CNN —Richard Roundtree, the stage and screen actor best known for his performance as a tough-talking private eye in 1971’s “Shaft,” has died, according to multiple reports. McMinn told the outlet that the actor died Tuesday afternoon after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”The CNN has reached out to representatives for the actor for comment. Roundtree has the distinction of being among a handful of actors who enjoyed top billing with his first-ever screen credit. Until then a theater actor, his starring role in the 1971 Blaxploitation epic “Shaft” propelled him into the cultural limelight, launching a franchise that would see sequels, a TV series and a 2019 reboot starring Samuel L. Jackson.

---

Persons: Richard Roundtree, ”, Patrick McMinn, McMinn, “, ” McMinn, Roundtree, Samuel L, Jackson, Bel, ” Roundtree, Gabrielle Union, Mary Jane, ” Jackson Organizations: CNN, “, Roundtree, Issac’s