A throwback of Richard Roundtree. (courtesy: officialrichardroundtree) American actor Richard Roundtree, heralded as “the first Black action hero” for his starring role in the iconic 1971 hit Shaft, died Tuesday at 81, US media reported. Hollywood publication Deadline said that the actor, known for opening doors for other Black artists in the industry, died with his family at his bedside, “after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.” Shaft, in which Roundtree played the eponymous private eye John Shaft, sparked a series of sequels and a TV spinoffs. Five decades later, Roundtree was still acting, appearing in the television romance drama Cherish the Day and film comedy Moving On just last year. “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film,” his manager Patrick McMinn said in a statement to Variety. “The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.” Roundtree’s major debut, Shaft was hailed as a founding classic in the “Blaxploitation” genre the 1970s were known for – which boosters say tackled race relations while critics …