Richard Roundtree dies at 81: Groundbreaking actor who starred in classic Shaft film series dies after short battle with pancreatic cancer

Richard Roundtree, the actor who helped define cinematic cool with his iconic title role in Shaft and its sequels, has died aged 81.

According to Deadline, Roundtree died Tuesday afternoon after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.

In 2019, the movie star reprized his role in Shaft, with Samuel L. Jackson playing his son.

Roundtree first played the role of Detective John Shaft in 1971’s “Shaft,” which was directed by photographer and composer-filmmaker Gordon Parks and featured a classic soundtrack by Isaac Hayes.

Iconic role: Roundtree first played the role of detective John Shaft in 1971’s Shaft, directed by photographer, composer and filmmaker Gordon Parks, with a classic soundtrack recorded by Isaac Hayes

Shaft initially received mixed reviews, with some critics objecting to the film’s harsh language and sometimes brutal violence.

Others criticized the film for being less worthy of Roundtree and other black actors, although Parks responded to a critical essay in the New York Times in 1971.

The original writer criticized Shaft for focusing on a private detective in the vein of Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe rather than a high-end drama like Five Easy Pieces starring Jack Nicholson.

“I don’t believe the choice for black people is limited to Five Easy Pieces or Stepin Fetchit,” Parks wrote in his defense, referring to the actor notorious for his racist portrayals of lazy black men.

Although “Shaft” polarized critics, it was a popular success as the film grossed an astonishing $12 million (that’s more than $373 million when inflation is calculated) on a budget of just $500,000.

The film made Roundtree a star and he was nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1971 for the film.

The following year he was back for his role in Shaft’s Big Score! repeat. It was also a commercial success and is now regarded even more positively by some modern critics than the original.

The film was rushed into production before work on the first Shaft film was even completed because MGM executives predicted – correctly – that the first film would be a commercial success.

Fan Favorite: Shaft initially received mixed reviews, with some critics criticizing the film’s strong language and occasional violence, but it was a hit with audiences and at the box office

Take two: Roundtree was back the following year to reprise his role in Shaft’s Big Score! It was also a commercial success and is now regarded even more positively by some modern critics than the original.

Roundtree played Shaft again in 1973’s Shaft In Africa, this time with John Guillermin in the director’s chair, but that film was a commercial and critical smash.

Part of its failure has been attributed to the rise of other blaxploitation films inspired by and now competing with the 1971 original, while even James Bond – to whom the later incarnations of Shaft have been compared – incorporated elements of the controversial genre has prevailed with the film since 1973. Live and let die.

The spy thriller starring Roger Moore was released just a week after Shaft In Africa’s theatrical release.

After the film’s failure, MGM tried to keep the series alive with a television series with a similar release structure to Colombo, in which the character starred in mini-seasons of several television films rather than regular one-and-a-half-hour episodes.

Seven television films were produced for the series in 1973 and 1974, but the series was canceled after just one season, and Roundtree later criticized the perceived pro-police stance, which contrasted sharply with the grittier theatrical films.

Decades later, Roundtree took on supporting roles as John Shaft in Shaft, a sequel to Boyz N The Hood’s John Singleton starring Samuel L. Jackson as Shaft’s cousin, who was later revealed to be his son.

The veteran star’s last role as the legendary private eye was in 2019’s Shaft, a sequel to the 2000 film in which Jackson played Shaft’s son, with Jessie T. Usher now the third generation of the Shaft family play.

The sequel was a failure with critics and audiences and ultimately failed to recoup its budget.

Don’t Slow Down: Roundtree reprized his role in 2000’s “Shaft” with Samuel L. Jackson as his son, and finally in 2019’s “Shaft” with the same character and a new grandson

End of the Road: The Sequel was a failure with critics and audiences and ultimately failed to recoup its budget

Born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1942, Roundtree was a star football player in high school before attending Southern Illinois University.

However, he quit in 1963 after planning to pursue a career in modelling.

He later began appearing in stage productions in the 1970s, but his first film role as the title character in Shaft changed his career forever and made him a sought-after film and television star.

After his initial success, he played the title character in 1975’s “Man Friday” alongside “Lawrence of Arabia” star Peter O’Toole as Robinson Crusoe.

In 1981, he appeared alongside Lawrence Olivier and Ben Gazzara in the Korean War drama Inchon, and in 1984’s City Heat, he again played a private detective working with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood.

Other classic or popular films in which he appeared include Body Of Influence (1993), Se7en (1995) and George Of The Jungle (1997). One of his later roles was in 2019’s What Men Want, which received poor reviews but was a box office success.

Despite his poor experience on the television series Shaft, Roundtree also found great success as the slave Sam Bennett in the classic 1977 miniseries Roots, based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel.

Change of plans: Born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1942, Roundtree was a high school football star before attending Southern Illinois University. He retired from modeling before appearing on stage in the late 1960s. Shaft was his first film role; seen in Miami in 2019