Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Acting

Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Born 13 September 1954 · South Bend, Indiana, USA · Died 30 December 2025

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.

Known for

Lucifer
GoodFellas
BlacKkKlansman
Cars 3
Enchanted
1408
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Lightyear
Gotham
The Blacklist
I Care a Lot
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Hoppers
Cocaine Bear
Lightyear
Triggered
I Care a Lot
Da 5 Bloods
The Lost Husband
Sloan Hearts Neckface
Seneca
Lost Holiday
Corporate Animals
Lying and Stealing
Run with the Hunted
The Old Man & the Gun
All Square
BlacKkKlansman
Person to Person
CHiPs
Cars 3
Pete's Dragon
Chi-Raq
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn
23 Blast
Thanks for Sharing
Newlyweeds
Home
Europa Report
Jerome's Bouquet
Why Stop Now?
Red Hook Summer
Not Fade Away
Gun Hill Road
Cedar Rapids
Detachment
Main Street
Twelve
Brooklyn's Finest
I Hate Valentine's Day
Under New Management
Cadillac Records
Choke
1408
Enchanted
Kettle of Fish
Beautiful Ohio
Duane Hopwood
Stealing Martin Lane
A Jersey Tale
She Hate Me
Pieces of April
25th Hour
Jump Tomorrow
WW3
Harlem Aria
A Fish in the Bathtub
The Spanish Prisoner
Eddie
Everyone Says I Love You
GoodFellas
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Isiah Whitlock Jr. · Midrow