According to Mia Hansen, who represented Lance Reddick, the actor best known for his role as Cedric Daniels on “The Wire” and in the “John Wick” films, has passed away. He was 60. Hansen said Reddick died unexpectedly on 18 march 2023 morning “from natural causes.” “Lance will be greatly missed,” she said.
In the early part of his career, Reddick appeared on television dramas like “New York Undercover” and “The West Wing.” His magnetic screen presence led to roles that called for intensity and seriousness.
He told The Guardian he wanted to be a musician as a young man in Baltimore. He stumbled into acting to provide for his small family and build a foundation for a future in music. At age 29, he began gaining working parts in regional theater before applying to and being accepted to Yale University to pursue a degree in drama.
He initially met “The Wire” writer David Simon in New York, where he auditioned for the HBO miniseries “The Corner,” which premiered two years before Simon’s “The Wire.” The role of an undercover investigator posing as an inmate on the HBO series “Oz” was his first regular movie role.
Simon gave Reddick his big break by casting him as Lt. Daniels of the Narcotics Unit. Though “The Wire” never had massive viewership, it received rave reviews from critics and industry professionals.
Reddick told the Guardian-
“I thought it would be a hit but I didn’t anticipate that it would take so long to catch on, or that it would become this phenomenon. “Or that it would be so ignored by the industry. That really floored me, because I knew how good we were, we all did.”
On Friday (18 March 2023), he was honored as a “man of great strength and grace” by his “Wire” co-star Wendall Pierce.
“As talented a musician as he was an actor. “The epitome of class. A sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here.”
Reddick added numerous credits to his name after “The Wire,” with a memorable part on “Lost” and recurring roles in the Fox sci-fi series “Fringe,” Amazon’s “Bosch” and, more recently, Netflix’s version of “Resident Evil.”
After booking a regular role on “Fringe,” Reddick revealed to the Los Angeles Times in 2019 that his “Lost” character was initially intended to become a series regular. Although his time on one of television’s most popular series was brief, he claims it opened him up to a new level of celebrity. He said-
“That was the first time fans were really weird. I was living in New York at the time, and it seemed like everybody was stopping me to talk about ‘Lost.’ I went from small, niche notoriety to being completely recognizable.”
Movies like “One Night in Miami,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and the upcoming adaptation of “White Men Can’t Jump” all featured him in supporting roles in addition to the “John Wick” series.
Though he is known for his serious roles, Reddick has also demonstrated a comedic side in guest appearances on “Young Sheldon” and “Key and Peele.”
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In the Bungie video games Destiny and Destiny 2, for which a new edition was published at the end of February, Reddick lent his voice to the character of Commander Zavala. Since 2014, he has been the voice of Destiny’s vanguard and is one of only a few voice actors in the game. Next weekend sees the debut of the fourth “John Wick” picture, which features Reddick in the lead role.
Said in a joint statement to the Deadline-
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick,” Chad Stahelski, the director of “John Wick: Chapter Four,” and Reddick’s co-star, Keanu Reeves. said in a joint statement to Deadline.
“He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him dearly.”
His wife, Stephanie, and his two children, Yvonne Nicole and Christopher, will carry on without him. In this time of loss, our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones, teammates, and friends. Spencer will be greatly missed.