Actor Richard Roundtree of "Shaft" passes away at age 81

Actor Richard Roundtree, a trailblazer who played the incredibly slick private eye in multiple "Shaft" movies starting in the early 1970s, has passed away. At eighty-one.

Longtime manager Patrick McMinn revealed that Roundtree passed away on Tuesday at his Los Angeles home after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In 1993, he received a breast cancer diagnosis and had a double mastectomy.

Given his portrayal of the shrewd New Rochelle, New Yorker John Shaft in the 1971 film directed by Gordon Parks, Roundtree—who was once regarded as the first Black action hero—rose to prominence as one of the major players in the blaxploitation genre. It was Roundtree's first appearance in a feature film at the age of 28, following his debut in the modeling industry.

In the 2000 reimagining of "Shaft," starring Samuel L. Jackson, Roundtree played the same role. In the big-budget picture intended for a broad audience, he played Jackson's uncle. Both made repeat appearances in the same roles in the Jessie T. Usher-starring movie from 2019.

In a social media post, Jackson referred to Roundtree as the “best to ever do it” and the “prototype”.

Roundtree was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the 1995 MTV Movie & TV Awards.