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Richard Roundtree
Richard Roundtree made a name for himself as the smooth title character in the classic action film "Shaft" (1971). He subsequently starred in two sequels--"Shaft's Big Score" (1972) and "Shaft in Africa" (1973)--and a CBS TV series, "Shaft" (1973-1974) before settling in as a second lead and occasional star of various projects. There were years during the 1980s when the "Shaft" stigma seemed to put an early end to Roundtree's career, but he bounced back in the 90s with numerous films and TV shows. He was tapped to lead an ensemble cast, playing the head of a center for troubled teens in the Fox drama series "413 Hope Street" (1997).