Richard Roundtree, who helped define cinematic cool with his iconic title role in Shaft and its sequels, has died at the age of 81. He died yesterday afternoon after a short bout with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by family at the time of his death. In 2019, Roundtree reprised his Shaft role with Samuel L. Jackson playing his son. Roundtree first starred as the detective John Shaft in 1971's Shaft. Roundtree worked regularly for more than 50 years. He also appeared in films like “Se7en,” “Brick” and “Speed Racer.” He played a supporting role in “Moving On,” a comedy starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda that debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year before releasing in theaters this past summer.