Isiah Whitlock Jr., the veteran character actor best known for his roles in “The Wire,” “Veep” and several Spike Lee films, has died. He was 71.
Whitlock died Tuesday in New York after battling a short illness, his manager, Brian Liebman, told Deadline.
“If you knew him — you loved him,” Liebman wrote in an Instagram post. “A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”
With more than 125 credits to his name — including two upcoming films — Whitlock was a versatile actor capable of adapting to many different roles. His most frequent collaborator was Spike Lee, who Whitlock worked with on “25th Hour,” “She Hate Me,” “Chi-Raq,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods.”
On the small screen, he was most famous as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on HBO’s “The Wire.” Whitlock appeared sporadically in the first four seasons before joining the main cast for the final season.
The show introduced many to Whitlock’s trademark, the drawn out expletive “sheeeeeit,” uttered by his characters in apparent disbelief. Whitlock said he picked up the tic from an uncle, then brought it to his first two films with Lee.
By the time he made it to “The Wire,” producers and writers wrote it into the script for him, leading to a number of memorable moments and dozens of on-the-street fan interactions.
“They don’t quite do it the way I do it,” Whitlock told Slate in 2008. “They kind of butcher it.”
Whitlock returned to HBO in 2014 on “Veep” as defense secretary George Maddox, who unsuccessfully competes for a presidential nomination against Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character.
His final role came as Metropolitan Police Chief Larry Dokes in the Netflix miniseries “The Residence,” following a recurring role as the mayor of New Orleans in Showtime’s “Your Honor.” His voice will be heard in the Disney Pixar animated sci-fi film “Hoppers,” due out in March.
Related Posts:
- The Wire star Isiah Whitlock Jr. dies aged 71 just days after co-star’s death Entertainment The Wire star Isiah Whitlock Jr. has died aged 71 (Picture: Santiago Felipe/ Getty Images) The Wire star Isiah Whitlock Jr. has died just days after another actor from the critically acclaimed series’ death was announced. The American actor, 71, was best known for playing corrupt state senator Clay Davis…
- Isiah Whitlock Jr. Cause of Death: ‘The Wire’ Star Passes Away at 71 Entertainment Reading Time: 2 minutes We have tragic news to report from the world of television this evening: Isiah Whitlock Jr. — the esteemed character actor who was best known for his role as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on the HBO television series The Wire — has passed away. He…
- Oilers Make Splash on Waiver Wire Sports The Edmonton Oilers have seemingly turned on the jets this season, lifting themselves out of the Pacific Division and into a playoff spot. Injuries and inconsistency notwithstanding, the Oilers look like a third-straight trip to the Stanley Cup Finals might be in the cards. But the sudden optimism hasn’t precluded…
- ‘The Wire’ Actor Passes Away at 71 & Tributes Pour In Entertainment Beloved character actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., best known for his unforgettable portrayal of State Senator R. Clayton Davis on âThe Wire,â has died at age 71, according to Deadline. His manager Brian Liebman told the outlet he passed peacefully. View this post on Instagram Whitlock passed away, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025,…
- Jamie Lee Curtis’ Introduction to the Horror Genre Could Have Come Years Earlier Entertainment <p id="par-1_106">Jamie Lee Curtis landed her first horror movie role at just 19 years old. Curtis was born into Hollywood royalty and had an early interest in acting, but <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/jamie-lee-curtis-didnt-make-much-money-for-1978s-halloween.html/#:~:text=Curtis%20chose%20to%20leave%20the,as%20many%20actors%20do%20today.">her first role, in <em>Halloween</em></a>, truly launched her career. Curtis recently revealed that she had been offered the chance to…
(Visited 2 times, 2 visits today)