The Wire And John Wick Star Lance Reddick Is Dead At 60
If you are in any way a film or television fan, then there’s a decent chance you’ve seen Lance Reddick in at least one thing over the decades, if not multiple projects. From small-screen offerings like The Wire, Fringe and Bosch, to performing on the big screen in the John Wick franchise, Angel Has Fallen and more, the man was a powerhouse acting talent. Sadly, word’s come in that Reddick has died at the age of 60.
According to TMZ, Lance Reddick’s body was found Friday morning around 9:30 am at his home in Studio City. While a cause of death hasn’t been determined yet, law enforcement sources who spoke with the publication say it appears to be natural. Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Day, whom he married in 2011.
Born on June 7, 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, Lance Reddick first studied music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. he then went to the Yale School of Drama and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1994. Some of Reddick’s early work included guest spots on TV shows like The Nanny and The West Wing, as well as appearing in 1998’s Godzilla. He arguably made his first big splash recurring as Johnny Basil in the HBO series Oz, and then in the following year, he debuted as Cedric Daniels on The Wire, which aired on the same premium cable network. Reddick stayed on The Wire for the entirety of its run from 2002 to 2008.
The Wire was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it came to Lance Reddick’s TV accomplishments. His other notable credits in this field included playing Dr. Taylor on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Matthew Abaddon on Lost (Reddick was “pissed off” about this character dying), Phillip Broyles on Fringe and Deputy Chief Irvin Irving on Bosch, as well as voice roles in shows like Tron: Uprising, Beware the Batman, Rick and Morty and Ducktales. Netflix subscribers most recently saw him playing Albert Wesker in the short-lived Resident Evil series, while those with an Amazon Prime Video subscription could hear him voicing Thordak in The Legend of Vox Machina.
In the film world, Lance Reddick had gotten a lot of attention over the last decade for playing Charon, the concierge of The Continental’s New York branch in the John Wick film series, resulting in him sharing many scenes with Keanu Reeves’ title character and Ian McShane’s Winston. Reddick reprises Sharon for John Wick: Chapter 4, which comes out on Friday, March 24, and the actor had recently been doing press for the 2023 new movie release. Other big movies on Reddick’s resume included the aforementioned Angel Has Fallen, Jonah Hex, One Night in Miami… and Godzilla vs. Kong.
While Lance Reddick is no longer with us, we will be seeing him posthumously in a handful of projects. In addition to John Wick: Chapter 4, Reddick was also set to reprise Charon in the Ana de Armas-led spinoff Ballerina, which has reportedly been in postproduction since February, so he presumably finished shooting his scenes. Reddick also starred opposite Jack Harlow and Sinqua Wells in the White Men Can’t Jump remake, which premieres May 19 to Hulu subscribers. As for TV, Reddick will appear as Zeus in the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which those with a Disney+ subscription will be able to watch sometime in 2024.
CinemaBlend offers its condolences to Lance Reddick’s family and friends during this difficult time. He was a phenomenal actor across the board, and he will be missed.