Isiah Whitlock Jr., ‘The Wire’ and ‘Veep’ Actor, Dead at 71

Isiah Whitlock Jr., a prolific actor whose work encompassed unforgettable roles in The Wire, Veep, and more, has died at the age of 71.

His death was confirmed by his manager,  Brian Liebman, on social media. “It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. If you knew him – you loved him,” Liebman wrote in his remembrance. “A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.”

The actor died Tuesday in New York after battling a short illness, Liebman told Deadline.

Whitlock’s portrayal of the corrupt State Senator Clay Davis on HBO series The Wire became one of his most memorable turns onscreen, while his famous delivery of “sheee-it” has become a cultural phenomenon among fans of the show. Whitlock first used the catchphrase in Spike Lee’s The 25th Hour, after being inspired by his uncle growing up.

“I would always be fascinated by just the way he would say it, and when he would say,” the actor told Slate in 2015. “So now fast forward to when I started acting. … [Lee] had requested it and so I did it, and the rest is history.”

Whitlock frequently collaborated with Lee throughout his career, featuring in the director’s Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman, She Hate Me, Red Hook Summer, and Chi-Raq.

The filmmaker paid tribute to Whitlock following news of his death, captioning a photo of the pair together: “Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS.”

The veteran actor also appeared in Goodfellas, Cedar Rapids, Cocaine Bear, The Spanish Prisoner, Pieces of April, 1408, I Care a Lot, and Detachment.
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In an interview with NPR’s Bullseye With Jesse Thorn from 2021, Whitlock reflected on landing his career-defining role in The Wire when he was nearly 50 years old and later featuring in the critically acclaimed Da 5 Bloods in his mid-sixties.

“Maybe I’m making up for some lost time, because I got to say I didn’t play roles like this when I was in my twenties,” said Whitlock. “I waited for the landscape to change, and when the landscape changed, I was still there.”