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LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. says he is being treated for prostate cancer.

In the announcement Tuesday, Gossett says the disease was caught early and he expects to make a full recovery.

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The 73-year-old actor says he is going public about the disease because there is not enough emphasis in the African-American community on fighting it with preventive examinations and early treatment.

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Gossett, who is black, has appeared in dozens of films. He won an Oscar for best supporting actor in 1983 for his portrayal of the no-nonsense Navy flight school sergeant who whips Richard Gere into shape in “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

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His memoir, “An Actor and a Gentleman,” is scheduled to be published this year.