Actor Louis Gossett Jr. fighting prostate cancer

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters Life!) – Actor Louis Gossett  Jr, best known for his Oscar-winning role as the tough drill  instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman”, said yesterday he  was fighting prostate cancer.

Gossett, 73, said his cancer was in its early stages and  that he was going public to encourage African-Americans to seek  early examinations and treatment for the disease.

The award-winning actor said he had begun an intensive  treatment program so that he can resume his acting schedule,  and work with his Eracism Foundation, as soon as possible.

“I count this diagnosis among the many challenges I have  faced in my life and overcome. I expect this to be no  different,” Gossett said in a statement.

The actor’s Eracism Foundation works to raise awareness of  issues such as racism, ignorance and social apathy.

He said he wanted to go public “to set an example for the  large number of African-American men who are victims of this  disease because of the comparatively low emphasis in our  community on preventive examinations and early treatment.”