Acting pursued Louis Gossett Jr. — not the other way around. The New York City native had already begun performing on Broadway when he finished high school in the early 1950s and headed to NYU on a scholarship, but he had hoop dreams.
“I was at rookie training for the [New York] Knicks when I got a call from [playwright] Lorraine Hansberry to be a part of A Raisin in the Sun,” Gossett, 87, says of the original 1959 Broadway production of her legendary play, in which he starred opposite Sidney Poitier.
“They said the part comes with a $700 per diem, more money than most professional athletes had in the bank at the time. I put the basketball down, and the rest is history.”
Jimmy Fallon's Making New Holiday Memories
The Tonight Show host, 50, has a festive new album, Holiday Seasoning, and an Alex Mill pajama collection called P'Jimmies. The campaign stars his wife, Nancy Juvonen, 57, and their two daughters, Winnie, 11, and Frances, 9.
Jonathan Majors & Meagan Good Are Engaged
Jonathan Majors is engaged to Meagan Good, and he's in a \"season of joy,\" he told People at the EBONY Power 100 Gala on Nov. 17.
Meghan & Harry's New Dynamic: Embracing Solo Projects
Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex's recent separate outings signal a change in their public lives.
PEYTON LIST IS JUST GETTING STARTED!
THE COBRA KAI AND SCHOOL SPIRITS STAR OPENS UP ABOUT HER DISNEY CHANNEL ROOTS AND ENTERING THE NEXT PHASE OF HER CAREER
'Caregiving Has Been an Incredible Gift'
Many veterans struggle to cope with PTSD and then turn angry or violent toward their loved ones. But after Andre Morrow started taking care of his father, Sam, he was able to forgive him
Grief, Music & Preserving My Father's Legacy
THE BEATLE'S SON REVEALS HOW HE RECONNECTED WITH HIS LATE FATHER THROUGH HIS MUSIC AND NEWLY UNEARTHED TAPES
The Dark Side of Sudden Fame
HER FANTASY FOURTH WING BECAME A RUNAWAY BESTSELLER. THEN SHE FACED AN ONLINE FIRESTORM THAT EVEN FORCED HER FAMILY TO MOVE
ALOHA MURDER SOLVED
A FAMILY'S QUEST FOR ANSWERS IN THE MURDER OF 19-YEAR-OLD NANCY ANDERSONHAWAII'S LONGEST UNSOLVED MYSTERY-LEADS TO A BREAKTHROUGH BY A DNA MASTER SLEUTH
RETURN TO ROME
NEARLY 25 YEARS AFTER GLADIATOR BECAME AN OSCAR-WINNING SENSATION, A STARRY CAST HEADS TO THE COLOSSEUM FOR AN EPIC SEQUEL
JELLY ROLL IS ON THE TOP OF THE WORLD
WITH HIS DIFFICULT PAST NOW BEHIND HIM, THE COUNTRY STAR GETS CANDID ABOUT HIS UNLIKELY ROAD TO STARDOM