Jasper, Texas is a 2003 American made-for-television drama film directed by Jeffrey W. Byrd. The teleplay by Jonathan Estrin is based on a true story and focuses on the aftermath of a crime in which three white men from the small town of Jasper, Texas, killed African American James Byrd Jr. by dragging him behind their pickup truck.
Jasper, Texas (film)
Louis Cameron Gossett Jr. was an American actor. He made his stage debut at the age of 17. Shortly thereafter, he successfully auditioned for the Broadway play Take a Giant Step. 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). In 1977, Gossett appeared in the popular miniseries Roots, for which he won Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series at the Emmy Awards.
Gossett Jr. in 1978
A scene from the play A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, with Gossett (left) as George Murchison, Ruby Dee as Ruth Younger, and Sidney Poitier as Walter Younger
Cast of ABC TV series The Young Rebels (1970): From left-Alex Henteloff, Rick Ely, Philippe Forquet, and Gossett.
Gossett with Esther Rolle in a publicity photo for Good Times in 1976