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While doing press for her new comedy film Thelma, Oscar-nominee June Squibb gives an emotional tribute to her co-star and acting icon, Richard Roundtree.

Ahead of the release of Thelma, an action-comedy directed by Josh Margolin, the cast of the film are sharing tributes and recalling memories they've shared with Roundtree. The late actor is best known for his role as John Shaft, in 1971's Shaft. The comedy centers around the titular Thelma (Squibb), who is deceived by a phone scammer into giving them $10,000, and follows her quest to take back the stolen money. Thelma will be the first leading role for Squibb, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 2013 film Nebraska. Thelma also features the talents of Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, and Malcolm McDowell.

Related Samuel L. Jackson Honors Late Shaft Star Richard Roundtree

2000's Shaft star Samuel L. Jackson pays tribute...

The American Cinematheque will pay tribute to the late Richard Roundtree through a retrospective film series screening June 8-14. The lineup of films includes “Shaft,” “Once Upon A Time…When We Were Closed,” “Q: The Winged Serpent” and “Shaft’s Big Score!” The retrospective will conclude with Roundtree’s final film “Thelma” followed by a Q&a with director Josh Margolin and June Squibb.

The retrospective, co-sponsored with Aafca, takes place at the Los Feliz and Egyptian theaters.

“Thelma” follows a 93-year-old woman (Squibb) and her best friend (Roundtree) as they travel across Los Angeles on a motor scooter to retrieve $10,000 from a telephone scammer.

The American Pavilion Announces Emerging Filmmaker Showcase Winners at Cannes

The American Pavilion revealed the Jury Award winners of this year’s Emerging Filmmaker Showcase presented by Gold House at Cannes.

The showcase allows upcoming filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees.

Richard Roundtree, best known for his popular role in the Shaft franchise, has died.

According to new reports, Roundtree passed away on Oct. 24 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The beloved actor's family is said to have been at his bedside at the time of his passing. Roundtree's agency, Artists & Representatives, as well as his longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, confirmed the actor's death to Deadline. He was 81 years old.

“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” a statement from Roundtree's agency noted. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

As an actor, Roundtree is very well known for playing John Shaft, the titular role, in the celebrated 1971 movie Shaft. His performance earned him a...

Richard Roundtree, who became known as “the first Black action hero” for his portrayal of detective John Shaft in five films, has died at the age of 81 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” Roundtree’s manager Patrick McMinn said in his statement confirming the actor’s death. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”

Shaft followed the exploits of African American detective John Shaft. While the original screenplay called for Shaft to be white, director Gordon Parks opted to cast Roundtree, then just 28 years old, to play the titular character. The first Shaft film was released in 1971 on a budget of just $500,000. It went on to earn $12 million at the box office, and four sequel films followed.

Beyond its commercial success, Shaft is credited for being one of the...

As confirmed by Deadline, Richard Roundtree, the groundbreaking star of the original "Shaft" franchise has died as a result of pancreatic cancer. He was 81. Roundtree was a gifted athlete who played for New Rochelle High School's nationally-ranked and undefeated football team but later dropped out of college after he was scouted by Ebony Fashion Fair founder Eunice W. Johnson and began modeling for companies like Duke hair products and Salem cigarettes. A few years later, he joined the Negro Ensemble Company theater group in New York City, where he became a fast leading man. This led to a successful career in front of the camera, where Roundtree would become colloquially known as the "first Black action hero."

He appeared in a number of Blaxploitation films in the 1970s, but he became a cinematic icon as detective John Shaft in the films "Shaft," "Shaft's Big Score!," "Shaft in Africa," and the short-lived series adaptation.

Richard Roundtree, star of “Shaft,” “Roots,” and “Generations,” has died at the age of 81.

The actor succumbed after a short battle with pancreatic cancer, TheWrap has learned. Roundtree’s family was at his side when he died. His agency, Artists & Partners, confirmed his death.

“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement obtained by TheWrap. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

The actor starred in a number of landmark films, including 1971’s “Shaft” and its two sequels, 1972’s “Shaft’s Big Score!” and 1973’s “Shaft in Africa.” Roundtree was nominated for a New Star of the Year at the Golden Globes following the first movie.

Roundtree also starred in “Inchon” and...

Richard Roundtree, the ultracool actor who helped open the door to a generation of Black filmmakers and performers with his portrayal of private eye John Shaft, “the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about,” died Tuesday. He was 81.

Roundtree died at his home in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer, his manager, Patrick McMinn, told The Hollywood Reporter.

He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and had a double mastectomy. “Breast cancer is not gender specific,” he said four years later. “And men have this cavalier attitude about health issues. I got such positive feedback because I spoke out about it, and it’s been quite a number of years now. I’m a survivor.”

Roundtree also portrayed the title character opposite Peter O’Toole as Robinson Crusoe in Man Friday, was featured as an army sergeant opposite Laurence Olivier as Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Korean...

Richard Roundtree, who broke ground with his signature role in the Shaft movie franchise, died October 24 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer with his family at his bedside. He was 81.

Roundtree’s career spanned five decades and included everything from his most popular blaxploitation role to a very early appearance on As the World Turns in 1956 to being a Season 2 main cast member on Ava DuVernay’s OWN series Cherish the Day last year.

He is best known for playing detective John Shaft in the 1971 action thriller and its sequels, Shaft’s Big Score! (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973) as well as the short-lived 1973 Shaft TV series.

For his performance in the original film, Roundtree was nominated for a New Star of the Year Golden Globe and hailed as the first Black action hero. More importantly, the films made Shaft a cultural hero, a symbol of Black power onscreen, at the box office and beyond.

Jessie Maple, who broke barriers for Black women in entertainment and news as both a cinematographer and director, died on Tuesday in Atlanta. She was 76.

Maple’s family released a statement confirming her death via the Black Film Center & Archive.

Maple was recognized as the first Black woman to be admitted into the International Photographers of Motion Picture & Television Union in the ‘70s. Her career as a trailblazing cinematographer led her move into directing, making the 1981 independent feature film “Will.” Maple was said to be the first Black woman to direct an independent feature-length film in a post-civil rights America.

“One of the first Black woman filmmakers to complete a feature length film — is a giant. Her advocacy, mentorship, and care has touched generations of Black filmmakers. Her passing is a true, deep loss,” wrote Black Film Archive curator Maya Cade.

Maple was born in 1947 in Louisiana. Through the ‘60s and ‘70s,...

No two ways about it: April’s a great month for the Criterion Channel, which (among other things; more in a second) adds two recent favorites. We’re thrilled at the SVOD premiere of Hamaguchi’s entrancing Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, our #3 of 2021, and Bruno Dumont’s lacerating France, featuring Léa Seydoux’s finest performance yet.

Ethan Hawke’s Adventures in Moviegoing runs the gamut from Eagle Pennell’s Last Night at the Alamo to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, while a 14-film John Ford retro (mostly) skips westerns altogether. And no notes on the Delphine Seyrig retro—multiple by Akerman, Ulrike Ottinger, Duras, a smattering of Buñuel, and Seyrig’s own film Be Pretty and Shut Up! That of all things might be the crown jewl.

See the full list of April titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.

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3 Bad Men, John Ford, 1926

Aar paar, Guru Dutt,...

As Gordon Parks’ blaxploitation classic “Shaft,” released nationwide on July 2, 1971, celebrates its 50th anniversary, a proper revision of its ethos is overdue. An anachronistic “Shaft” that promotes an outmoded 007 brand of masculine toxicity — an obsession with shiny possessions including cars, clothing, guns, and of course, women, while relishing violence as the most innate means to an end — may not quite cut it anymore.

That doesn’t mean the character should be neutered; but a post-Trump, post-George Floyd “Shaft” should intrigue executives in an industry that loves to exploit known IP, especially as it contends with an uncertain, rapidly evolving environment. The world does not need a Black James Bond right now; it needs a “Shaft,” updated to clash head-on with a backdrop that isn’t all that different from the era that led to a proliferation of movies like it.

For years, Idris Elba has had to react to...

Despite the proliferation of streaming services, it’s becoming increasingly clear that any cinephile only needs subscriptions to a few to survive. Among the top of our list are The Criterion Channel and Mubi and now they’ve each unveiled their stellar April line-ups.

Over at The Criterion Channel, highlights include spotlights on Ennio Morricone, the Marx Brothers, Isabel Sandoval, and Ramin Bahrani, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard, Frank Borzage’s Moonrise, the brand-new restoration of Joyce Chopra’s Smooth Talk, and one of last year’s best films, David Osit’s Mayor.

At Mubi (where we’re offering a 30-day trial), they’ll have the exclusive streaming premiere of two of the finest festival films from last year’s circuit, Cristi Puiu’s Malmkrog and Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Labyrinth of Cinema, plus Philippe Garrel’s latest The Salt of Tears, along with films from Terry Gilliam, George A. Romero,...

Gordon Parks, who became the first black person to direct a major studio feature when Warner Bros. released his autobiographical film The Learning Tree in 1969 and helped create the blaxploitation genre with 1971's Shaft, died Tuesday in his home in New York. He was 93. A versatile photographer, writer and filmmaker, Parks was a cultural icon whose accomplishments inspired succeeding generations of black artists. He was the first black photographer to work at Life and Vogue, and he reported and photographed the lives of black Americans for Life from 1948-68. Along with director Melvin Van Peebles, he is credited to giving birth to blaxploitation movies with Shaft and its sequel, Shaft's Big Score!...

Gordon Parks, who became a pioneering and influential force in African-American cinema with the films The Learning Tree and Shaft, died on Tuesday in New York; he was 93. Born in Kansas, Parks was orphaned at 15 and grew up homeless, taking jobs wherever he could before becoming interested in photography in the 1930s, working several government jobs during World War II. He ultimately joined Life magazine in the late 40s as the publication's first African-American photographer, and his worked ranged from celebrity shoots to photo essays chronicling the effects of poverty, segregation, and crime. In the 60s, his work covering the Black Power movement and a poverty-stricken family in Rio de Janiero became some of his most notable, with a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel, The Learning Tree, also published early in the decade. With encouragement from John Cassavettes, Parks became the first African-American filmmaker to helm a major studio film with his 1969 adaptation of The Learning Tree, which was among the first 25 films to be preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. His second film, the groundbreaking cult classic Shaft (1971), was a resounding commercial success, and despite Parks' protestations that the movie was not meant to be exploitative, helped launch the "blaxploitation" movement of the 70s. Parks went on to direct Shaft's Big Score, The Super Cops, and Leadbelly in the 70s; his son, Gordon Parks Jr. (who died in a plane crash in 1979), directed another cult classic, Superfly. Photography and filmmaking were just two of Parks' accomplishments, as he also wrote novels, memoirs, poetry and music, receiving a National Medal of Arts, and was the co-founder of Essence magazine. Married and divorced three times, Parks is survived by a son, two daughters, and several grandchildren. --Prepared by IMDb staff...