Isiah Whitlock Jr has died at the age of 71, with his manager Brian Liebman sharing the news on social media
Isiah Whitlock Jr died at the age of 71, with his manager Brian Liebman announcing the news on Instagram in the early hours of December 30. His statement read: “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. 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.”
The performer was also recognised for his collaborations with director Spike Lee, who posted a touching tribute to him. He wrote: “Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS.” The seasoned actor died in New York following a brief illness and was cherished for numerous film and television performances.
Isiah, who lost another The Wire co-star in 2021, was a native of Indiana and secured a football scholarship as a university student, whilst simultaneously studying drama. Sporting injuries forced him to abandon football and concentrate on his acting career, with his professional credits stretching back to 1981. He is set to appear posthumously in the upcoming films Hoppers and The Body Is Water, but here are some of his most memorable performances from years gone by.
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Isiah Whitlock Jr is best remembered for portraying crooked state senator Clay Davis in the HBO drama The Wire. His character was notorious for accepting backhanders, though he frequently enjoyed protection from fellow high-ranking politicians and Baltimore Police Commissioner Ervin Burrell.
The character is renowned for his drawn-out delivery of the word “s***”, with the actor adopting this mannerism from his own uncle. When he was handed his initial script for The Wire, the signature phrase had already been incorporated into the role. In a 2021 interview with the AV Club, he revealed: “I am very surprised that, 20 years later, I am still dealing with The Wire. A lot of that has to do with the famous catchphrase that I perpetuated..”
He continued: “That’s just the effect that the show had on people. I was very happy about that. You say to yourself, ‘You know? I was part of something very, very good’. And you hear that they’re teaching it in colleges and things like that-the show still kind of resonates today, 20 years later. I’m very proud of that. I mean, I think any actor would love to be a part of something like that, and I was just fortunate enough to be there.”
His role in The Wire earned him a reputation and when he played an insurance agent named Ronald Wilkes in the 2011 film Cedar Rapids, he discovered Wilkes was a self-described fan of the series. Whitlock said the references to the series were written in before he became involved in the film.
Among the performer’s earliest cinema appearances was Gremlins 2: The New Batch, where he portrayed a firefighter. He subsequently took on the role of a physician in Goodfellas during the same year. As the doctor he gave Henry Hill Valium while attending to his brother.
His additional significant film appearances encompass Da 5 Bloods, She Hate Me and Red Hook Summer. All three productions were directed by Spike Lee, who expressed admiration for the gifted performer. Isiah had previously discussed Da 5 Bloods and revealed how numerous former schoolmates were deployed to Vietnam.
He shared with upi.com: “I had a hard enough time just shooting the film, let alone being in the war and really being shot at in those conditions and the elements.”
On television, the actor was recognised for portraying George Maddox in Veep, appearing in the recurring part across seven episodes from 2013 to 2015. Speaking to baltimoremediablog.com, he discussed his experience working alongside Julia Louis Dreyfus and the ensemble cast.
He described having a “great” experience, stating: “They’re REALLY good. They’ve got such a great cast anchored by Julia. They work at such a tempo and speed, that you have to stay with them. A very quick witted cast. They know what they’re doing.”
