He's a bad mother-- SHUT YOUR MOUTH

Richard Roundtree is dead. In his first film role, Roundtree played the role that made him famous. Shaft. John Shaft. A punchy, sarcastic, snarky, black private eye often credited as the first black action hero. He was a bad mother— Shut your mouth.

In the movie, Shaft and a ragtag group of gangsters and African nationals took on the mob. The film quickly became one of the most famous blaxploitation films.

In the 1970s, blaxploitation movies were often cheesy, raunchy, and violent. But they were also a giant leap forward for black creatives, in front of and behind the scenes, setting the stage for generations to follow.

It also launched Roundtree's career. Over the course of a half-century, he starred in film and television roles in Roots, Desperate Housewives, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Seven, Speed Racer, Brick, and more.

But for people like me, he'll always be Shaft, star of one of the first films I ever remember seeing.

He died of pancreatic cancer. He was 81.

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