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Lance Reddick, who’s appeared in major TV series like ‘The Wire’, ‘Fringe’, ‘Bosh’ and movies like the ‘John Wick’ franchise, set to debut ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ next week , died of natural causes on Friday morning, Variety confirmed with his representatives. He was 60 years old.
He was found dead at his Studio City home in Los Angeles on Friday morning, according to TMZ, which first reported the news.
In the upcoming “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which is set to hit theaters March 24, Reddick reprises his role as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York City who appeared in all four entries. Charon worked alongside Keanu Reeve’s non-retired hitman, including taking care of John’s new dog in the second episode and joining in on the gun action in the third film. Reddick was also set to appear in the upcoming “Ballerina” spin-off, starring Ana de Armas.
“The world of Wick wouldn’t be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unparalleled depth he brought to Charon’s humanity and unflappable charisma,” Lionsgate said in a statement. “Lance leaves behind an indelible legacy and a tremendously impressive job, but we will remember him as our lovely, joyful friend and caretaker. We are amazed and heartbroken, and our deepest condolences go out to his beloved family. and his fans around the world.”
MORE: Lance Reddick recalls ‘The Wire’ cast: ‘A man of great strength and grace’
Known for playing hardened police chiefs, Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland on June 7, 1962. He studied music composition and earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Rochester. He moved to Boston in the 80s and earned an MFA from Yale in 1994. His first major television role came in Season 4 of HBO’s prison drama “Oz” in 2000. He starred Detective Johnny Basil, an undercover agent who tries to stop the drug trade, but soon becomes a drug addict himself and murders a corrupt cop by pushing him down an elevator shaft. After being sent to Oz, Basil is stabbed to death by Seth Gilliam’s character, Clayton Hughes.
HBO kept Reddick and then cast him as Baltimore Police Lt. Cedric Daniels, one of the leads, on “The Wire” in 2002. He had previously auditioned for the roles of Bubbles (which went to Andre Royo) and William “Bunk” Moreland (Wendell Pierce). Daniels was in charge of the narcotics division and slowly rose through the ranks over the show’s five seasons, frequently clashing with his superiors. In the show’s finale, he resigned as commissioner and became a criminal defense attorney.
After “The Wire” ended in 2008, Reddick joined “Fringe” later that year as Phillip Broyles, Homeland Security Special Agent and Fringe Division Head. The group investigated cases related to fringe science, pseudoscience, and alternate timelines. In 2014, he was cast as another police chief, but this time in Amazon’s “Bosch” series, which ended in 2021. He played Deputy Chief Irvin Irving and was nominated for a Saturn Award for the role, after earning two nods for “Fringe.”
Most recently, Reddick starred as Albert Wesker last year in Netflix’s short-lived series “Resident Evil,” an adaptation of the popular zombie video game. He also provided voice work on Season 2 of Amazon’s “The Legend of Vox Machina,” which was released in January. His other voice roles included the villainous Sylens in the two popular PlayStation games “Horizon: Zero Dawn” and “Horizon: Forbidden West,” released last year, as well as the voice of Commander Zavala in the long-running “Destiny” franchise.
Reddick has been cast as the Greek god Zeus in Disney+’s highly anticipated “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, adapted from the popular books by Rick Riordan. Her other upcoming roles include Hulu’s remake of “White Men Can’t Jump,” out May 19, “St. Sebastian,” Netflix’s Shirley Chisholm biopic “Shirley,” “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.” from Showtime and the space drama “Apteros”.
Throughout his nearly 30-year career, he has also appeared in “Lost”, “CSI: Miami”, “American Horror Story: Coven”, “The Blacklist”, “One Night in Miami”, “Angel Has Fallen” and “Godzilla”. against Kong.
Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and his children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick. Donations in her memory can be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, her hometown.