Isiah Whitlock Jr., actor from ‘The Wire,’ ‘Veep,' dies at 71
FILE-Isiah Whitlock, Jr. attends The 2025 ADAPT Leadership Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on March 03, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for ADAPT Community Network)
Isiah Whitlock Jr., an actor best-known for his memorable performances on the HBO series "The Wire" and "Veep," died Tuesday. He was 71.
Whitlock played corrupt state Sen. Clay Davis in 25 episodes across the five seasons of "The Wire." Davis was a fan-favorite character from the hit show, in part for his profane catchphrase — "sheee-it" — which was used by Whitlock in various scenes.
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The actor died in New York after battling a short illness, Brian Liebman, Whitlock's manager, told the Associated Press in an email.
Whilock also appeared in five movies with director Spike Lee, including "The 25th Hour," "Chi-Raq," "BlacKkKlansman" and "Da 5 Bloods."
Who was Isiah Whitlock Jr.?
The backstory:
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is a native of South Bend, Indiana and attended Southwest Minnesota State University, where he played football and studied theater. He later moved to San Francisco to work in theater.
The actor began appearing in small television guest roles on shows including "Cagney and Lacy" in the late 1980s, and he had very small roles in the 1990 films "Goodfellas" and "Gremlins 2: The New Batch."
After "The Wire," Whitlock found more success on the HBO show "Veep," a political satire where the actor played Secretary of Defense George Maddox for three years.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.