Richard Roundtree

Born in New Rochelle, New York, Roundtree graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1961, and played for the school\'s undefeated and nationally ranked football team. He attended Southern Illinois. Roundtree was diagnosed with the rare disease male breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.\n', '

Roundtree was a leading man in early 1970s blaxploitation films, his best-known role being detective John Shaft in the action movie, Shaft (1971) and its sequels, Shaft\'s Big Score (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973). Roundtree also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier and Ben Gazzara in Inchon (1981). On television, he played the slave Sam Bennett in the 1977 television series Roots and Dr. Daniel Reubens on Generations from 1989 to 1991. Before becoming an actor, he was a football player and a model. He played another private detective in 1984\'s City Heat oppos…