Actor Isiah Whitlock, Jr. who was celebrated for his work in The Wire, Veep, and Your Honor as well as several Spike Lee films, died in New York on Dec. 30, his business manager, Brian Liebman, told Deadline.
Liebman said Whitlock, 71, died peacefully after a brief illness.
The South Bend, Indiana, native joined San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater after studying theater in college. He landed his first notable screen role in 1987 with a guest appearance on the hit CBS drama Cagney & Lacey.
Whitlock went on to become a familiar presence over
the next three decades, appearing repeatedly across the Law & Order franchise universe, including Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent.Among his standout roles: corrupt State Sen. R. Clayton “Clay” Davis on HBO’s The Wire throughout all five seasons and a recurring role on HBO’s Veep as Secretary of Defense Gen. George Maddox. He later starred as a politically connected figure on Showtime’s Your Honor.
He also appeared in several of Lee’s films, including Da Five Bloods, Chi-Raq,
and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman.On Instagram, Lee remembered his “dear beloved brother.”
It was in Lee’s 2002 film 25th Hour, where Whitlock debuted what became his signature catchphrase, “Sheeeeeit,” his memorable spin on the expletive. He shared in a 2008 interview that he borrowed the delivery from his uncle Leon.
“I did it there, and I did it in She Hate Me
,” he said. “But then, when I got on to The Wire, I saw a couple of opportunities where I could do it, and I did. And they started writing it in.”The line became a full-blown pop-culture staple.
“I was in, I think, Grand Central Station and far away I heard someone say it and they’d be kind of smiling,” he added. “I’m glad people enjoy it.”
Whitlock’s final television role was as the chief of police opposite Uzo Aduba in Netflix’s Emmy-nominated White House murder-mystery series The Residence, which premiered in March.
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