Isiah Whitlock Jr., 'The Wire' and 'Veep' Scene-Stealer, Dies at 71

Isiah Whitlock Jr., the velvet-voiced character actor who turned a single word—'sheeeee-it'—into a cultural catchphrase, has died at the age of 71.

Whitlock’s passing was confirmed early Tuesday by his longtime representative, Candi Cazau, who said the actor ‘died peacefully Monday evening surrounded by family’ in New York City. No cause was given.

From Alabama roots to Baltimore legend

Born in Shelby, Alabama, Whitlock studied theater at Southwest Minnesota State University before cutting his teeth on regional stages. In 1990 he made his screen debut in Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, but it was HBO’s The Wire that etched his name into television lore.

He walked into the room and the temperature changed—commanding without raising his voice. That was Isiah. —David Simon, creator of The Wire

Across 36 episodes Whitlock’s Senator Clay Davis dispensed graft with a grin, elongating a four-letter expletive into a 12-second symphony of corruption. The performance earned him a devoted following and, years later, a recurring role on Veep as General George ‘Daddy’ Ben-Caanan, where he again mined bureaucratic double-speak for comic gold.

A résumé that spanned genres

Whitlock’s filmography reads like a map of prestige television: Law & Order, The Good Wife, Chappelle’s Show, Pete Versus Life, and more recently Your Honor and She-Hulk. On the big screen he appeared in Goodfellas, Pieces of April, 1408, and Da 5 Bloods.

• Stage: Broadway’s Caroline, or Change and multiple off-Broadway productions.
• Voice-over: Commercials for Arby’s, Verizon, and the NFL.
• Charity: Active supporter of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and literacy programs in Selma.

Tributes pour in

By Tuesday morning ‘Senator Davis’ and ‘The Wire’ were trending on X (formerly Twitter). Wendell Pierce, who played Detective Bunk Moreland, wrote: ‘My brother, my friend. Your voice, your spirit, your love of life will echo forever.’

Julia Louis-Dreyfus recalled Whitlock’s ‘gravity and mischief in perfect balance,’ while HBO released a statement praising him as ‘a cornerstone of the HBO family for over two decades.’

Legacy beyond the catchphrase

Though the elongated expletive followed him like a shadow, Whitlock once told NPR he hoped audiences would remember the craft beneath the comedy. ‘It’s not the word—it’s the music you put around it,’ he said. ‘Make people feel something, then you’ve done your job.’

He is survived by his sister, Connie Whitlock-Williams, two nieces, and a great-nephew. Funeral services will be private; a public celebration of life is planned for later this summer in Harlem’s Apollo Theater.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alabama Literacy Project, an organization close to Whitlock’s heart.