A surprising thing to learn about Louis Gossett Jr. is that he has an easygoing spirit. It's unexpected because some of the characters he has played on the big and small screen and on stage over the decades have been aggressive and sometimes downright mean.

One time he played George Jefferson's womanizing best friend on the popular 1970s sitcom The Jeffersons. With the look of lust in his eyes, Gossett chased George's wife, Louise (Weezy), around the house every time George left the room.

"Yeah, Weezy would run every time I got out the breath spray,'' he said, laughing in an interview with Blackvoices.com. "I had a good time doing The Jefferson, Good Times and other sitcoms.''

And what about his formative role as the officious gunnery sergeant in An Officer and Gentleman for which he won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 1983? As the hardcore GySgt. Emil Foley, he helped Richard Gere's slacker character, Zack Mayo, complete his work at Navy Flight School.

Here is are some memorable lines from an An Officer and Gentleman:



He also won an Emmy for his role as Fiddler in the ABC mini-series 'Roots.' Gossett received critical acclaim for his parts Sadat, the story of the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, the action adventure series, Iron Eagle, among others.

Onscreen bravado aside, he was hiding a lot of pain. He writes about it in his recently released memoir, 'An Actor and A Gentleman.' He is the easygoing man he is today because he survived many walks through fire, including prostate cancer, toxic mold poisoning, racism in Hollywood and a trenchant battle with drugs and alcohol.

The 74-year-old Brooklyn-born actor, who lives in California, takes time from his busy schedule to chat with us about his new memoir:

BV on Books: Why did you decide to write your story?
Louis Gossett Jr.: One of the reasons for the book is to let people know that they have choices. Things happen to us and we have the choice of getting angry and resentful or we can do something different. I decided to take a lesson from Nelson Mandela. He had the option of coming out Robben Island angry or with a smile, knowing that the future of South Africa depended on his smile, not his anger. All of a sudden his release from prison became a wonderful story. The story shifted and South Africa became a viable country all because that man came out of Robben Island with a smile on his face. It was a great lesson for me. Hopefully it was or will be for others, too.

BV: You are doing a lot of work as an activist. Talk about that a little bit.
LGJ: I'm founder of the Eracism Foundation, a nonprofit organization designed to bring awareness and education to issues such as racism, bigotry and social apathy. The gangbanger generation needs to change because they made their point. Now, they need to be responsible, no more anger or resentment. They must listen to God. That's, in part, what the book is about, getting over past hurt and anger.

BV: You were sick with prostate cancer and toxic mold poisoning while writing the book?
LGJ: I was ill before I started writing the book about two years ago. It was a downhill spiral. There was the toxic mold, which I discovered after my pets died. The cancer came about a year later. It was like the domino principle. I had to change a lot of stuff such as anger, which is no longer there. I had to eat properly and sleep well. I had to think better thoughts that were inspired by God. I also learned that it's more than what you eat. It's how we act and think that keeps us from being diseased. We have to treat ourselves better. When you do that, all of the negatives go away. Americans owe it to themselves. We desperately need it.

BV: You always appeared so strong and vibrant in front of the camera. How did manage that when you were going to through so much such as racism in Hollywood. You write about staying at second-rate motels while white actors stayed at swank hotels. You also talk about being stopped by cops because you were driving a nice car. Tough stuff to deal with. How did you manage? You talk about your struggles with drugs and alcohol.
LGJ: Acting is what saved me, I guess. The only time I was free was in front of the camera. I got too tired to fight even the subtle racism in Hollywood, so I would disappear and isolate until they called me back to work. On the set, I'd hold my breath, put the headset on until the man said action and go in front of that camera where I was free. I would give you guys the best I had.

BV: You were pretty hard on Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman. How did white Hollywood take that?
LGJ: It drove them crazy not to be afraid of me. Richard Gere was the movie star. He cooperated and I love him a lot. But in the end it's not about what other people think. The magic is in the journey and not the destination.