The entertainment industry has lost a talented actor and musician, Lance Reddick, who was best known for his role as the concierge Charon in the John Wick film series. The American star passed away on March 17, 2023, at the age of 60 in his home in Studio City, California. His sudden death due to natural causes has left his friends and co-stars heartbroken. Actress Mia Hanseen confirmed the news and requested privacy for his family during this difficult time.
Reddick had a net worth of approximately $4 million at the time of his passing. He had appeared in several well-known movies and TV shows since his debut in 1996. He was a brilliant actor who always amazed the audience with his tremendous performance. His friends and fans have been sharing tributes to him since the news of his demise spread.
Wendell Pierce, Reddick’s co-star from The Wire, shared a heartfelt message on Twitter, calling him a man of great strength and grace. Pierce also praised Reddick’s musical talent and described him as the epitome of class. He expressed his grief for their artistic family and offered condolences to Reddick’s personal family and loved ones.
Reddick was born on New Year’s Eve in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, to parents Dorothy and Solomon. He attended Friends School of Baltimore during his childhood and then studied music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and the Walden School. After graduating, he enrolled at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Reddick then moved to Boston, Massachusetts in the 80s. In 1991, he enrolled at the Yale School of Drama, from which he graduated with an MFA.
Reddick made his television debut in a 1996 episode of the Fox police drama “New York Undercover.” He went on to appear in episodes of “Swift Justice” and “The Nanny,” and television films such as “What the Deaf Man Heard,” “The Fixer,” and “Witness to the Mob.” Reddick played a DC police officer in an episode of “The West Wing” to close out the decade.
Reddick landed his biggest television role yet on the series “Oz” after appearing on the CBS crime drama “Falcone” and in the HBO miniseries “The Corner.” On the hit show, which takes place inside a men’s prison, Reddick played the recurring role of undercover narcotics officer Johnny Basil. The same year, Reddick had another recurring role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” playing the character of Dr. Taylor.
In 2002, Reddick was cast in a main role on the HBO crime drama “The Wire.” He played Cedric Daniels, the lieutenant of the Baltimore Police Department’s Narcotics Unit. The show, which ran until 2008, was an enormous critical success and is often considered to be one of the greatest television series of all time. While on “The Wire,” Reddick also made appearances on “CSI: Miami,” “Numb3rs,” and the ABC mystery series “Lost,” on which he played Matthew Abaddon for four episodes.
Reddick was a series regular on the science-fiction series “Fringe” from 2008 to 2013, playing the head of an FBI department investigating paranormal activity. He has appeared in numerous shows since then, including “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Wilfred,” “American Horror Story: Coven,” “Intelligence,” “The Blacklist,” “Castle,” and “Corporate.” From 2014 to 2021, he portrayed the main role of Deputy Chief Irvin Irving on the police procedural streaming series “Bosch.” Reddick has also done voice work for animated shows including “Beware the Batman,” “Rick and Morty,” “DuckTales,” and “Paradise PD.”
Reddick was married to Suzanne Yvonne Louis in 1986, with whom he had two children. The two later divorced, and Reddick married Stephanie Day. In 1998, Reddick had his first feature film role in Alfonso Cuarón’s contemporary reimagining of Charles Dickens’s “Great Expectations,” starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. He also appeared in Edward Zwick’s action thriller “The Siege” as FBI Agent Floyd Rose and had an uncredited part in Roland Emmerich’s “Godzilla.” Subsequently, Reddick was in the biographical drama “I Dreamed of Africa,” the crime thriller “Don’t Say a Word,” and the independent LGBTQ-themed drama “Brother to Brother,” in which he portrayed poet and activist James Baldwin. Credits after this included “Dirty Work,” “Tennessee,” “The Way of War,” “Jonah Hex,” “Remains,” “Won’t Back Down,” “White House Down,” and Spike Lee’s “Oldboy,” a remake of the hit South Korean thriller.
Throughout his career, Reddick contributed both his distinctive voice and his likeness to various video games. He voiced the role of Derek Carter in 2009’s “50 Cent: Blood on the Sand” and made his debut as Commander Zavala in “Destiny” in 2014, a role he reprised in multiple other entries in the franchise. Reddick also contributed motion capture and full motion video footage to “Quantum Break,” in which he played Martin Hatch. Among his other video game credits are “Payday 2,” “John Wick Hex,” and “Horizon Zero Dawn” and its sequel “Horizon Forbidden West.”
Lance Reddick was a talented actor and musician who left a mark in the entertainment industry. His sudden death has left his friends, family, and fans heartbroken. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on through his work.