Today, Hollywood has lost one of its gems. Lance Reddick, a prolific actor who rose to prominence as a police commander on the Baltimore crime thriller ‘The Wire’ and later starred in the ‘John Wick’ film franchise and the Amazon series "Bosch," died on Friday. He was 60. He was considered one of the finest actors in the Hollywood industry.
Reddick died "suddenly" Friday morning, according to his publicist Mia Hansen, who blamed his death on natural causes. There were no further details supplied. Reddick is survived by his wife Stephanie Reddick, as well as his children Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.
Lance Solomon Reddick was born in Baltimore on June 7, 1962. His mother was an instrumental music teacher, while his father was a teacher who subsequently became a public defender. Mr. Reddick studied classical composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He was a talented pianist who released an album of his own compositions, "Contemplations & Remembrances," in 2010.
Mr. Reddick was experiencing some success as a stage actor when, in 1996, he began winning tiny roles on ‘New York Undercover,’ ‘The West Wing,’ and other television shows, as well as some TV movies. Even back then, he was frequently cast as law enforcement figures, and he would continue to do so when his breakthrough came in 2002 when he was cast as Lt. Cedric Daniels, the principled head of the investigation unit, on ‘The Wire,’ the sprawling HBO series praised for its realistic and often downbeat depiction of policing, crime, education, and other aspects of life in Baltimore.
In addition to the ‘John Wick’ films, he has appeared as a supporting actor in ‘One Night in Miami,’ ‘Godzilla vs. Kong,’ and the upcoming remake ‘White Guys Can't Jump.’ Despite his usual intensity, Reddick also demonstrated a lighter side by appearing as a guest star on the comedy ‘Young Sheldon’ and the sketch show Key and Peele.’