John Shaft

John Shaft
Richard Roundtree as Shaft, 1973
First appearance	Shaft
Last appearance	The Last Shaft
Created by	Ernest Tidyman
Portrayed by	Richard Roundtree
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Private investigator
Family	John Shaft (nephew)
Nationality	American

John Shaft I is a fictional character created by screenwriter Ernest Tidyman. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973), with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his nephew (named John Shaft II) in the 2000 version of the film, Roundtree appearing as the original John Shaft. The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt."

The television show ran from 1973–1974, with Richard Roundtree reprising the role of John Shaft. There were seven 90-minute movies, part of the New CBS Tuesday Night Movies, rotating with Hawkins, which starred James Stewart.

In February 2015, it was reported that a reboot of the film franchise is in the works.

The character has had a mostly positive response.

The Detective in Hollywood, Jon Tuska, 1978 ()

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