Indiana native Isaiah Whitlock Jr., known for his portrayal of corrupt politician Clay Davis on HBO’s “The Wire” died on Dec. 30, with a couple of projects still headed for the big screen.
He was 71 when he passed at a New York City hospital after a short illness.
Isiah Whitlock’s Indiana roots
Whitlock was born in South Bend and graduated from John Adams High School in 1972.
He played football at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he began to focus on acting and graduated in 1976.
Isiah Whitlock Jr. roles
Whitlock played state Sen. Clay Davis on all five years of “The Wire,” which ran from 2002 to 2008.
He developed a signature profane catchphrase, even helping to sell a talking bobblehead in his image using it through Kickstarter.
Whitlock was a frequent collaborator of director Spike Lee, appearing in “She Hate Me,” “25th Hour,” “Red Hook Summer,” “Chi-Raq,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “Da 5 Bloods.”
Other film roles included “Goodfellas,” Pieces of April,” “Enchanted,” “Cars 3,” and “Lightyear.”
On television, he had roles on “The Good Cop,” “Veep,” “Chappelle’s Show,” “Your Honor,” and “The Residence.”
New Isiah Whitlock Jr. movies
Whitlock will voice Bird King in the animated “Hoppers” movie, about a teenage animal lover who transfers her consciousness into a robotic beaver to understand and communicate with the animal world. The Pixar film will be released in theaters on March 6, 2026.
See the trailer for ‘Hoppers’ below:
Whitlock will also be featured in Irish writer-director Vicky Wight’s “The Body is Water.”
According to Deadline, the movie “follows a grieving man who vanishes to a remote Irish village, only to find that disappearing is the one thing the town — and Lou, an eccentric young woman with a curious dog — won’t let him do.”
The movie completed principal filming in West Cork, Ireland, and Houston, Texas, by September 2025.
How to watch ‘The Wire’
All five seasons of ‘The Wire’ are available to stream on HBO Max.
Contact reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com: @cherylvjackson or Bluesky: @cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana native Isiah Whitlock Jr., dies. His next movie is in theaters soon
Reporting by Cheryl V. Jackson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
