He was the trail-blazing actor to came to the fore as the ultrasmooth private detective in the 1971 action movie “Shaft.”

Richard Roundtree has died at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was considered the first Black action hero and became one of the leading actors in the blaxploitation genre through his Shaft character.  He also helped open the door for Black filmmakers and actors in the 1970s

He was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993 and underwent a double mastectomy.

Richard Roundtree was 81.