‘Shaft’ actor Richard Roundtree dies at 81

Richard Roundtree, best known for starring as the private eye John Shaft in the ‘Shaft’ films, has died. He was 81. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Roundtree’s manager, Patrick McMinn, informed that the actor died at his home in Los Angeles due to pancreatic cancer.

‘Richard's work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film. The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated,’ McMinn said in a statement.

Roundtree was noted for being the 'first black action hero' for playing the titular character of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 crime action thriller film ‘Shaft’. He reprised the role in a number of sequels and a short-lived network TV series.

Roundtree also had a role in the groundbreaking ABC television slavery drama ‘Roots’ in 1977. He played motorcycle daredevil Miles in 1974's ‘Earthquake’.

Among his more well-known films was 1996's ‘Once Upon a Time ... When We Were Colored’. It was a story of a tight-knit Black community confronting the racism of post-war Mississippi. He also starred opposite Peter O'Toole's Robinson Crusoe in ‘Man Friday’ in 1975 and alongside Laurence Olivier's depiction of General Douglas MacArthur in 1981's ‘Inchon’.

Roundtree has 159 acting credits to his name plus three upcoming projects yet to be released, according to IMDB.com.

Richard Roundtree was married twice and is survived by four daughters - Nicole, Tayler, Morgan and Kelli Roundtree - and his son, James, Variety said.