Isiah Whitlock Jr, star of The Wire and Veep Dies at 71

Isiah Whitlock Jr., the actor best known for his unforgettable turns on HBO’s The Wire and Veep, and a frequent collaborator with Spike Lee, has died at 71.

Whitlock’s manager, Brian Liebman, told The Associated Press that the actor passed away in New York following a brief illness.

On The Wire, Whitlock made a lasting mark as the corrupt state Senator Clay Davis, appearing in 25 episodes across all five seasons. Fans quickly fell in love with Davis’ blunt honesty and his signature, profanity-laced catchphrase — “sheee-it.”

“It’s a big, big, big loss,” Lee told the Associated Press. on Tuesday night. “I’m going to miss him for the rest of my life.”

Whitlock went on to appear in four more of Lee’s films: She Hate Me (2004), Red Hook Summer (2012), Chi-Raq (2015), BlacKkKlansman (2018), and Da 5 Bloods (2020).

Born in South Bend, Indiana, Whitlock studied theater at Southwest Minnesota State University after injuries ended his football career, then moved to San Francisco to work in theater. He began appearing in small TV roles in the late 1980s, including Cagney & Lacey, and had bit parts in 1990 films Goodfellas and Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

After The Wire, Whitlock joined HBO’s political satire Veep, playing Secretary of Defense George Maddox for three seasons — a character who challenged Selina Meyer, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, in the presidential primaries.

With inputs from The Associated Press