Richard Roundtree, America's 'first Black action hero,' dead at 81

Washington (AFP) - American actor Richard Roundtree, heralded as "the first Black action hero" for his starring role in the iconic 1971 hit "Shaft," died Tuesday at 81, US media reported. Hollywood publication Deadline said that the actor, known for opening doors for other Black artists in the industry, died with his family at his bedside, "after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer." "Shaft," in which Roundtree played the eponymous private eye John Shaft, sparked a series of sequels and a TV spinoffs.  Five decades later, Roundtree was still acting, appearing in the television romance drama ...