Man, Lance Reddick’s story is kinda wild. Born in Baltimore, grew up with just one brother, parents Solomon and Dorothy (she was a teacher, which probably kept him in line a bit). The dude was headed for a life in music first—studied at Peabody, then Walden, and even went deep into classical composition at Eastman School of Music. Bachelor’s in hand, he was all about that music life until a gnarly back injury in the early ‘90s—basically messed him up while hustling double shifts waiting tables and tossing newspapers. Bills don’t pay themselves, so he switched gears and landed at Yale School of Drama. Not a bad backup plan, honestly. Graduated with his MFA, got inspired by Paul Giamatti, and basically idolized Daniel Day-Lewis. He had this crazy strong presence—tall, athletic, that deep voice you don’t forget. The guy could do accents like nobody’s business. He’d rehearse in front of a mirror, really get inside his characters’ heads. TV debut was back in ’94, and he did a couple of rough roles as addicts, but then Hollywood figured out he was perfect for authority types. Cops, FBI, top brass—like Johnny Basil in Oz, Cedric Daniels in The Wire, even Mr. Charon in John Wick. People loved him as Phillip Broyles in Fringe—no-nonsense, loyal, the kind of boss you want in a crisis. On Bosch, his Chief Irving was a bit more of a political animal, less clear-cut hero, but man, he nailed it. Reddick was still in demand right up to his sudden death in 2023 at age 60. He crushed it in voice work too—video games, animation, the whole nine yards. Never let go of his music roots, even put out an album in ’07 called “Contemplations & Remembrances.” Off-screen? Total dog guy, super devoted. Married twice, but honestly, the dogs probably got most of his attention.
movies trivia information textnnSo here's a little behind-the-scenes nugget for any movie nerds out there: this person actually studied composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, which is a big deal if you know anything about music schools—super competitive, all sorts of prodigies running around. But they didn’t stop there. Nope. They jumped straight into acting at the Yale Drama School. Now, Yale’s theater program is like Hollywood’s secret training ground. Tons of Oscar winners came outta there. So, you’ve got this wild combo—someone who’s not only got the musical chops but also the acting skills to back it up. That background? It really shows in their work, whether it’s scoring a film or stealing a scene. You can almost hear that technical music training in the way they approach a character or even just the rhythm of their performances. It’s not your average path, for sure.
referencenn“Pigeonholed” doesn’t even touch it, honestly. I mean, I’ve played so many different characters it’s wild. One day I’m a brooding detective with way too many secrets, next day I’m some awkward science nerd who can’t talk to girls, and then suddenly I’m an evil mastermind with a questionable accent—don’t even ask. People always act like actors just get stuck doing the same thing over and over, but nah, not me. Each script’s a whole new mess of emotions, backstories, weird quirks. Sometimes I catch myself using a voice from a movie three jobs ago, which is kind of hilarious in a tragic way. Casting directors, they love to throw curveballs. You never really know what’s coming up next, and that’s half the fun. So yeah, “pigeonholed”? Not even close. I’d say I’ve been all over the map, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
June 7, 1962
6′ 2½″ (1.89 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Yes, Yvonne Reddick
Solomon Reddick and Surekha
63 years old