Ns, and could only find a hardcover online at Amazon.com for $299.

All that said, here are several retrospectives about Gossett that are terrific reading for fans of his work, and also fans of the acting craft, in The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN and The Los Angeles Times.

And here’s Richard Gere recalling his Officer co-star as a meticulous performer who “stayed in character the whole time.”

Social media reaction to Gossett's death

Here’s Gossett’s Roots co-star, LeVar Burton...

...and Laker great Earvin Magic Johnson, remembering his friend as a man whose "presence in the film industry was powerful and helped pave the way for so many Black actors today."