Reg E. Cathey

A strong screen presence with a distinctive baritone voice, actor Reg E. Cathey earned a solid reputation as a supporting player on several acclaimed HBO series. After honing his skills on stage, the actor's early screen work consisted of bit parts in films like "Funny Farm" (1988), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "What About Bob?" (1991), in addition to landing a steady gig on the children's educational comedy show "Square One TV" (PBS, 1987-1992). In the years that followed, Cathey turned up in everything from films like "Tank Girl" (1995) and "Se7en" (1995) to episodes of the sports comedy series "Arli$$" (HBO, 1996-2002). A recurring role on the harrowing prison drama "Oz" (HBO, 1997-2003) eventually led to similar work on another of the network's most acclaimed series, the Baltimore set police drama "The Wire" (HBO, 2002-07). During the program's final two seasons, Cathey impressed as the cynical yet honorable political campaign manager, Norman Wilson. The durable actor remained a constant TV presence in the years that followed "The Wire," with appearances on such popular programs as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ), "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013) and "House of Cards" (Netflix, 2013-18). Cathey's chameleon-like adaptability continued to keep him in high demand in both film and television until his death from lung cancer in February 2018 at the age of 59.