Lance Reddick, the actor who broke out with a complex and powerful performance as Lt. Cedric Daniels on HBO’s seminal show. The wire, has died. She was 60 years old.
The actor’s body was discovered at his Studio City home on Friday, TMZ informed. Reddick’s publicist, Mia Hansen, said the hollywood reporter who died “suddenly…of natural causes” on Friday morning.
Reddick had recently been promoting John Wick: Chapter 4the latest installment in the Keanu Reeves franchise in which he played Charon, the hotel concierge at New York’s criminal underground, The Continental Hotel.
The actor was also known for his television work on Stripe, the forest and Lost. With a sonorous and memorable voice, Reddick also frequently worked as a voice actor on projects including The Vindicators, DuckTales, Rick and Morty and castlevania.
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick,” John Wick director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves said in a joint statement. “He was a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, his family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him very much.”
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 7, 1962, Reddick originally studied at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music in New York, where he received his bachelor’s degree (Reddick played piano, sang, and was a composer). “First I was a musician. Growing up, I never dreamed that I would act on television,” he said. the sun of philadelphia in 2010. She added that she started acting in a “lark” because she had acted in college and thought it could jump-start her music career; to his surprise, he entered the Yale School of Drama (where he befriended classmate Paul Giamatti), which launched his career.
Reddick had about a dozen credits under his belt when he went to audition for The wireespecially the HBO series Oz. “I remember reading the script and thinking I’ve never read a pilot like this before. To this day, he’s the only pilot I’ve read who thought, ‘I have to be on this show,'” he said. the hollywood reporter in 2019.
He initially auditioned for Bunk Moreland, the character that ultimately went to Wendell Pierce, and was shortlisted to play Bubbles, who was played by Andre Royo. The actor recalled, “I didn’t even know what character I wanted to play because in the pilot script, the only character that’s obviously prominent is McNulty (Dominic West), and I knew Bunk was his partner.”
After missing out on those two roles, he got another audition to read for Daniels, but the Wire The team initially overlooked it. Reddick moved on with his life, wondering where his next job would be, when he received a surprise page from his agent. Plans had changed and he had been cast as Daniels. Said the actor: “It was the first time in my life that something happened that I hoped I wasn’t dreaming about.”
Reddick was 39 years old when The wire premiered in June 2002. David Simon’s drama explored crime and corruption in Baltimore and while it wasn’t a huge hit while it aired, it is now considered one of the best TV shows of all time.
Simon fondly remembered Reddick in a statement to THR:: “A consummate professional, a dedicated collaborator, a charming soul and a friend. This is simply devastating and too, too soon for any of us who knew and loved him to behold.”
reddick The wire co-star Pierce wrote on Twitter: “A man of great strength and grace. Such a talented musician as an actor. The epitome of the class.”
HBO added in a statement: “Lance has been a part of the HBO family for more than 20 years, starring in various projects, including iconic roles in Oz and The wire. He is held in the highest regard by all who knew and worked with him and we are proud to be a part of his legacy. He will be greatly missed.”
During his busy career, Reddick was among the ensemble of Regina King’s SAG nominees. one night in miami and worked at Netflix resident Evil series, Comedy Central’s Corporate and FX american horror story.
The actor’s death comes ahead of the release of the fourth John Wick, which arrives on March 24. Like others involved in the 2014 first film, Reddick had no idea it would be a huge success that would spawn multiple movies and spin-offs, including the mainlandwith a younger version of his character played by Ayomide Adegun.
On Reddick’s first day in the franchise, star Reeves appeared on set even though he wasn’t working on that scene. It also happened to be Reeves’ birthday. Reddick reminded Vulture in 2021 that Reeves specifically wanted to see the actor on his birthday. “He had never done this before, but he wrote me a note thanking me for what I brought to the character in these movies. And he wanted to give me the note. I will never forget it,” said the actor.
Lionsgate, the studio behind the Wick films, remembered him with a statement: “The world of Wick wouldn’t be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unparalleled depth he brought to humanity and Charon’s unflappable charisma. Lance leaves behind an indelible legacy and a hugely impressive body of work, but we will remember him as our charming and joyful friend and Concierge. We are stunned and heartbroken, and our deepest condolences go out to his loving family and his fans around the world.”
Reddick had several other projects already completed, including the John Wick spin-off. the dancerand the 20th Century remake of White men can’t Hopwhich arrives on May 19. She had also finished working on the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
According to a recent profile in New York Movers magazine, Reddick was especially excited about his upcoming role in shirley, a biopic directed by John Ridley about the first black United States Congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm. Reddick told the magazine, “Right now I just want to do the kinds of stories I want to see,” adding, “and a lot of those stories are about people of color, particularly people of color and women, particularly historical.”
Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and their children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.
Chris Gardner, Etan Vlessing, and Julian Sancton contributed to this report.
