Image by/from CBS Television
Richard Arnold Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor and model, who was best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft and four of its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972), Shaft in Africa (1973), its 2000 sequel and its 2019 sequel, as well the eponymous television series (1973-1974). He was also known for his features in several TV series, including Roots, Generations, and Desperate Housewives.
Considered as “the first Black action hero”, Roundtree was credited with having an impact on the rise of African American leading actors in Hollywood projects, thanks to his successful performances in the blaxploitation genre.
Richard Arnold Roundtree was born on July 9, 1942, in New Rochelle, New York, to John Roundtree and Kathryn Watkins. Roundtree attended New Rochelle High School, where he graduated in 1961. He subsequently attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, but eventually dropped out of college in 1963, in order to begin his acting career.
Roundtree started his professional career around 1963, as he began working as a model at the Ebony Fashion Fair after being scouted by Eunice W. Johnson; he then began modeling in advertisements for products such as Johnson Products’ Duke hair grease and Salem cigarettes. In 1967, Roundtree joined the Negro Ensemble Company: he then went on to play his first theatrical role by portraying boxer Jack Johnson in the company’s production of The Great White Hope. According to J. E. Franklin, he acted in the Off-Off-Broadway production of her play Mau Mau Room, by the Negro Ensemble Company Workshop Festival, at St. Mark’s Playhouse in 1969, directed by Shauneille Perry.
Roundtree made his first big-screen appearance by playing a minor role in the film What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?, a 1970 American hidden-camera style reality film directed by Candid Camera creator Allen Funt.
In the following years, he became a leading man in early 1970s blaxploitation films, and gained widespread popularity through his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the action movie Shaft (1971) and its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973); he also played the same role in the eponymous television series, aired by CBS between 1973 and 1974. In 1981, he appeared opposite Laurence Olivier and Ben Gazzara in the epic war film Inchon, directed by Terence Young. In 1984, he starred again as a private detective, Diehl Swift, in the buddy-crime comedy movie City Heat, acting alongside Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. On television, he played the slave Sam Bennett in the 1977 television mini-series Roots, and then starred as Dr. Daniel Reubens in the soap opera Generations from 1989 to 1991. Although Roundtree worked throughout the entirety of the 1990s, many of his films from that era were not well-received publicly; however, he found success in several stage plays.
During that same period of time, Roundtree kept featuring in TV series: on September 19, 1991, he appeared in the episode “Ashes to Ashes”, from the second season of Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1995, he acted in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed movie Seven; in 2000, he starred again as John Shaft in a new, eponymous sequel of the original 1971 film, with Samuel L. Jackson playing the title character. In 1997, he appeared in the comedy movie George of the Jungle; around the same year, he played a leading role as Phil Thomas in the Fox ensemble drama, 413 Hope St; in 1999, he portrayed Booker T. Washington in the 1999 television movie Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years. He served as a voice actor for the title character from the PlayStation game Akuji the Heartless, which was first released in 1999.
In 2004, Roundtree guest-starred in several episodes of the first season of Desperate Housewives as an amoral private detective; in 2005, he played a high-school vice-principal in the live action movie, Brick.
Starting from the same year, Roundtree appeared in the television series The Closer as retired colonel D. B. Walter; in 2006, he starred in the science fiction drama series Heroes as Charles Deveaux, the terminally ill father of main character Simone Deveaux (Tawny Cypress). He then appeared as Eddie Sutton’s father-in-law in several episodes of family drama series Lincoln Heights,[a] before playing a supporting role in the 2008 film Speed Racer, a live-action re-edition of the eponymous Japanese manga. During the same year, he also appeared in the TV series Knight Rider as the father of FBI agent Carrie Ravai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier). Starting from 2013, he co-starred as the father of lead character Mary Jane Paul (Gabrielle Union) in the drama series Being Mary Jane, aired on BET.
In 2019, Roundtree co-starred in the comedy film What Men Want, before once again returning to the role of John Shaft in Shaft, a new sequel to the 2000 film, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Jessie T. Usher, who portrayed John Shaft II and John Shaft III, respectively. Starting from the same year, Roundtree also had a recurring role on Family Reunion.
Roundtree was married and divorced twice and had five children. He first got married to Mary Jane Grant in 1963: the couple had two children, before divorcing in 1973. He dated actress and TV personality Cathy Lee Crosby shortly thereafter. Roundtree later married Karen M. Ciernia in 1980; they had three children together, before divorcing in 1998.
In 1993, Roundtree was diagnosed with breast cancer, and subsequently underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.
Roundtree died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Los Angeles on October 24, 2023, at the age of 81.