Lance Reddick, the deep-voiced actor who classed up any film or TV series he appeared in — and he appeared in some classics — has died. He was 60.
Born in 1962 in Baltimore, Reddick's initial passion was for music; he attended the Peabody Preparatory Institute and completed a summer program on music theory and composition at the Walden School as a teenager. After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, he relocated to Boston, Massachusetts in the 1980s to start attending the Yale School of Drama in 1991.
Reddick began his screen career in the mid-1990s, guesting on such series as The Nanny and New York Undercover. Later in the decade, he appeared on the big screen in films including Great Expectations and The Siege before recurring on HBO’s Emmy-winning 2000 miniseries The Corner, which was based on David Simon’s book. The same year, he scored a role on fellow gritty HBO drama Oz.
Yet he'd leap even further into the TV history books when Simon cast him in The Wire as Cedric Daniels.
Elsewhere on the small screen, he had crucial roles in the likes of Fringe, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Lost.
Movie-wise, he's enjoyed a long and successful career that takes in a wide variety of films including White House Down, Little Woods, Angel Has Fallen and One Night In Miami… But perhaps he's become best known as Charon, the stoic, badass concierge of the Continental hotel in the John Wick movies, with Chapter 4 due out next week (Reddick had been in the middle of the press tour for the film) and footage in the can of him in spin-off Ballerina.
The actor was found dead of natural causes at his home in Studio City. Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick.
“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick. He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with," said Wick director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves in a statement. "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.”