Lance Reddick, star of The Wire and John Wick, dies ‘suddenly’ at age 60

Character actor was known for playing complex authority figures

Lance Reddick, a veteran character actor known for his intense roles in HBO’s hit series The Wire and the John Wick action films, died on Friday, the Associated Pressreports. He was 60.

Reddick died “suddenly” from natural causes, his publicist told the AP.

TMZ, which first reported the news of Reddick’s death, said the actor’s body was found at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles, according to law enforcement sources.

The actor’s Wire co-star Wendell Pierce wrote on social media on Friday that Reddick was “a man of great strength and grace.”

“As talented a musician as he was an actor,” Mr Pierce continued. “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.”

Filmmaker James Gunn said on Friday on Twitter that Reddick was “an incredibly nice guy, and an incredibly talented actor”.

“This is heartbreaking,” Gunn said. “My love goes out to all his family, friends, and collaborators.”

Michael Connelly, the novelist and creator of Bosch, on which Reddick played a police chief, said the actor was “a wonderful person, friend and collaborator”.

Lance Reddick (Getty Images)

“He took a character who was paper-thin in the books and made Irvin Irving multi-dimensional, machiavellian, intriguing and even sympathetic,” Mr Connelly wrote on Twitter. “Loved working with him. Loved knowing him. He’s gone too soon.”

Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the Yale University school of drama.

The actor said that despite his success, he felt his position as an actor was precarious at times because of his race.

“I’m an artist at heart. I feel that I’m very good at what I do,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2009. “When I went to drama school, I knew I was at least as talented as other students, but because I was a black man and I wasn’t pretty, I knew I would have to work my butt off to be the best that I would be, and to be noticed.”

“As I watch the industry and see what it took me to get where I am,” he added, “I am more aware how precarious my position is. There’s no such thing as a holding pattern.”

Reddick’s reputation and profile were established with his role as Cedric Daniels, an enigmatic and ambitious police lieutenant, in the groundbreaking TV series The Wire, which ran from 2002 to 2008.

Despite his dramatic roles on shows like Lost, Law & Order and American Horror Story, Reddick was also game for comedy.

After his death, fans began recirculating a clip of Reddick’s 2013 appearance on the satirical late-night comedy show The Eric Andre Show, which ended with the actor theatrically slamming his fist down and declaring, “You need a new desk.”