In a Tuesday statement, Louis Gossett Jr - the 73-year-old actor who won an Oscar for his role as the tough drill instructor Sgt. Emil Foley in the 1982 flick ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ – said that he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Saying that the cancer was detected early and a complete recovery was possible, Gossett added that his public revelation about the cancer is aimed at persuading the African-Americans who lay “comparatively low emphasis” on fighting the disease with early preventive diagnosis and timely treatment.

Elaborating further about his present line of treatment, the Oscar-winning actor said that he had begun an intensive treatment program, so as to ensure the earliest-possible resumption of his acting schedule as well as his work with his Eracism Foundation.

With three movies due for release, including Tyler Perry’s comedy “Why Did I Get Married Too” in April, Gossett has acted in over 60 movies and TV shows. At present, he is promoting a PBS documentary titled ‘For Love Of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots,’ which has been executive-produced by him and will be screened towards the end of this month. In addition, Gossett’s

Gossett, whose memoir ‘An Actor and A Gentleman’ will be published in May, said that he counted his prostate cancer diagnosis among the “many challenges I have faced in my life and overcome.”