Isiah Whitlock Jr., the character actor best known for portraying the corrupt State Sen. Clay Davis on HBO's 'The Wire'—complete with his signature elongated 'sheeeee-it'—has died in New York at age 71. His manager confirmed he passed peacefully after a short illness, and longtime collaborator Spike Lee paid tribute to him as his 'dear beloved brother.'
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born in South Bend, Indiana, and built a prolific three-decade career starting with a guest role on CBS's 'Cagney & Lacey' in 1987. He appeared multiple times on the 'Law & Order' franchise, 'Chappelle’s Show,' and recurred on shows including HBO's 'Veep' (as U.S. Secretary of Defense George Maddox in Seasons 2-4), Showtime's 'Your Honor' (as a crime-connected politician), FX's 'Atlanta,' and 'The Good Cop.'
Whitlock's breakthrough came as scheming Sen. R. Clayton 'Clay' Davis across all five seasons of 'The Wire,' where his catchphrase—drawn out as 'sheeeeee-it,' inspired by his uncle Leon and first used in Spike Lee's '25th Hour' (2002)—became iconic. Fans frequently approached him on the street to recite it, and he played a meta 'Wire' obsessive in the 2011 comedy 'Cedar Rapids.' He collaborated with Spike Lee on six films: 'She Hate Me' (2004), 'Red Hook Summer' (2012), 'Chi-Raq' (2015), 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018, as Officer Mr. Turrentine), and 'Da 5 Bloods' (2020, as Vietnam veteran Melvin). Lee's Instagram tribute read: 'Today I Learned Of The Passing Of My Dear Beloved Brother ISIAH WHITLOCK. GOD BLESS.'
His film credits included small roles in Martin Scorsese's 'Goodfellas,' 'Pieces of April,' Disney's 'Enchanted,' Pixar's 'Cars 3' and 'Lightyear,' and Elizabeth Banks' 'Cocaine Bear.' He recently played Chief of Police opposite Uzo Aduba in Netflix's 'The Residence,' which premiered in March 2025, and was set to voice a character in Pixar's 'Hoppers,' slated for 2026.
Manager Brian Liebman announced the death on December 30, 2025, via Instagram: 'It is with tremendous sadness that I share the passing of my dear friend and client Isiah Whitlock Jr. If you knew him—you loved him. A brilliant actor and even better person. May his memory forever be a blessing. Our hearts are so broken. He will be very, very missed.' He told Deadline that Whitlock died peacefully after a short illness. Fans flooded social media with tributes, praising his versatility and catchphrase, with one X user noting: 'Isiah Whitlock Jr. will forever (and rightfully so) be associated with The Wire, but I also adored the episode of Atlanta where he gets pressured into buying a fedora. A true icon.'
