Actor Lance Reddick has died at the age of 60, according to Variety. A renowned performer, Reddick was known for carrying strong gravitas in supporting roles, and was best known for appearing in shows like The Wire and Lost. He also appeared in every film in the John Wick franchise as The Continental hotel's concierge, Charon. John Wick: Chapter 4 will release on March 24.
His death was confirmed by his publicist, Mia Hansen. She did not say where he died or cite a cause.Mr. Reddick was having some success as a stage actor when, in 1996, he began landing small roles on “New York Undercover,” “The West Wing” and other television series, as well as some TV movies.
Even then he was often playing law enforcement figures, and he would be doing so when his breakthrough came in 2002: He was cast as Lt. Cedric Daniels, the principled head of the investigation unit, on “The Wire,” the sprawling HBO series that was praised for its realistic and often downbeat depiction of policing, crime, education and other aspects of life in Baltimore.HBO later cast him as Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels, one of the leads, on “The Wire” in 2002. He had previously auditioned for the roles of Bubbles (which went to Andre Royo) and William “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell Pierce). Daniels was in charge of the narcotics division and slowly rose through its ranks during the show’s five-season run, butting heads frequently with his superiors. In the show’s finale, he resigned from his post as commissioner and became a criminal defense lawyer.
After “The Wire” ended in 2008, Reddick joined “Fringe” later that year as Phillip Broyles, a special agent for Homeland Security and head of the Fringe division. The group investigated cases relating to fringe science, pseudoscience and alternate timelines. In 2014, he was cast as another police chief, but this time on Amazon’s “Bosch” series, which ended in 2021. He played deputy chief Irvin Irving and was nominated for a Saturn Award for the role, after earning two nods for “Fringe.”Reddick’s body was found in Studio City about 9:30 a.m. Friday, according to TMZ. His cause of death has not been released, but foul play is not expected.
“Acclaimed actor Lance Reddick passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes … Donations in his memory can be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, his hometown,” read a statement from Reddick’s public relations team. “Lance will be greatly missed.”He also appeared in the “John Wick” franchise and was set to appear as Zeus in next year’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” on Disney+.
Tributes poured out for Reddick online after news of his death was made public, including from his “Wire” co-stars.
“A man of great strength and grace,” said Wendell Pierce, who played Detective William “Bunk” Moreland. “As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. An sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here. RIP.
