Celebrity Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Death News Louis Gossett Jr. Has Prostate Cancer The Officer and a Gentleman Oscar winner is expected to recover fully By Stephen M. Silverman Stephen M. Silverman Stephen M. Silverman is the former founding editor of PEOPLE.com. He left PEOPLE in 2015. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 10, 2010 09:00AM EST Photo: John Shearer/WireImage Louis Gossett Jr. has done the right thing regarding his prostate cancer: He received an early diagnosis and he is acting promptly. As a result, the Supporting Actor Oscar winner – for 1983’s An Officer and a Gentleman, in addition to his Emmy for 1977’s Roots – expects to receive the greatest prize of all: a full recovery. Gossett, 73, says he is spreading awareness of his condition because of the lack of emphasis in the African-American community on fighting the highly treatable (and extremely common) form of cancer. The best way to fight it is preventive examinations and early treatment, which can involve surgery and/or radiation. For more information on prostate cancer, visit the Prostate Cancer Foundation Web site. For more information on Gossett, his memoir, An Actor and a Gentleman, is due to be published on May 10. Close