The Legendary Richard Roundtree: A Trailblazing Actor's Journey

Richard Arnold Roundtree (July 9, 1942 – October 24, 2023) was an American actor and model.

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who was best known for his role as private detective John Shaft in the 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft and its four sequels, Shaft's Big Score!

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Roundtree attended New Rochelle High School, graduating in 1961. He then attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

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Roundtree began her professional career around 1963 when she began working as a model after being scouted by Eunice W. Johnson at the Ebony Fashion Fair.

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Soon after, he met actress and TV personality Kathie Lee Crosby. Roundtree later married Karen M. Sirenia in 1980.

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Roundtree died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Los Angeles on October 24, 2023, at the age of 81.

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