Lance Reddick dies at 60

NEW YORK –

Lance Reddick, a character actor who specialized in portraying intense, icy and possibly malevolent figures in television and film, including The Wire, Fringe and the John Wick franchise, has died. He was 60 years old.

Reddick died “suddenly” Friday morning, his publicist Mia Hansen said in a statement, attributing his death to natural causes. His death was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.com.

Throughout his career, Reddick was often dressed in a suit or crisp uniform, playing tall taciturn and elegant men. He was best known for his role as straight-laced Lt. Cedric Daniels on HBO’s hit series The Wire, where his character was excruciatingly trapped in the messy politics of the Baltimore Police Department.

“I am an artist at heart. I feel that I am very 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 a black man and I wasn’t pretty, I knew I had to work my ass off to be the best I could be and get noticed. he told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.

Reddick has also appeared on Fox’s Fringe as special agent Philip Broyles, the smartly dressed Matthew Abaddon on Lost, and played the multi-talented concierge at the Continental Hotel, Sharon, in the John Wick films, including the fourth in the series. opening this month

He received a SAG Award nomination in 2021 as part of the ensemble cast of Regina King’s One Night in Miami. Reddick had recurring roles on Undercover and American Horror Story and was on The Bosch Show during its seven-year run.

Her upcoming projects include the remake of 20th Century’s “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Shirley,” Netflix’s biopic of former congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. He was also slated to star in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina as well as the Kane Rebellion Court-Martial.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Reddick was a graduate of the Yale University School of Drama who found some success after school, landing a guest or recurring role on “CSI. Miami” and “Law & Order. Special Victims Unit” roles. He has also appeared in several films, 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 an addict, that Reddick had a career breakthrough.

“I was never interested in television. I’ve always seen it as a means to an end. Like many actors, I was only interested in doing theater and film. But Oz changed television. That was the beginning of HBO’s quality management. fierce, artistic stuff. Things that are reminiscent of the great cinema of the ’60s and ’70s,” he told The Associated Press in 2011.

“When the opportunity for Oz came up, I jumped at it. And when I read the pilot for The Wire, as a guy who never wanted to be on television, I knew I had to be on this show.”

Reddick attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music, where he studied classical composition and piano. His first jazz album “Reflections and Memories” was released in 2011.

Reddick had a recurring role as Jeffrey Tetazu, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, on CBS’s “Intelligence.” “American Horror Story. In Coven, Reddick portrayed Papa Legba, a bridge between humanity and the spirit world.

Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.