ACTOR Isiah Whitlock Jr – whose starring role in The Wire launched an iconic catchphrase – has died aged 71.
Whitlock Jr was best known for his recurring roles in Law & Order and Veep as well as being a regular in Spike Lee films.
His iconic catchphrase “Sh*******t” was also enshrined into pop-culture after he first delivered the line in 25th Hour.
In an interview in 2008, Whitlock Jr revealed he had picked up the phrase from his uncle Leon.
“I did it there, and I did it in She Hate Me,” he said.
“But then, when I got on to The Wire, I saw a couple of opportunities where I could do it, and I did.
“And they started writing it in.”
Whitlock Jr was born in South Bend, Indiana, and began his acting career after graduating from college, when he joined San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater.
The star first appeared on screen in 1987 in a guest role on CBS’ Cagney & Lacey.
He continued to appear on TV for the following 35 years, starring in the Law & Order franchise in multiple episodes of Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent.
Best known for his role as corrupt State Senator R. Clayton “Clay” Davis in The Wire, he appeared in all five seasons of the popular crime drama.
Whitlock Jr later got to play a man obsessed with The Wire in the 2011 comedy Cedar Rapids.
The star was confirmed dead on Tuesday by his long-time manager Brian Liebman.
“Isiah was a brilliant actor and even better person,” Liebman told Deadline.
“He was loved by all who had the pleasure to work with or know him.
“He will be greatly missed.”
A fan favourite on HBO‘s political comedy Veep, he played Secretary of Defence General George Maddox.
Whitlock Jr was a series regular on Showtime’s legal thriller Your Honor, where he portrayed a politician with connections in organised crime.
His final TV role was in the Netflix murder mystery series The Residence, where he depicted the Chief of Police, opposite Uzo Aduba.
The show premiered in March.
The star had a long-standing relationship with Spike Lee, appearing in six of the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s movies: 25th Hour (2002), She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/15713020/isiah-whitlock-jr-dead-thewire-actor/
