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Lance Reddick, who appeared in major TV shows like “The Wire,” “Fringe,” “Bosh” and movies like the “John Wick” franchise, set to debut “John Wick: Chapter 4” next week, died of natural cause friday morning, Variety has confirmed with his reps. He was 60.
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,” due in 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 with Keanu Reeve’s unretired assassin, notably looking after John’s new dog in the second installment and taking part in the gun-toting action in the third film. Reddick was also set to appear in the upcoming “Ballerina” spinoff starring Ana de Armas.
“The world of Wick would not be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unique depth he brought to Charon’s humanity and unforgettable charisma,” Lionsgate said in a statement. “Lance leaves an indelible legacy and a hugely impressive body of work, but we will remember him as our lovely, happy friend and concierge. We are stunned and heartbroken and our deepest sympathies go out to his beloved family and his fans around the world.”
MORE: Lance Reddick Remembered by ‘The Wire’ Cast: ‘A Man of Great Strength and Grace’
Reddick, known for playing hardened police chiefs, was born in Baltimore, Md., on June 7, 1962. He studied music composition and earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Rochester. He moved to Boston in the 80s and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Yale in 1994. His first major television role came in Season 4 of the HBO prison drama “Oz” in 2000. He played Detective Johnny Basil, an undercover officer, who tries to shut down the drug trade, but soon becomes an 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 around and later cast him as Baltimore police lieutenant 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 its ranks during the show’s five-season run, often butting heads with his superiors. In the show’s finale, he resigned from his post as commissioner and became a criminal defense attorney.
After “The Wire” ended in 2008, Reddick joined “Fringe” later that year as Phillip Broyles, a Homeland Security special agent and head of the Fringe division. The group investigated cases concerning fringe science, pseudoscience, and alternate timelines. In 2014, he was cast as another police chief, this time in Amazon’s “Bosch” series, which will end in 2021. He played Deputy Chief Irvin Irving and was nominated for a Saturn Award for the role, after receiving two nods for “Fringe ” .”
More recently, Reddick starred as Albert Wesker last year on 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 came out in January. His other voice roles included the villain Sylens in the two hit PlayStation games “Horizon: Zero Dawn” and “Horizon: Forbidden West,” which came out last year, plus voicing Commander Zavala in the long-running “Destiny” franchise.
Reddick was cast as the Greek god Zeus in Disney+’s highly anticipated “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, adapted from the popular tween books by Rick Riordan. His other upcoming roles include Hulu’s “White Men Can’t Jump” remake, due out May 19, Danny DeVito’s “St. Sebastian,” Netflix’s Shirley Chisholm biopic “Shirley,” Showtime’s “The Caine Mutiny Court- Martial” and the space drama “Apteros”.
Throughout his nearly 30-year career, he also appeared in “Lost,” “CSI: Miami,” “American Horror Story: Coven,” “The Blacklist,” “One Night in Miami,” “Angel Has Fallen” and “Godzilla.” . vs. King.”
Reddick is survived by his wife, Stephanie Reddick, and children, Yvonne Nicole Reddick and Christopher Reddick. Donations in his memory can be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, his hometown.