Arts & Entertainment

'The Wire' Star Lance Reddick Dead At 60

Lance Reddick, known for his roles in the gritty HBO drama "The Wire" and the "John Wick" film franchise, has died.

Actor Lance Reddick visits 'The IMDb Show' on June 19, 2019 in Studio City, California. This episode of 'The IMDb Show' airs on July 18, 2019.
Actor Lance Reddick visits 'The IMDb Show' on June 19, 2019 in Studio City, California. This episode of 'The IMDb Show' airs on July 18, 2019. (Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb))

LOS ANGELES, CA — Actor Lance Reddick, the character actor who rose to fame in the hit HBO series "The Wire" has died. He was 60 years old.

Reddick's body was found Friday morning at his home in Studio City, TMZ reported. His cause of death remained under investigation, but the outlet cited law enforcement sources who said the cause appeared to be natural.

Redding "passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes," his publicist, Mia Hansen, said in a statement.

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The Los Angeles Police and Fire departments — without identifying Reddick — confirmed that both agencies responded Friday morning to a medical emergency at a home in the 12000 block of Sarah Street. Brian Humphrey of the LAFD said one person was pronounced dead at the scene.

Reddick was famous for his intense, intimidating on-screen persona, something he enjoyed spoofing on social media.

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“Range is always what I’m striving for,” Reddick told The Los Angeles Times. “I never want anybody to say ‘Oh, this is who he is.’ Although the characters I play, even in all their diversity, tend to be fairly intense. But they’re all very different guys.”

Reddick played Lt. Cedric Daniels on HBO's "The Wire" and reprised his role as Charon, a crime hotel desk clerk, in the upcoming "John Wick: Chapter 4" starring Keanu Reeves, which is set to release in theaters March 24.

Reddick was born in Baltimore in 1962 and studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and was later accepted at Yale's graduate school for drama.

By the late 1990s, Reddick started to land small roles on television series, including "The Nanny" and "The West Wing."

In 2000, he landed his first major TV role on Season 4 of HBO's prison drama "Oz." He played Detective Johnny Basil, a cop who goes undercover at the prison.

Reddick continued television work with guest appearances in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Law & Order." His next major television role came in 2002 when he was cast as Lt. Cedric Daniels in the second season of the HBO series "The Wire." The drama was acclaimed for its realistic portraits of police officers and residents in a Baltimore neighborhood.

He also played Phillip Broyles in the Fox drama “Fringe.”

In 2014, Reddick was cast as a police chief in Amazon Prime series "Bosch."

He appeared in all four `John Wick movies.

Most recently, Reddick lent his voice to several animated series, including "Paradise PD" and "The Vindicators."

Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and his children Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick. Donations in his memory can be made to momcares.org, based in Baltimore, his publicist said.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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