Gossett continued acting onstage in critically acclaimed plays including A Raisin in the Sun (1959), The Blacks (1961), Tambourines to Glory (1963), and The Zulu and the Zayda (1965).

At the Emmy Awards, Gossett continued to receive recognition, with nominations for The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots (1978), Backstairs at the White House (1979), Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1981), Sadat (1983), A Gathering of Old Men (1987), Touched by an Angel (1997), and Watchmen (2019).

Gossett's other film appearances include Hal Ashby's The Landlord (1970), Paul Bogart's Skin Game (1971), George Cukor's Travels with My Aunt (1972), Stuart Rosenberg's The Laughing Policeman (1974), Philip Kaufman's The White Dawn (1974), Peter Yates's The Deep (1977), Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine (1985), Christopher Cain's The Principal (1987), Mark Goldblatt's The Punisher (1989), Daniel Petrie's Toy Soldiers (1991), and Blitz Bazawule's The Color Purple (2023), his television appearances include Bonanza (1971), The Jeffersons (1975), American Playhouse (1990), Stargate SG-1 (2005), Boardwalk Empire (2013), The Book of Negroes (2015).

The original cast also featured James Earl Jones, Roscoe Lee Browne, Cicely Tyson, Godfrey Cambridge, Maya Angelou and Charles Gordone.

[27] William Glover in his review published in The Bee, describes it as the first Broadway play with a gospel score, and praised the entirety of the cast for their energy and vocals.

[42] Michael Bate of The Ottawa Citizen said "Gossett larks his way through the film's early portions and develops a complex characterization with appealing good humor and restraint.

[48] He was announced to act in a starring role in Brian De Palma's Sisters, but had to withdraw due to scheduling conflict,[49] and to play a gang leader in Barry Shear's Across 110th Street, but he is not in the finished product.

[87] On his role, he said "I see the character I'm portraying as a combination of those militant black leaders of 10 or 12 years ago: Eldridge Cleaver, Huey Newton, Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale.

On playing Paige, Gossett said "from the time I was three Satch was almost a God-like figure to me Yet when I got in front of the camera I had to be careful not to overdo it I tried to portray him as an incredibly gifted man rather than a legend, which he truly is.

He captures Paige's overflowing exuberance for life, but also the man's innate intelligence, and his proud determination to gain acceptance for the genuine physical genius he possessed.

"[103] In his review published in News-Press Bill Hayden wrote that "Louis Gossett Jr. gives a fiery and moving performance in this powerful production as a proud black man who believes he is committing the ultimate crime by growing old.

Its critical consensus reads, "A cheese-soaked ocean thriller with no evident reason to exist, Jaws 3 bellows forth with a plaintive yet ultimately unheeded cry to put this franchise out of viewers' misery.

[126][127][128][129][130][131] James Monaco reviewed the film in his book, The Movie Guide, and said of the acting "Finders Keepers benefits from the well-judged performances of its energetic cast.

The film is about a human (Quaid) and alien soldier (Gossett), respectively, who become stranded together on an inhospitable planet and must overcome their mutual distrust in order to cooperate and survive.

It's amazing that he can communicate so much subtlety, emotion and strangeness beneath all those layers of latex and paint, those fishy scales, greenish limbs and faceted contact lenses.

"[145] In 1986, in Sidney J. Furie's military aviation thriller Iron Eagle, Gossett played a retired Air Force colonel, Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair, who helps young man (Jason Gedrick) save his father who's held prisoner in the middle East.

[174] Mike Hill of The Evening Sun said that Gossett to "displays his usual impeccable command of his character in playing Clements, depicted as an unorthodox priest whose methods had gained his church a wide following in its community, but also drawn the disapproval of the Chicago's Cardinal.

[186] That year he appeared in three television movies Sam Found Out: A Triple Play,[187] Goodbye, Miss 4th of July,[188] and returned to the role of Findler in Roots: The Gift.

[193] On July 22, Peter Markle's made for television western comedy film El Diablo premiered with Gossett playing the secondary protagonist.

The film is set in the 1940s in a Southern town, where Gossett play Simpson a black recluse who befriend a white teen named Sudie (Gilbert).

[195] Ray Loynd of The Los Angeles Times liked it and of Gossett he said he "is memorable as a survivor hiding in a shack outside of town and tending his secret vegetable garden.

It tell the story of a Green Beret (Gossett) who goes back to his home town in South Carolina to clear his brother's name who received the death penalty for a crime he didn't commit.

[203] On January 25, 1992, Gossett played the lead in Keeper of the City, based on a novel by the same name by Gerald Di Pego, made its American television premiere on Showtime while receiving a theatrical release abroad.

In it Gossett plays a boxer who comes back from retirement after a con-man (James Woods) convinces him to take a challenge of beating ten men in a day.

"[224] Also in 1994, Gossett played supporting roles in Bruce Beresford's A Good Man in Africa,[225] William Friedkin's Blue Chips,[226] and Curse of the Starving Class.

[231] It earned a 14.8 national Nielsen rating, equalling 14.1 million households, making it the eighth highest-rated prime time program for the week of December 26, 1994 to January 1, 1995.

Kay Gardella liked it, in her review in the Daily News said "Gossett's efficient, low-key portrayal and Silverman's wide-eyed naivete make for an interesting combination, and suggest they're ideal for a spinoff.

[citation needed] Also that year, he played Vernon Jordan in Ernest Dickerson's political drama television film Strange Justice based on events regarding the sexual harassment accusation brought by Anita Hill during the Senate confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas.

In what was essentially a cameo, he offered a richly characterised performance, full of tiny gestures and behavioural tics, held together by a brilliantly earthy vocal delivery that perfectly captured the weary" character.

[66][356] Gossett died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at a rehabilitation center in Santa Monica, California, on March 29, 2024, at the age of 87; heart failure and atrial fibrillation were cited as contributing factors.