Richard Roundtree, the actor who helped define cinematic cool with his iconic title role in “Shaft” and its sequels, has died at age 81 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Often described as the “first black action hero,” the actor was best known for playing the detective in the Shaft franchise, which premiered in 1971, but also had a number of films under his belt.
The New Yorker first played the role of detective John Shaft in 1971. It was directed by photographer and composer turned filmmaker Gordon Parks, with a classic soundtrack by Isaac Hayes.
In 2019, the film star reprized his Shaft role with Samuel L. Jackson playing his son in the final film in the series, this time directed by Tim Story, who directed Ride Along starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.
But who were the famous actor’s wife and children? The star had a colorful personal life that included two marriages, two divorces, a high-profile relationship with actress Cathy Lee Crosby and five children.
Often described as “the first black action hero,” Richard was best known for playing the detective in the Shaft series, which premiered in 1971, but had a number of films under his belt
In 2019, the film star reprized his Shaft role with Samuel L. Jackson in the role of his son in the final film of the series, this time directed by Tim Story, responsible for directing Ride Along with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart
A life full of glamour
Born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1942, Roundtree was a star football player in high school before attending Southern Illinois University.
He dropped out of college in 1963 after planning to pursue a career as a model. On the advice of Bill Cosby, he moved to New York City and later began acting in stage productions in the 1960s.
It was his first major film role as the title character in Shaft, which changed his career forever and made him a sought-after film and television star.
After his initial success, he played the title character in 1975’s “Man Friday” alongside “Lawrence of Arabia” star Peter O’Toole as Robinson Crusoe.
In 1981 he appeared with Lawrence Olivier and Ben Gazzara in the Korean War drama Inchon, and in 1984 he again played a private detective working with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood in City Heat.
Other classic or popular films he appeared in included Earthquake (1974), Body Of Influence (1993), Maniac Cop (1988), Se7en (1995), George Of The Jungle (1997) and Brick (2005).
One of his later roles was in 2019’s What Men Want, which received poor reviews but was a box office success.
wife and children
In November 1963, aged just 21, Richard married Mary Jane Grant. Their union lasted ten years and they divorced in 1973.
The couple shared two children, daughters Kelli and Nicole, who prefer to stay out of the spotlight.
After his turbulent marriage, he married Karen Michelle Ciernia in 1980 and the couple had three children together; Taylor, Morgan and John James.
This romance didn’t last long either and the couple divorced in 1998, making their marriage last eight years longer than his first.
According to the New York Times, he is said to have at least one grandchild.
Richard also dated glamorous blonde actress Cathy Lee Crosby, with whom he appeared in an episode of the television series Shaft, based on the films of the same name.
The relationship didn’t last long – and existed before his marriage to Karen.