Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. has died, Liebman Entertainment confirmed on social media.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of a member of our family, Isiah Whitlock Jr.,” Liebman Entertainment said in a statement on social media. “He will be deeply missed for his zest for life and the unforgettable presence he brought to the screen. May his talent and legacy always be remembered.”
The actor’s manager, Brian Liebman, also paid tribute to the actor on Instagram and called Whitlock a “brilliant actor and even better person.”
“If you knew him – you loved him,” Liebman said. “May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”
He is known for “The Wire” and for frequently collaborating with director Spike Lee on films like “Da 5 Bloods” and “BlacKkKlansman.”
Born on Sept. 13, 1954, in South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock got his start as an actor while attending college at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he had a football scholarship and studied theater. He joined the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, CA, after graduating in 1976.
In 1987, he landed a role in the TV series “Cagney & Lacey,” in which, according to IMDB, Whitlock played a man getting in a cab.
He went on to book a few more roles in films like “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” “Goodfellas” in 1990, where he played a doctor, the TV series “As the World Turns” and more.
From 2002 to 2008, he starred as Senator R. Clayton “Clay” Davis in “The Wire.” He made the role his own when he developed the catchphrase for his character, “sheeeeee-it.”
The actor told Baltimore Media Blog in 2015 that the catchphrase came about when he started working on Spike Lee’s 2002 film “25th Hour.”
“When I started working on ‘The Wire,’ I started slipping it in my dialogue,” he said. “The writers eventually started writing it in.”
He added that he had fond memories of being in the show, saying, “I always looked forward to coming to work. The show was so good. They ran a tight ship. Fantastic writing. I had a rare moment of truly enjoying what I was doing. They gave me a lot of freedom to create a character. Flex my muscles so to speak.”
Following “The Wire,” Whitlock continued to star in several TV series, including “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Rubicon” and “Meet the Browns.” He also starred in the 2011 film “Cedar Rapids” and the 2008 film “Cadillac Records” alongside Beyoncé, Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright.
In 2012, he collaborated again with Lee for “Red Hook Summer” and also starred in the TV series “Smash.”
He went on to star in “Veep” alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus from 2013 to 2015 as George Maddox and more.
Whitlock lauded the improvisation on “Veep” in a 2021 interview with The A.V. Club and said, “The improvisation on this show was just phenomenal and it was great.”
“You had to bring your game,” he added. “You didn’t have very much time to think along the way. You just had to open up yourself to react and respond. But once you do that, it’s really a nice little ride.”
The last film he collaborated on with Lee was “Da 5 Bloods.” It was nominated for an Academy Award in 2021 for original score.
In 2020, he starred in the TV series “Your Honor” as Charlie Figaro alongside Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Michael Stuhlbarg and more. The show lasted two seasons and wrapped in 2023.
His most recent role was as Larry Dokes in the Netflix miniseries, “The Residence,” which he starred in with Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Randall Park and more.
In the upcoming 2026 Disney film “Hoppers,” Whitlock voiced the character of Bird King. The film also stars Jon Hamm, Meryl Streep, Kathy Najimy and Dave Franco.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. attends the premiere of Focus Features’ “Black Bag” at AMC Lincoln Square on Sunday, March 9, 2025, in New York.
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
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