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Isiah Whitlock Jr.

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Isiah Whitlock Jr.
High school yearbook portrait, 1972
Born(1954-09-13)September 13, 1954
South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 2025(2025-12-30) (aged 71)
New York City, U.S.
EducationSouthwest Minnesota State University (BA)
American Conservatory Theater (MFA)
OccupationActor
Years active1981–2025

Isiah Whitlock Jr. (September 13, 1954 – December 30, 2025) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on the HBO television series The Wire as well as being a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee.

Whitlock appeared in many other films and television series, accumulating over 120 acting credits throughout his career. He also acted in some theater productions. He had a unique pronunciation of shit ("sheeeeeeeee-it") that appeared in much of his work.

Early life

[edit]

Whitlock was born in South Bend, Indiana, on September 13, 1954,[1] and attended John Adams High School, graduating in 1972. He was a star player on that school's football team and got an athletic scholarship to play football at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in Marshall, Minnesota. Injuries led him to stop playing football and after getting a part in a rendition of The Crucible he focused on acting.[2][3] After graduating in 1976, he moved to San Francisco and joined the American Conservatory Theater.[4][5] From c. 1990 until 2021 he lived in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City.[6]

Career

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Whitlock's first notable role came in 1987, when he appeared in an episode of the police procedural Cagney & Lacey.[1] Early in his career he had minor roles in the 1990 films Goodfellas and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, an appearance in the soap opera As the World Turns, and an appearance in Law & Order, the first of multiple appearances in it and various franchise spinoffs.[7] Whitlock also made appearances on Chappelle's Show and had a supporting role in the 2003 film Pieces of April.[8] He had roles in the 2007 films 1408 and Enchanted.[8] He appeared in promotional spots for the 2009 Wii video game Punch-Out!!, portraying the character Doc Louis.[9] Whitlock first collaborated with Spike Lee in Lee's 2002 film 25th Hour and would later appear in his 2004 film She Hate Me, 2012 film Red Hook Summer, 2015 film Chi-Raq, 2017 television show She's Gotta Have It, 2018 film BlacKkKlansman, and 2020 film Da 5 Bloods.[10]

Whitlock is best known for his role on the HBO television series The Wire as corrupt state senator Clay Davis. The Wire premiered in 2002 and ended in 2008; Whitlock had a recurring role in the show's first four seasons and was a part of the main cast in its fifth and final season.[4] The New York Times said that his performance in the fifth season "got to the core" of the series central themes and that a speech Whitlock imbued with "a mesmerizing, vaudevillian phoniness" had earned him an Emmy, even if all of his prior work on the show was disregarded.[11]

After appearing in The Wire, Whitlock became a well-known character actor.[7] Throughout his career, he accumlated more than 120 credits in film and television.[10] Whitlock played an insurance agent named Ronald Wilkes in the 2011 film Cedar Rapids. Wilkes is a self-described fan of The Wire and during the film Whitlock does an impersonation of Omar Little, a gangster in the series. Whitlock said that the references to the series were written before he became involved.[12] He recurred on the HBO political satire series Veep as George Maddox, a U.S. Secretary of Defense and presidential candidate.[8] Whitlock was part of the main cast of the 2013 television series Lucky 7.[13] He played Sheriff Gene Dentler in the 2016 film Pete's Dragon, a remake of the 1977 film of the same name.[14] He had a recurring role in the 2018 television series The Good Cop, with Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com thinking his skills were wasted in the role.[15] In the series Atlanta, he played Raleigh Marks, the father of main character Earn Marks, who was played by series creator Donald Glover.[16] Whitlock played a corrupt New Orleans politician in the television series Your Honor.[1] Whitlock's last appearance in film was in Cocaine Bear[4] and his last appearance on television was as a part of the main cast of The Residence, a murder mystery set in the White House.[1] He was in the films Hoppers and The Body Is Water, which are set to be released posthumously. [10]

Whitlock also performed in many off-Broadway and Broadway plays. He made his Broadway debut in the 1989 play Mastergate, was in the ensemble of the 1990 Broadway production of The Merchant of Venice, and understudied in the 1999 Broadway production of The Iceman Cometh. He was a member of the Atlantic Theater Company and starred in many off-Broadway productions, including in Farrugut North. Whitlock was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play in 2002 for his performance in Four.[17][18] Whitlock also toured nationally in a production of The Piano Lesson.[19]

Whitlock (left) with Adam Driver, Jay O. Sanders, and Joanne Tucker at Camp Pendleton in 2008

Whitlock is well known for the distinct way he pronounced shit ("sheeeeeeeee-it").[1] Whitlock said that he picked up the pronunciation from an uncle who used it. While filming 25th Hour, Whitlock said that Lee heard him use it in conversation and encouraged him to use it in the film, with the phrase then making its on-screen debut in it.[20] Soon thereafter Whitlock began filming The Wire, and Whitlock said that the phrase, with his distinct pronunciation indicated, was already present in the script.[20] Whitlock's use of the phrase in The Wire made it very popular and it became an enduring part of his legacy.[1] Whitlock would also use it in other Lee films, such as She Hates Me, BlacKkKlansman,[21] and Da 5 Bloods.[22] Whitlock created an academy to teach actors how to say the phrase and sold talking bobbleheads of himself which said the phrase after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015.[21] The campaign met its $12,500 goal in less than a day[23] and eventually raised over $100,000 from 1,828 backers.[24] Prior to the bobblehead's release, Whitlock said he gave the only prototype to The Wire showrunner David Simon,[25] and Simon said that he showed it to then-President Barack Obama; Simon said that Obama enjoyed and kept it.[26] Whitlock appeared in the documentary series History of Swear Words.[19]

SMSU now offers the Isiah Whitlock Jr. Endowed Scholarship.[3] He was SMSU's commencement speaker in 1999 and guest artist for the school's celebration of Black History Month in 2007.[5] The Marshall Independent called Whitlock perhaps SMSU's most prominent alumni.[27]

Death

[edit]

Whitlock died after a short illness at a New York City hospital on December 30, 2025, at the age of 71.[1][4]

Partial filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Isiah Whitlock Jr.' film credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1990 Gremlins 2: The New Batch Fireman [28]
Goodfellas Doctor [28]
1997 The Spanish Prisoner Trooper [29]
2001 Jump Tomorrow George's Uncle [30]
2002 25th Hour Agent Flood [28]
2003 Pieces of April Eugene [29]
2004 She Hate Me Agent Amos Flood [28]
2005 Kettle of Fish Freddie [31]
2007 1408 Hotel Engineer [29]
Enchanted Ethan Banks [8]
2008 Cadillac Records Mississippi DJ [32]
2011 Gun Hill Road Officer Thompson [33]
Cedar Rapids Ronald Wilkes [12]
Detachment Mr. Mathias [29]
2012 Red Hook Summer Detective Flood [28]
Why Stop Now Black [34]
Thanks for Sharing Charles [35]
Not Fade Away Landers [36]
2013 Newlyweeds Philly [37]
Europa Report Dr. Tarik Pamuk [38]
Home Samuel [39]
2014 The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Yates [40]
23 Blast Dr. Connelly [41]
2015 Chi-Raq Bacchos [10]
2016 Pete's Dragon Sheriff Gene Dentler [14]
2017 Person to Person Buster [42]
CHiPs Peterson [43]
Cars 3 River Scott (voice) [44]
2018 BlacKkKlansman Mr. Turrentine [10]
All Square Scotty [45]
2019 Corporate Animals Derek [46]
Lost Holiday Matthews [47]
Lying and Stealing Lyman Wilkers [48]
Run with the Hunted Lester [49]
2020 The Lost Husband Russ McAllen [50]
Da 5 Bloods Melvin [28]
I Care a Lot Judge Lomax [51]
2022 Lightyear Commander Burnside (voice) [52]
2023 Cocaine Bear Bob [53]
2026 Hoppers † Bird King (voice) Post-production; posthumous release [54]
TBA The Body Is Water † Alexander Wilkins Post-production; posthumous release [55]

Television

[edit]
Isiah Whitlock Jr.' television credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1981 A Christmas Carol Second Charitable Gentleman / Party Guest Television movie [28]
1987 Cagney & Lacey Man Getting a Cab Episode: "The City is Burning" [1]
1992 As the World Turns Dr. Phelan 1 episode [7]
1995–2004 Law & Order Various 5 episodes [4]
2000–2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Various 3 episodes [4]
2001, 2011 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Detective 3 episodes [4]
2002–2008 The Wire State Sen. R. Clayton "Clay" Davis Main; 25 episodes [56]
2003, 2006 Chappelle's Show Harold, Store Manager Episode #1.8, Episode #3.2; Uncredited [8]
2010 Meet the Browns Sidney Graves Episode: "Meet the Other Man" [32]
Rubicon Mr. Roy Recurring; 6 episodes [32]
2012 Smash Ronal Strickland 2 episodes [32]
2012–2015 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Captain Reece 3 episodes [4]
2013 Lucky 7 Bob Harris Main cast; 6 episodes [13]
2013–2015 Veep George Maddox Recurring; 7 episodes [8]
2016, 2022 Atlanta Raleigh Marks Episodes: "The Big Bang", "Light Skinned-ed" [16][57]
2017 The Mist Gus Redman / Gus Bradley Recurring; 8 episodes [58][59]
2018 The Good Cop Burl Loomis 10 episodes [15]
2020–2023 Your Honor Charlie Figaro 19 episodes [1]
2021 History of Swear Words Himself 2 episodes [28]
2022 The Kings of Napa Reginald King Episode: "Pilot" [60]
2025 The Residence Larry Dokes Main role; 8 episodes [1]

Video games

[edit]
Isiah Whitlock Jr.' video game credits
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 Grand Theft Auto V The Local Population Voice role [61]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ziegler, Hannah. "Isiah Whitlock Jr., Scene-Stealing Character Actor in 'The Wire,' Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  2. ^ Dukes, Howard (February 13, 2011). "Character actor". South Bend Tribune. pp. D1–D2. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Isiah Whitlock Jr. Endowed Scholarship Archived March 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Southwest Minnesota State University Foundation, accessed June 14, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Andreeva, Nellie (December 30, 2025). "Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dies: 'The Wire' Actor & Frequent Spike Lee Collaborator Was 71". Deadline. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Karin Elton, A perfect fit, Marshall Independent, February 11, 2011, accessed June 14, 2012.
  6. ^ Kaufman, Joanne (January 19, 2021). "Isiah Whitlock Jr., on Leaving Chelsea for Gramercy Park". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Squires, Bethy (December 31, 2025). "The Wire's Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dies at 71". Vulture. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Shanfeld, Ethan (December 30, 2025). "Isiah Whitlock Jr., 'The Wire' and 'Veep' Actor, Dies at 71". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  9. ^ Clark, Christopher (May 11, 2009). "Punch-Out!! lesson with Doc Louis". Nintendo Life. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e Vinall, Frances (December 31, 2025). "Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor known for 'The Wire' and 'Veep,' dies at 71". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  11. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (June 8, 2008). "ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. 'THE WIRE'; Roles of the Season, Maybe a Lifetime". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Rich, Katey (February 10, 2011). "Interview: The Wire's Isiah Whitlock Jr. Plays Against Type In Cedar Rapids". CinemaBlend.com. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Hinckley, David (September 24, 2013). "'Lucky 7': TV review". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  14. ^ a b Seitz, Matt Zoller (August 12, 2016). "Pete's Dragon movie review (2016) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Tallerico, Brian (September 17, 2018). "Netflix's The Good Cop Tries to Collar Fans of Quirky Procedurals | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  16. ^ a b Goodman, Tim (August 24, 2016). "'Atlanta': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  17. ^ "2002 Recipients". Lucille Lortel Awards. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  18. ^ Gordon, David (December 31, 2025). "Isiah Whitlock Jr., Spike Lee Collaborator and The Wire Co-Star, Dies at 71 - TheaterMania.com". Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  19. ^ a b Havens, Cory (December 31, 2025). "South Bend native, 'The Wire' icon Isiah Whitlock Jr. dies at 71". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  20. ^ a b Swansburg, John (March 12, 2008). "The Wire Final Season: Week 10: How Sheee-it Started". Slate.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  21. ^ a b Rao, Sonia (August 10, 2018). "In 'BlacKkKlansman,' Isiah Whitlock Jr. says exactly what you want him to say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  22. ^ O'Connell, Sean (June 12, 2020). "Why Isiah Whitlock Jr. Used His Signature The Wire Catchphrase In Da 5 Bloods". Cinemablend. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  23. ^ Smith, Tim (March 22, 2015). "Isiah Whitlock Jr. seeks funding to produce talking bobblehead". The Baltimore Sun. pp. E5. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  24. ^ "Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Talking Bobblehead". Kickstarter. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  25. ^ Potts, Kimberly (April 2, 2015). "Thanks to Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s Bobblehead, Clay Davis From 'The Wire' Made It to the White House". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  26. ^ Case, Wesley (December 30, 2025). "'The Wire' actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. dies at 71". The Baltimore Banner. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  27. ^ Elton, Karin (September 30, 2017). "The A, B, Cs of acting". Marshall Independent. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h Scheetz, Cameron. "Isiah Whitlock Jr. on Da 5 Bloods, The Wire, and loving his legacy of sheeeeeeeeeit". The A. V. Club. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  29. ^ a b c d Madarang, Charisma (December 31, 2025). "Isiah Whitlock Jr., 'The Wire' and 'Veep' Actor, Dead at 71". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  30. ^ Rooney, David (February 7, 2001). "Review: 'Jump Tomorrow'".
  31. ^ Lee, Nathan (October 6, 2006). "A Scientist, a Saxophonist and the Mating Rituals of Frogs". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  32. ^ a b c d Bernabe, Angeline Jane (December 30, 2025). "Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., known for 'The Wire,' 'Veep' and Spike Lee films, dies at 71". ABC News. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  33. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (August 4, 2011). "A Different Kind of Bronx Tale (Published 2011)". Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  34. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 15, 2012). "First you have to admit there's a problem movie review (2012) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  35. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (September 20, 2013). "'Thanks for Sharing' Review". ScreenRant. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  36. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (October 6, 2012). "Not Fade Away". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  37. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (September 19, 2013). "Newlyweeds movie review & film summary (2013) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  38. ^ Chang, Justin (June 21, 2013). "Film Review: 'Europa Report'". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  39. ^ Staff, T. H. R. (November 21, 2013). "Home: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  40. ^ Kenny, Glenn (May 23, 2014). "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn movie review (2014) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  41. ^ Edelstein, Bill (October 24, 2014). "Film Review: '23 Blast'". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  42. ^ Lemire, Christy (July 28, 2017). "Person to Person movie review (2017) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  43. ^ Scheck, Frank (March 23, 2017). "'CHIPS': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  44. ^ McGee, Ryan (March 29, 2017). "New 'Cars 3' characters inspired by NASCAR legends". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  45. ^ Kaltenbach, Chris (October 18, 2018). "As 'House of Cards' ends, Michael Kelly leaves behind a film love letter to Baltimore". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  46. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (February 2, 2019). "Corporate Animals is one of the most ruthless dark comedies in ages". Polygon. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  47. ^ Lowe, Justin (February 14, 2019). "'Lost Holiday': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  48. ^ Scheck, Frank (July 11, 2019). "'Lying and Stealing': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  49. ^ Scheck, Frank (June 25, 2020). "'Run With the Hunted': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  50. ^ Linden, Sheri (April 9, 2020). "'The Lost Husband': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  51. ^ Bowen, Chuck (September 15, 2020). "Review: I Care a Lot, Before Losing the Thread, Is a Barbed Satire of Capitalism". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  52. ^ Henderson, Odie. "Lightyear movie review & film summary (2022)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  53. ^ "Intoxicating 'Cocaine Bear' goes hilariously off the rails". Chicago Sun-Times. February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  54. ^ Becker, Amy (November 20, 2025). "Pixar's 'Hoppers' trailer: Meryl Streep, Dave Franco, Jon Hamm star in animated comedy". abc7. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  55. ^ "New Irish movie The Body Is Water completes filming in Cork". RTE. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  56. ^ "Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor from 'The Wire,' 'Veep' and Spike Lee films, dies at 71". NPR. The Associated Press. December 31, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  57. ^ LeGardye, Quinci (September 30, 2022). "Earn deals with family beef in a grounded, spectacular Atlanta". AV Club. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  58. ^ Petski, Denise (July 16, 2016). "'The Mist': Spike's Stephen King Adaptation Begins Production In Nova Scotia". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  59. ^ Petski, Denise (July 13, 2016). "'The Mist': Eight Join Cast Of Spike's Stephen King Series Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  60. ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 11, 2022). "'The Kings of Napa' Creator Janine Sherman Barrois Toasts Black Restauranteurs and Winemakers at Virtual Premiere". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  61. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (December 30, 2025). "The Wire and Your Honor Star Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dies at Age 71". ComicBook.com. Savage Ventures. Archived from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
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