Richard Roundtree

Richard Roundtree [1] is an American actor and former model. Roundtree is noted as being "the first black action hero"[2] for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft, and its sequels, Shaft's Big Score! and Shaft in Africa , along with a cameo appearance as the character in the 2000 film Shaft, which starred Samuel L. Jackson as the nephew of the original John Shaft. For his performance in Shaft, Roundtree was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor in 1972.