Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Isiah Whitlock Jr. (September 13, 1954 – December 30, 2025) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as corrupt state senator Clay Davis on the HBO television series The Wire, and for his frequent collaborations with filmmaker Spike Lee.

Whitlock appeared in many other films and television series, accumulating over 120 acting credits throughout his career. He also acted in some theater productions. He had a unique pronunciation of shit ("sheeeeeeeee-it") that appeared in much of his work.

Early life Whitlock was born in South Bend, Indiana, on September 13, 1954, From until 2021 he lived in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City.

Career Whitlock's first notable role came in 1987, when he appeared in an episode of the police procedural Cagney & Lacey. Whitlock also made appearances on Chappelle's Show and had a supporting role in the 2003 film Pieces of April. He had roles in the 2007 films 1408 and Enchanted. Whitlock first collaborated with Spike Lee in Lee's 2002 film 25th Hour and would later appear in his 2004 film She Hate Me, 2012 film Red Hook Summer, 2015 film Chi-Raq, 2017 television show She's Gotta Have It, 2018 film BlacKkKlansman, and 2020 film Da 5 Bloods.

Whitlock is best known for his role on the HBO television series The Wire as corrupt state senator Clay Davis. The Wire premiered in 2002 and ended in 2008; Whitlock had a recurring role in the show's first four seasons and was a part of the main cast in its fifth and final season.

After appearing in The Wire, Whitlock became a well-known character actor. He recurred on the HBO political satire series Veep as George Maddox, a U.S. Secretary of Defense and presidential candidate. He played Sheriff Gene Dentler in the 2016 film Pete's Dragon, a remake of the 1977 film of the same name. In the series Atlanta, he played Raleigh Marks, the father of main character Earn Marks, who was played by series creator Donald Glover. Whitlock also toured nationally in a production of The Piano Lesson. Soon thereafter Whitlock began filming The Wire, and Whitlock said that the phrase, with his distinct pronunciation indicated, was already present in the script. and Da 5 Bloods. Whitlock created an academy to teach actors how to say the phrase and sold talking bobbleheads of himself which said the phrase after a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015. and eventually raised over $100,000 from 1,828 backers. Prior to the bobblehead's release, Whitlock said he gave the only prototype to The Wire showrunner David Simon, and Simon said that he showed it to then-President Barack Obama; Simon said that Obama enjoyed and kept it. Whitlock appeared in the documentary series History of Swear Words.

SMSU now offers the Isiah Whitlock Jr. Endowed Scholarship. He was SMSU's commencement speaker in 1999 and guest artist for the school's celebration of Black History Month in 2007.

Death Whitlock died after a short illness at a New York City hospital on December 30, 2025, at the age of 71.

Partial filmography Film

+ Year Title Role Notes Gremlins 2: The New Batch Fireman Goodfellas Doctor Trooper Jump Tomorrow George's Uncle 25th Hour Agent Flood 1408 Hotel Engineer Gun Hill Road Officer Thompson Cedar Rapids Ronald Wilkes Thanks for Sharing Charles Not Fade Away Landers Newlyweeds Philly Europa Report Dr. Tarik Pamuk Home Samuel The Angriest Man in Brooklyn Yates 23 Blast Dr. Connelly Chi-Raq Bacchos Person to Person Buster CHiPs Peterson Cars 3 River ScottVoice BlacKkKlansman Mr. Turrentine Corporate Animals Derek Lost Holiday Matthews Lying and Stealing Lyman Wilkers Run with the Hunted Lester The Lost Husband Russ McAllen Da 5 Bloods Melvin Lightyear Commander BurnsideVoice Cocaine Bear Bob Hoppers Bird King Voice; posthumous release David Alexander Wilkins Post-production; posthumous release

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes Second Charitable Gentleman / Party Guest Television movie , 2006 Chappelle's Show Harold, Store Manager Episode #1.8, Episode #3.2; Uncredited The Mist Gus Redman / Gus Bradley Recurring; 8 episodes Burl Loomis 10 episodes Larry Dokes Main role; 8 episodes Accolades