NEW YORK — Lance Reddick, a character actor who specialized in intense, icy and possibly sinister authority figures on television and film, including “The Wire,” “Fringe” and the “John Wick” franchise, has died. He was 60 years old.
Reddick died “suddenly” on Friday morning, his publicist Mia Hansen said in a statement, attributing his death to natural causes. His death was first reported by the celebrity website TMZ.com.
Tributes poured out on social media after news of the death, with filmmaker James Gunn calling Reddick “an incredibly nice guy and an incredibly talented actor” in a tweet and Wendell Pierce, Reddick’s co-star on “The Wire,” paying tribute on Twitter. “A man of great strength and grace,” he wrote e. “As talented musician as actor. The epitome of class.”
Reddick often wore an impeccable suit or uniform during his career, portraying distinguished men who were tall, taciturn, and elegant. He was best known for his role as Lieutenant Cedric Daniels on the hit HBO series “The Wire,” where his character was agonizingly caught up in the messy politics of the Baltimore Police Department.
“I am an artist at heart. I feel like I’m very good at what I do. When I went to drama school, I knew that I was at least as talented as the other students, but since I was black and not handsome, I knew that I would have to work hard to be the best I could be. to be and to be noticed,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.
Reddick also starred in the Fox series “Fringe” as Special Agent Phillip Broyles, the sharply dressed Matthew Abaddon in “Lost” and as the multi-talented Continental Hotel concierge Charon in the “John Wick” films, including the fourth in the series. . which will be released later this month.
He earned a 2021 SAG Award nomination as part of the cast of the Regina King film “One Night in Miami.” Reddick played recurring roles on “Intelligence” and “American Horror Story” and was on the show “Bosch” during its seven years.
Upcoming projects include 20th Century’s remake of “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Shirley,” Netflix’s biopic about former congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. He was also scheduled to appear in the “John Wick” spin-off “Ballerina” as well as “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.”
Reddick, born and raised in Baltimore, graduated from Yale University drama school and enjoyed some success after school landing recurring or guest roles on “CSI: Miami” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”. She also appeared in several movies, including “I Dreamed of Africa,” “The Siege,” and “Great Expectations.”
It was in the fourth season of “Oz,” playing a convicted undercover officer sent to prison who becomes addicted, that Reddick had a career breakthrough.
“I was never interested in television. I always saw it as a means to an end. Like many actors, I was only interested in doing theater and cinema. But ‘Oz’ changed television. It was the beginning of HBO’s reign in artistic, avant-garde and quality material. Stuff that goes back to the great cinema of the ’60s and ’70s,” he told The Associated Press in 2011.
“When the opportunity for ‘Oz’ arose, I jumped. And when I read the pilot for ‘The Wire,’ as a guy who never wanted to be on TV, I knew I had to be on this show.”
Reddick attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he studied classical composition and played the piano. His first album, the jazzy “Contemplations and Remembrances”, came out in 2011.
Reddick had a recurring role as Jeffrey Tetazoo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, on CBS’s “Intelligence.” In “American Horror Story: Coven,” Reddick played Papa Legba, the intermediary between humanity and the spirit world.
Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and their children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.