{"id":2080966,"date":"2023-10-27T05:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T09:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-roundtree-1942-2023\/"},"modified":"2023-10-27T05:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T09:50:18","slug":"richard-roundtree-1942-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-roundtree-1942-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Richard Roundtree, 1942-2023: A legend&#8217;s legacy."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frichard-roundtree-1942-2023%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2080966&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Richard Roundtree: The Trailblazer Who Defined Cool<\/h2>\n<p>Before Michael Jordan and Julius Erving, there was Elgin Baylor. Before\u200d Venus and\u200b Serena Williams, there was Althea Gibson. And before Samuel L. \u2063Jackson and Jamie Foxx, there was\u2062 Richard \u2062Roundtree, the Shaft \u2063star who blazed a trail for an entire generation of black action\u2064 movie stars who followed in his \u200cwake. His influence can be felt not only in several of Jackson\u2019s and Foxx\u2019s \u2062signature roles but \u200cin\u200c some of \u2062Quentin Tarantino\u2019s most adrenaline-charged movies as well.<\/p>\n<p>Roundtree, \u200bwho died this week in\u2062 Los Angeles at the age of 81, was\u200d born in New Rochelle, New\u2064 York, on July 9, \u20631942. His \u200bpath to acting\u2064 fame was anything but straightforward. A talented high\u2063 school athlete, Roundtree was awarded a football scholarship by Southern Illinois University but soon thereafter gave up what might have\u2064 been a \u2062promising sports career\u200c so that he could try \u2064his hand \u200cat \u2062modeling. After landing\u2062 a few premium photo shoots, Roundtree \u2014 acting \u2064on\u200d the\u200d advice of a few\u200b pivotal \u200bfigures he encountered at that point in\u2063 his life, such as Bill Cosby \u2014 decided\u200d to pursue a\u2064 career in\u2063 movies and television.\u2063 After gaining acceptance into the \u2064Negro\u200d Ensemble Company and performing several supporting parts for \u2062the stage,\u200d his first major acting credits came from his portrayal of Jack Johnson,\u2064 the first black\u200d heavyweight boxing champion, in a theatrical production of The Great White Hope \u200cin 1967. Roundtree only barely missed out on major renown \u200bat this point; a Broadway adaptation of The Great White Hope, \u200cproduced a year later but starring James Earl Jones instead \u2062of\u2064 Roundtree,\u2064 would help catapult \u2063Jones to stardom.<\/p>\n<h3>A Cultural\u2064 Sensation: The Birth of Shaft<\/h3>\n<p>Roundtree, \u2062though, did not need to wait\u2062 too long for his turn to shine. While continuing\u200c to act in off-Broadway stage productions of The Great White Hope, Roundtree found out about an open audition that the director Gordon Parks was \u2063holding for his next movie. Roundtree traveled to the audition and so impressed Parks with\u200b his \u201ctoo cool for school\u201d (in Roundtree\u2019s\u2064 words) interpretation of the lead \u200dcharacter that Parks ended up choosing Roundtree. \u200bParks\u2019s choice of Roundtree to play the\u2063 protagonist \u2062in his 1971 film Shaft affected \u200dAmerican movies for decades to come. In\u200d interpreting the \u200cNew\u2063 York City private detective \u200bJohn \u2063Shaft as not only a suave, street-smart sleuth but as a dauntless and powerful\u200b forger\u200c of \u2062his own destiny who wasn\u2019t afraid of any situation and who\u200c didn\u2019t back down\u200d in the face of\u200c anyone, Roundtree helped make Shaft into a cultural \u2063sensation, had a major\u200b hand in creating the Blaxploitation film genre, and was even \u200ccredited with saving MGM studios\u200c from bankruptcy. Going where not even Sidney Poitier had gone before, Roundtree\u2019s Shaft was the first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/richard-roundtree-1942-2023\/\" title=\"Richard Roundtree, 1942-2023: A legend's legacy.\">unapologetically audacious black movie character<\/a> and the first\u200d great black action movie star. With his dynamism, endless charisma, sex appeal, astuteness, and apparent invincibility, Roundtree\u2019s Shaft\u200b embodied coolness for a generation of American\u2063 film lovers.<\/p>\n<p>Like Jason Alexander with George Costanza and Mark Hamill with Luke Skywalker, Roundtree came\u2062 to be identified with a single (albeit iconic) role despite having a far more\u200b eclectic acting career than \u2063the typical Hollywood one-hit wonder. In addition to reprising \u2063his role as John Shaft in \u2064several movie and TV \u200dsequels, Roundtree appeared in shows \u2063and movies as varied as Roots, Se7en, Alias, and Desperate Housewives. Roundtree at one point had become \u2063somewhat resentful \u200cof not having received\u200d the recognition that he thought \u2062he\u200b deserved for the dramatic range that he had demonstrated in his impressively diverse movies \u200cand\u2063 TV roles until \u2063some sage words from his father changed his perspective for the rest of his life. \u201cSon, let me tell you something,\u201d Roundtree recounts his \u2064father saying to him. \u201cA \u200dlot\u2062 of\u200b people leave this Earth not\u2064 being known\u200d for\u2062 anything. Shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Daniel Ross\u2063 Goodman is a Washington Examiner contributing writer and a postdoctoral \u2062fellow \u2064at \u2062Harvard Divinity School. His latest book, Soloveitchik\u2019s Children: Irving \u2062Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and \u200dthe Future of Jewish Theology in America, was published this summer\u200b by the University of\u200c Alabama Press.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c How did Richard Roundtree&#8217;s \u2062portrayal of John Shaft in the film &#8220;Shaft&#8221; contribute \u2064to the representation of black \u200bmasculinity\u200d on screen?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Etective John Shaft, Roundtree created a \u2064new archetype\u2063 of black \u2063masculinity on screen. He portrayed\u200d a charismatic, \u2063confident, and stylish hero who navigated the gritty streets of Harlem with ease. Roundtree\u2019s portrayal of Shaft resonated deeply with audiences, particularly black \u200caudiences who had long been underrepresented in Hollywood.<\/p>\n<p>Shaft \u200dwas a cultural sensation, becoming one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/study-women-represent-a-third-of-onscreen-population-in-film\/\" title=\"Study: Women Represent a Third of Onscreen Population in Film\">highest-grossing films<\/a> of 1971 and earning Roundtree widespread \u2064acclaim. The film\u2019s success led to two \u2062sequels,\u200c Shaft\u2019s Big Score!\u2062 and Shaft in Africa, further solidifying Roundtree\u2019s \u200dstatus as a leading man\u2064 in the action \u200bgenre. His portrayal\u2062 of Shaft served as \u2063an inspiration\u2063 for a generation of black\u200c actors who followed in \u2064his footsteps, including Samuel L. Jackson, who would later star in \u200bthe 2000 reboot of \u2062the \u200cShaft\u2064 franchise.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond his iconic role as Shaft, Roundtree continued to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-19-screws-condom-sales-shrinking-40-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"COVID-19 Screws Condom Sales, Shrinking 40% During Pandemic\">make strides<\/a> in\u200b his\u2063 career. He appeared in a variety of\u200b films\u2063 and television shows, often playing characters\u200b who exuded confidence\u200b and\u200d charisma. He was not\u200c limited \u200dto action\u200b roles, showcasing his versatility in projects such as the miniseries Roots and the film \u2062Diary of\u2062 a Hitman. Roundtree\u2019s \u200cpresence on screen was \u200bmagnetic, with his commanding presence and\u2064 undeniable coolness captivating audiences.<\/p>\n<p>His impact \u200creached beyond his acting\u2063 career as well. Roundtree became a symbol of black excellence\u2064 and representation in the\u2063 entertainment industry. He proved that black\u200c actors\u200b could be \u2062leading men, breaking through barriers and \u200copening doors for future generations. His influence can \u2064be seen in the success and\u2062 recognition achieved \u200cby <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-star-wars-criticized-over-black-history-month-tweet-after-minimizing-black-character\/\" title=\"Disney, Star Wars Criticized Over Black History Month Tweet After Minimizing Black Character\">black actors<\/a> today.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, Richard Roundtree&#8217;s \u200blife came to\u200c a close this week, leaving behind a legacy\u200b that will not be forgotten. His contributions to cinema, his trailblazing spirit, and his embodiment of cool will continue to inspire and empower generations to come. As Hollywood slowly becomes more diverse\u200c and\u2062 inclusive, Roundtree&#8217;s pioneering work stands \u2063as a reminder of the importance of representation and the\u2063 power of breaking boundaries.<\/p>\n<p>In the \u200cwords of \u2063Richard \u2063Roundtree himself, &#8220;I enjoy being black in America, and particularly being black and giving expressions to this industry at this point in time. What \u200bmakes me who \u200dI am \u200dand\u2062 what makes \u2062my life exciting and even more \u2064rewarding and meaningful is\u2062 the fact that I am black.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Richard \u2063Roundtree will forever be \u2063remembered as the trailblazer who defined cool, an icon who changed the \u2063landscape of cinema and paved the way for future generations of black actors. His legacy lives on, his impact resonating in every film and television show\u200c that features a black actor in a leading role. Richard Roundtree truly was a\u2063 legend, and his influence will continue to shape the entertainment\u200b industry\u200d for \u2064years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before Jordan and Erving, there was Baylor. Before Venus and Serena, there was Gibson. And before Jackson and Foxx, there was Roundtree, the Shaft star who paved the way for a generation of black action movie stars. His impact remains significant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2080967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2080966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2080966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2080966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2080966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2080967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2080966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2080966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2080966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}