American actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., well known for his role as corrupt senator Clay Davis in the series The Wiredied at the age of 71 in New York, as reported this Tuesday by his agent, Brian Liebman, on social networks.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the death of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. If you knew him, you loved him. A brilliant actor, even a better person,” indicates part of the message published by the agent on Instagram, along with a photo of both. According to the magazine Deadline, which quotes the agent, Whitlock Jr. died after a brief illness that he did not detail.
Whitlock Jr., born in South Bend (Indiana) in 1954, had a long career in film, with frequent collaborations with director Spike Lee in films such as BlacKkKlansmanDa 5 Bloods: Brothers in Arms, She Hates Me, Last Night, Red Hook Summer and Chi-a, indicates the magazine Variety.
It was precisely in one of those movies, The last night, where your way of pronouncing the word “shit” (shit), lengthening the vowel, became a personal trademark that he would repeat in other projects and become part of pop culture. Filmmaker Lee reacted to the death of Whitlock Jr. by publishing a photo of both on Instagram and a dedication: “Today I learned of the death of my very dear brother Isiah Whitlock. May God bless him.”
Among his credits are well-known films such as One of Ours by Martin Scorsese; dubbing in Cars 3 y Lightyear; and roles in drama series such as The Wire, Veep, Your Honor y The Residence as well as appearances in the franchise Law & Order.