Richard Roundtree, the original “Shaft,” has died
Richard Roundtree, who starred in the groundbreaking film “Shaft,” in which he portrayed John Shaft, a Black private detective, died on October 24 of pancreatic cancer. He was 81.
When Gordon Parks dryly informed Rountree he got the role of Shaft, Rountree said his whole world suddenly turned upside down. It has been variously reported that Roundtree was paid $12,500 or $15,000 for his role in “Shaft.”
The movie’s iconic theme music had an addicting driving beat written by Isaac Hayes, who won an Academy Award for his composition.
Roundtree was the lead character, and when I saw it, I knew Black men would no longer be consigned to being killed in the first scene of any given movie in which they performed because they could now be cast as heroes.
Roundtree was born in New Rochelle, New York in 1942. He wanted to be a professional football player, but concessions changed his mind.
He later worked for Ebony Fashion Fare as a male model before someone told him Gordon Parks, the famous photographer, was making a movie. He flew out to L.A. and met with Parks. Just days later, Parks called him in for a reading.
He starred in several “Shaft” films, but none of them held a candle to the original one.