Lance Reddick: The Wire and John Wick actor dies at 60 | The Art News

Lance Reddick, best known for his role in The Wire, has died at the age of 60.

A spokesman for the American actor said he “died suddenly this morning of natural causes”.

They added: “Lance will be greatly missed. Please respect his family’s privacy at this time.”

Redick is best known for his role on the crime drama The Wire, which ran for five seasons between 2002 and 2008.

Set in Reddick’s hometown of Baltimore, the show plays Sheriff Cedric Daniels, who is agonizingly trapped in the chaotic politics of the city’s police department.

Redick appeared in all 60 episodes alongside stars such as Dominic West, Idris Elba, Wendell Pierce and Michael Williams.

Pierce said Redick’s death was “a sudden, unexpected, poignant, painful grief for our artistic family” and praised him as “a man of tremendous strength and grace” and “a miniature”.

More recently, Redick starred in the John Wick franchise alongside star Keanu Reeves. He played hotel concierge Charon in all four films, the last of which opens in the UK next week.

He often acted in suits or crisp uniforms, playing tall, taciturn, elegant dignitaries.

“I’m an artist at heart. I feel like I’m pretty good at what I do. When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as the other students, but because I was black and I wasn’t pretty, I Knowing that I had to work hard to be the best version of myself and get noticed,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.

Lance Redick, Keanu Reeves and Adeline Palicki arrive at the Los Angeles screening of John Wick in 2014
image:
Lance Redick, Keanu Reeves and Adeline Palicki arrive at the Los Angeles screening of John Wick in 2014

After news of Redick’s death broke, friends and fans mourned him on social media, with filmmaker James Gunn calling Redick “a very nice man and a very talented actor” in a tweet.

Actor Michael Warburton described him as “an actor from hell”.

Writer BJ Colangelo tweeted that Redick “improves every project just because he’s there.”

Born and raised in Baltimore, Redick is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and after school went on to guest or recurring roles on CSI: Miami and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and appeared in several films, including The Siege and Great Expectations .

His upcoming projects include the 20th Century remake of White Men Can’t Dance and Shirley, Netflix’s biopic of former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

In 2021, Redick was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Regina King’s film “Miami Nights.”

Also in 2021, his co-star in The Wire, Michael K Williams found dead at 54The New York City medical examiner later ruled that he died of acute drug intoxication.

Source link