Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Known for
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on September 13, 1954, in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He trained at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and built a career on stage before moving into film and television. He is best known for playing State Senator Clay Davis in The Wire (2002-2008), a role that made his drawn-out catchphrase famous. Whitlock has also appeared in Spike Lee films including 25th Hour (2002) and Da 5 Bloods (2020). He continues to work steadily in television drama.
Isiah Whitlock Jr.
58 Movies
31 Series
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on September 13, 1954, in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He trained at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and built a career on stage before moving into film and television. He is best known for playing State Senator Clay Davis in The Wire (2002-2008), a role that made his drawn-out catchphrase famous. Whitlock has also appeared in Spike Lee films including 25th Hour (2002) and Da 5 Bloods (2020). He continues to work steadily in television drama.
Movies
Plays Bird King (voice)
Hoppers
2026
Plays Doctor
GoodFellas
1990
Plays River Scott (voice)
Cars 3
2017
Plays Bob
Cocaine Bear
2023
Plays Ethan Banks
Enchanted
2007
Plays Commander Burnside (voice)
Lightyear
2022
Plays Fireman
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
1990
Plays Hotel Engineer
1408
2007
Plays Sheriff Gene Dentler
Pete's Dragon
2016
Plays Mr. Turrentine
BlacKkKlansman
2018
Plays Mr. Mathias
Detachment
2011
Plays Investigator #3 (as Isiah Whitlock)
Brooklyn's Finest
2010
Plays Lyman
Lying and Stealing
2019
Plays Agent Flood
25th Hour
2002
Plays Mississippi DJ
Cadillac Records
2008
Plays Charles
Thanks for Sharing
2013
Plays Detective Gene Dentler
The Old Man & the Gun
2018
Plays Cop
Everyone Says I Love You
1996
Plays Dr. Pamuk
Europa Report
2013
Plays Trooper
The Spanish Prisoner
1997
Plays Russ McAllen
The Lost Husband
2020
Plays Detective Palmer
Choke
2008
Plays Melvin
Da 5 Bloods
2020
Plays Amos Flood
She Hate Me
2004
Plays Derek
Corporate Animals
2019
Plays Yates
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
2014
Plays Lester
Run with the Hunted
2019
Plays Rick
Eddie
1996
Plays Drummer
I Hate Valentine's Day
2009
Plays Peterson
CHiPs
2017
Plays Ronald Wilkes
Cedar Rapids
2011
Plays Bacchos
Chi-Raq
2015
Plays Eugene
Pieces of April
2003
Plays Detective Dumont
Twelve
2010
Plays Mr. Lebreaux
Beautiful Ohio
2006
Plays Mayor
Main Street
2010
Plays Landers
Not Fade Away
2012
Plays Dr. Connelly
23 Blast
2014
Plays Detective Flood
Red Hook Summer
2012
Plays Rudy
A Fish in the Bathtub
1999
Plays Black
Why Stop Now?
2012
Plays Buster
Person to Person
2017
Plays Officer Thompson
Gun Hill Road
2011
Plays Freddie
Kettle of Fish
2006
Plays Samuel
Home
2013
Plays William
Duane Hopwood
2005
Plays Scotty
All Square
2018
Plays Manny
Harlem Aria
1999
Plays George's Uncle
Jump Tomorrow
2001
Plays Officer Matthews
Lost Holiday
2019
TV Shows
Plays Clay Davis
The Wire
2002
Plays Charlie Figaro
Your Honor
2020
Plays Burl Loomis
The Good Cop
2018
Plays Bob Harris
Lucky 7
2013
Plays Larry Dokes
The Residence
2025
Plays George Maddox
Veep
2012
Plays The Moose
Oceano
1989
Plays Luke - Slave
Liberty!
1997
Plays Mayor Naise (voice)
Apple & Onion
2018
Plays Gus Bradley
The Mist
2017
Plays Self
History of Swear Words
2021
Plays Tim Unger
Ed
2000
Plays Ronald Strickland
Smash
2012
Plays Mr. Jackson
Woke
2020
Plays Raleigh Marks
Atlanta
2016
Plays Reggie Simmons
Third Watch
1999
Plays Gordon Samuels
Law & Order
1990
Plays Joe Williams
New Amsterdam
2008
Plays Anton Emery
NYPD Blue
1993
Plays Danny
The Blacklist
2013
Plays Crime Scene Detective
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001
Plays Carmen
Lucifer
2016
Plays Jack Brunelle
Elementary
2012
Plays Gerry Lang
Gotham
2014
Plays Reverend Carlson
The Carmichael Show
2015
Plays Richard Talmage
FBI
2018
Plays Dog #10
She's Gotta Have It
2017
Plays C.E.O. (voice)
BoJack Horseman
2014
Plays Ira Protopapas
The Good Wife
2009
Plays Dr. Mohyuddin
Wonderland
2000
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Hoppers
Full Filmography
Hoppers
Bird King (voice)
2026
Film
The Residence
Larry Dokes · 8 episodes
2025–
TV
Cocaine Bear
Bob
2023
Film
Lightyear
Commander Burnside (voice)
2022
Film
Triggered
Ohio
2022
Film
History of Swear Words
Self · 3 episodes
2021–
TV
Your Honor
Charlie Figaro · 20 episodes
2020–
TV
Woke
Mr. Jackson · 2 episodes
2020–
TV
Da 5 Bloods
Melvin
2020
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Isiah Whitlock Jr. still alive?
Isiah Whitlock Jr. passed away on December 30, 2025 at age 71.
What are the most famous roles of Isiah Whitlock Jr.?
Isiah Whitlock Jr. is best known for roles in GoodFellas, BlacKkKlansman, Cars 3.
How many movies has Isiah Whitlock Jr. been in?
Over a 44-year career (since 1981), Isiah Whitlock Jr. has appeared in 58 movies and 29 TV shows.
What was Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s first movie?
The career of Isiah Whitlock Jr. began with A Christmas Carol (1981).
What is Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s most recent movie or series?
Isiah Whitlock Jr.'s most recent release is Hoppers, which premiered on March 4, 2026.
What TV shows has Isiah Whitlock Jr. appeared in?
On television, Isiah Whitlock Jr. has appeared in Lucifer, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Gotham, The Blacklist.
Isiah Whitlock Jr.
1954-09-13 · South Bend, Indiana, USA
Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (September 13, 1954 – December 30, 2025) was an American actor. He is most famous for his role on the HBO television series, The Wire as corrupt state senator Clay Davis. In 2011, Whitlock played an insurance agent named Ronald Wilkes in the film Cedar Rapids. Wilkes is a self-described fan of The Wire and does an impersonation of character Omar Little. Whitlock has said that the references to the series were written in before he became involved in Cedar Rapids.
He is also notable for appearing in Spike Lee films She Hate Me and 25th Hour as Agent Amos Flood. In all three projects, Whitlock established a catchphrase from his characters' distinct pronunciation of the word "shit" ("sheee-it").
He appeared as Eugine, a supporting role, in the 2003 film Pieces of April. He had a bit part in Goodfellas as a doctor who gives Henry Hill a Valium while attending to his brother. In 2007, he played Ethan Banks in Enchanted.
Whitlock made appearances on Chappelle's Show and played various characters on Law & Order and its' spinoff, Law & Order: SVU. He also appeared in promotional spots for the Wii video game Punch-Out!! portraying the character Doc Louis.