Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., star of acclaimed TV series like The Wire and Your Honor, has died at the age of 71. Whitlock’s manager Brian Liebman confirmed to Deadline that the actor died peacefully after a short illness. In addition to The Wire and Your Honor, Whitlock regularly collaborated with filmmaker Spike Lee, having starred in 25th Hour, She Hate Me, Red Hook Summer, Chi-Raq, BlacKkKlansman, and Da 5 Bloods. Whitlock also had roles in movies like Cars 3, The Old Man & the Gun, I Care a Lot, Lightyear, and Cocaine Bear.
The actor also had an illustrious career in TV, starring in a number of Law & Order projects, as well as appearing in Chappelle’s Show, Rubicon, Lucky 7, and Veep. Whitlock’s most recent project was the TV series The Residence, which premiered on Netflix earlier this year.
A Long-Lasting Legacy
HBO’s The Wire is regarded as one of the best TV shows not just of the 21st century, but of all time, thanks in large part to the impact of Whitlock’s state senator Clay Davis. Over the course of five seasons, the series delivered a number of iconic characters, many of whom had brief storylines. Clay Davis, however, was a fixture of the whole series, arguably giving the show its most memorable quote.
In 25th Hour, Whitlock delivered a signature pronunciation of an expletive, which immediately stuck in the minds of moviegoers. When Whitlock appeared on The Wire, he similarly delivered the curse “sheeeeeeeeeeit” throughout the program’s run, essentially becoming his character’s catchphrase. No matter how many hilarious or intimidating roles Whitlock delivered throughout his career, he was always known for this phrase.
In 2008, Whitlock explained the origin of his unique affection to Hobo Trash Can:
“It’s one of those things, I had an uncle who passed away, God bless his soul, but he used to do that a lot, my uncle Leon. It was the way he did it and it was when he did it that would always make you laugh. But he would sometimes end sentences and sometimes, you know, you’d wake up and you’d say, ‘Hey, Uncle Leon, how did you sleep?’ He’d go, ‘Sheeeeeit, man, I hit that pillow and …’ Or, you’d say, ‘How is dinner?’ ‘Sheeeeeit, that food was good.'”
He joked, “I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and far away I heard someone say it and they’d be kind of smiling. I’m glad people enjoy it. There could be worse things, I guess. But I hear rappers trying to do it and I’ve heard other people in other projects try to do it, but everybody knows if you really want to do it right, you’re just going to have to bring the real guy in.”
Our thoughts go out to Whitlock’s family and friends in this difficult time.
The Wire
- Release Date
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2002 – 2008-00-00
- Network
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HBO
- Directors
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Ernest R. Dickerson, Ed Bianchi, Steve Shill, Clark Johnson, Daniel Attias, Agnieszka Holland, Tim Van Patten, Alex Zakrzewski, Anthony Hemingway, Brad Anderson, Clement Virgo, Elodie Keene, Peter Medak, Rob Bailey, Seith Mann, Christine Moore, David Platt, Dominic West, Gloria Muzio, Jim McKay, Leslie Libman, Milcho Manchevski, Robert F. Colesberry, Thomas J. Wright
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