# Robert Gossett

Robert Gossett (born March 3, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for his role of Commander Russell Taylor on the TNT crime drama The Closer and on its successor series Major Crimes.

## Career

Gossett landed his first professional job after he graduated from high school in a production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He went on to act in a Broadway production of August Wilson's Fences directed by Lloyd Richards, as well as Hal Scott's A Raisin in the Sun and Donald McKayle's The Last Minstrel Show. He also performed in the Negro Ensemble Company's productions of Manhattan Made Me, Sons & Fathers of Sons, A Soldier's Play and Colored People's Time. He has extensive television experience with guest starring roles on Crossing Jordan, NYPD Blue, and Black Angel. In film, Gossett appeared in the Jeff Bridges/Tim Robbins film Arlington Road and the Sandra Bullock movie The Net.
On the October 18, 2021 episode of the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, Gossett made his debut as a mysterious man taking a special interest in former private eye and present club owner Curtis Ashford. This character was subsequently revealed to be Curtis' long lost dad, Marshall Ashford, a character with schizophrenia.

## Personal life

Gossett is a first cousin of actor Louis Gossett Jr. and is married to theater director Michele Gossett.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1984 | Over the Brooklyn Bridge | Eddie |
| 1992 | Batman Returns | TV Anchorman |
| 1995 | White Man's Burden | John |
| 1995 | The Net | Ben Phillips |
| 1995 | Phoenix | Barker |
| 1997 | The Maker | Partner |
| 1999 | Arlington Road | FBI Agent Whit Carver |
| 1999 | Jimmy Zip | Horace Metcalf |
| 1999 | The Living Witness | Phil Jackson |
| 2002 | Devious Beings | Damone |
| 2005 | The Inner Circle | Leo |
| 2009 | Flying By | Michael |
| 2011 | Tied to a Chair | Detective Peter Farrell |
| 2014 | Revelation Road: The Black Rider | The Shepherd |
| 2018 | How To Get Rid Of A Body (and still be friends) | Mr. Morris |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | Stage Manager | Episode: "Dance Mania" |
| 1988 | Heartbeat | Dixon | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Quantum Leap | Charles Griffin | Episode: "Pool Hall Blues - September 4, 1954" |
| 1992 | Cheers | Customer #3 | Episode: "License to Hill" |
| 1992 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | John Lee | Episode: "Miracle in Oaktown" |
| 1992 | Silk Stalkings | Lt. Hudson | Main role |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Lonnie Edwards | Episode: "Oscar, Meyer, Wiener" |
| 1995 | Melrose Place | Detective Smith | Episode: "Two Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" |
| 1995 | Diagnosis Murder | Dr. Max Frye | Episode: "My Baby is Out of This World" |
| 1996 | Diagnosis Murder | Jimmy Christopher | Episode: "The Murder Trade" |
| 1996 | Second Noah | Lyle | Episode: "Dreamboat" |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Paul Stettling | Episode: "The Journalist" |
| 1997 | Promised Land | Robert Dixon | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Pacific Palisades | Adam Winfield | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy | Cummings | TV film |
| 1997 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Detective Woods | 4 episodes |
| 1997 | 7th Heaven | Doctor | Episode: "Do Something" |
| 1998 | Sister, Sister | Eddie | Episode: "The Domino Effect" |
| 1999 | Working | Executive Storyteller #1 | Episode: "Romeo and Juliet" |
| 1999 | Charmed | Mr. Franklin | Episode: "Secrets and Guys" |
| 2000 | That's Life | Photography Professor | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Dark Angel | James McGinnis | 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Judging Amy | Dan Matson | Episode: "Everybody Falls Down" |
| 2001 | Yes, Dear | John | Episode: "Mr. Fix It" |
| 2001–2004 | Passions | Woody Stumper | Recurring role |
| 2002 | Philly | Malik Clay | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Dragnet | Howard Sykes | Episode: "The Big Ruckus" |
| 2003 | NYPD Blue | Ken Gross | Episode: "Only Schmucks Pay Income Tax" |
| 2004 | Crossing Jordan | Jack Hayes | Episode: "Most Likely" |
| 2005-2012 | The Closer | Commander Russell Taylor | Main role |
| 2005 | Bones | Mr. Taylor | Episode: "The Man in the Wall" |
| 2007 | The Young and the Restless | Incident Commander | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | ER | Dr. Everett Daniels | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The Sarah Silverman Program | Judge Willie Joe Blackwell | Episode: "A Slip Slope" |
| 2012-2017 | Major Crimes | Assistant Chief Russell Taylor | Main role |
| 2016 | Chicago Med | Reggie Dixon | Episode: "Inherent Bias" |
| 2018 | The Oath | Charles Ryder | Recurring role |
| 2018 | Greenleaf | District Attorney Price | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | The Enemy Within | Thomas Heffron | 3 episodes |
| 2021–present | General Hospital | Marshall Ashford | |

## Awards and nominations

* NAACP Theater Award for Best Performance by a Male, Indigo Blues (1993)
* Dramalogue Best Actor Award, Indigo Blues (1993)
* LA Weekly Theater Award, Washington Square Moves (1995)
* Dramalogue Best Actor Award, Washington Square Moves (1995)
* Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Drama Series, General Hospital (2022)
* Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, General Hospital (2023)