Isiah Whitlock Jr., best known for his role in HBO’s “The Wire” and frequent collaborations with director Spike Lee in films such as “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods,” has died. He was 71.
Whitlock’s manager, Brian Liebman, shared news of his client’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr,” Liebman wrote in the caption alongside a photo of the two. “If you knew him, you loved him. 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.”
Liebman told Deadline that Whitlock died peacefully after a short illness.
Born in South Bend, Ind., Whitlock pursued acting after facing a series of football injuries at Southwest Minnesota State University. After graduating in 1976, he joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
At the start of his career, Whitlock picked up various roles in procedurals and dramas including iterations of the “Law & Order” franchise, notably “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
The actor most famously left his mark on HBO’s “The Wire” as the corrupt Maryland State Sen. Clay Davis, whose iconic swearing, particularly his elongation of the word s—, is a memorable element of the 60-episode crime drama.
On the big screen, Whitlock appeared in multiple Lee films, including “She Hate Me” (2004), “Chi-Raq” (2015), “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) and “Da 5 Bloods” (2020).
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