5 months ago
Isiah Whitlock Jr., a seasoned characteristic character known for his memorable roles successful specified bid as The Wire, Veep, Your Honor and The Residence and a number of Spike Lee movies, passed distant peacefully today, Dec. 30, successful New York aft battling a short illness, his head Brian Liebman told Deadline. Whitlock Jr. was 71.
Born successful South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock Jr. started his acting profession by joining San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater aft graduating from college.
His first notable surface domiciled was a 1987 impermanent changeable connected CBS’ Cagney & Lacey. He worked steadily successful tv for nan past 3 and a half decades doing dozens of impermanent appearances, including connected nan Law & Order franchise pinch aggregate episodes each connected nan mothership series, Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent.
Whitlock Jr. is astir apt champion known for his domiciled arsenic corrupt State Senator R. Clayton “Clay” Davis connected HBO’s The Wire. He appeared connected each 5 seasons of David Simon’s crime drama, recurring successful Seasons 1-4 earlier joining nan main formed successful Season 5.
He besides recurred connected HBO’s governmental drama Veep as Secretary of Defense Gen. George Maddox and was a bid regular connected Showtime’s ineligible thriller play Your Honor, playing a leader pinch connections to organized crime.
Whitlock Jr.’s past TV domiciled was a bid regular move arsenic nan Chief of Police other Uzo Aduba connected Netflix’s White House execution enigma The Residence, which was released earlier this year.
In features, Whitlock Jr. is known for his longstanding narration pinch Spike Lee, appearing successful six movies of nan Oscar-winning filmmaker: 25th Hour (2002), She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).
It was successful The 25th Hour that Whitlock Jr. first introduced what would go his signature phrase, ‘Sheeeeeit,” his ain mentation of nan connection “sh*t,” a transportation he said in a 2008 interview that he had picked up from his uncle Leon.
“I did it location and I did it successful She Hate Me. But then, erstwhile I sewage connected to The Wire, I saw a mates of opportunities wherever I could do it, and I did. And they started penning it in,” Whitlock Jr. said successful nan aforesaid interview.
The phrase’s fame grew, and it soon entered popular culture.
“I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and acold distant I heard personification opportunity it and they’d beryllium benignant of smiling. I’m gladsome group bask it,” he said.
In different meta moment, Whitlock Jr. sewage to play a characteristic successful nan 2011 movie Cedar Rapids who is simply a self-professed instrumentality of The Wire.
On nan large screen, he was astir precocious seen successful Elizabeth Banks’ achromatic comedy Cocaine Bear and will soon beryllium heard arsenic portion of nan sound formed of nan Pixar/Disney animated feature Hoppers.
“Isiah was a superb character and moreover amended person. He was loved by each who had nan pleasance to activity pinch aliases cognize him,” Liebman told Deadline. “He will beryllium greatly missed.”
