Isiah Whitlock Jr., best known for his role on HBO's “The Wire” and his collaborations with director Spike Lee on films such as “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods,” has died. He was 71 years old.
Whitlock's manager, Brian Liebman, shared the news of his client's death in a instagram post on Tuesday.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr.,” Liebman wrote. “If you knew him, you would love him. A brilliant actor and an even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. We will miss him very, very much.”
Liebman said Deadline that Whitlock died peacefully in New York after a brief illness.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock dreamed of playing professional football. He told NPR in 2021 that while playing at Southwestern Minnesota State University, he received “hits…concussions, broken ankles.”
“To me it just didn't seem to make sense anymore… I went through the theater department.” After landing a role in “The Crucible,” he said he had been “working ever since.”
After graduating in 1976, Whitlock joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
Early in his career, the actor took on roles in procedurals and dramas, including versions of the “Law & Order” franchise, particularly “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
He made his most famous mark on HBO's “The Wire” as corrupt Maryland state senator Clay Davis, whose drawn-out, drawn-out profanities, “s—,” became a memorable element of the 60-episode crime drama.
After brief appearances on multiple short-lived television series, including Fox's “New Amsterdam,” ABC's “The Unusuals,” CBS' “Chaos” and others, Whitlock returned to HBO with a recurring role on the political satire “Veep” as George Maddox, the secretary of defense and presidential candidate.
Whitlock also appeared on the CBS shows “The Good Wife,” “Elementary,” FX’s “Louie,” “Atlanta,” Fox’s “Gotham,” and NBC’s “The Carmichael Show,” among many more. His last television role was as Police Chief Larry Dokes in the 2025 Netflix mystery comedy-drama “The Residence.”
On the big screen, Whitlock appeared in the black comedy horror film “Cocaine Bear” in 2023, as well as several films directed by Lee, including “She Hate Me” (2004), “Chi-Raq” (2015), “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) and “Da 5 Bloods” (2020).
The director shared a photo of the two on his instagram accountwriting: “Today I learned of the passing of my dear and beloved brother Isiah Whitlock. God bless you.”
Whitlock has two posthumous releases scheduled for release, the 2026 Pixar animated film “Hoppers” and the Irish American film “The Body Is Water,” directed by Vicky Wight.
