Lance Reddick, best known for his acting in the “John Wick” franchise and HBO’s prestige show “The Wire, was found dead at his home in Studio City, Calif., on Friday morning. He was 60.
Reddick died “suddenly,” his publicist Mia Hansen said in a statement, attributing his death to natural causes.
He was in the midst of a press tour for the fourth “John Wick” movie, and was scheduled to appear on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show the following week.
He is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.
Reddick was born in 1962 in Baltimore, Md. He studied music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute before enrolling at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, where he majored in classical music composition.
In a 2012 interview with the CBC, Reddick discussed his early adult life as a struggling musician, waiting tables and delivering newspapers in Boston, trying to provide for his young daughter. Reddick said he was working three jobs until he tore a muscle in his back and realized he needed to make a change.
The epiphany led him to audition for acting schools. Reddick was eventually admitted to the Yale School of Drama where he earned his MFA in 1994. He began acting in the theater as an understudy for “Angels in America” on Broadway.
The new beginning paved the way for a prolific acting career that spanned 25 years, 30 films and countless television appearances.
Reddick’s most notable role was arguably his portrayal of police lieutenant Cedric Daniels in the “The Wire,” which was heralded for its realistic depiction of crime and policing in his hometown Baltimore.
He also appeared in HBO’s 1997 prison drama “Oz,” Fox’s drama “Fringe” and the Amazon cop series “Bosch,” in addition to the 2013 action thriller “White House Down” and video games such as “Horizon Zero Dawn.”
Reddick struggled with being typecast as a cop after his role in “The Wire.” In a 2020 interview with “The Off Camera Show,” he recalled getting the script for “Bosch” and “flipping out” because it was another role as a police officer. However, he eventually accepted the part.
Michael Connelly, the creator of “Bosch,” took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Reddick.
“I’m thinking about my friend Lance Reddick,” Connelly wrote. “More than being a key ingredient in the ‘Bosch’ show, he was a wonderful person, friend and collaborator. He took a character who was paper-thin in the books and made Irvin Irving.”
“Multi-dimensional, Machiavellian, intriguing and even sympathetic. Loved working with him. Loved knowing him. He’s gone too soon,” Connelly added.
Reddick was highly respected by his peers as well.
In his CBC interview, Reddick recalled walking by a cafe in New York when a man yelled out “good actor!” Reddick turned and saw it was Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.
With News Wire Services
