Lance Reddick’s Most Memorable TV Shows and Movies to Stream Now

Lance Reddick, 60, died Friday. He was an arresting screen presence.

His authoritative appearance and gruff baritone voice instilled his characters with authority and gravitas. But he also enjoyed playing against the most serious of people. He specialized in men of mystery, adding ambiguity to his characters’ motives in roles both brief, like a creepy guest appearance on “Lost,” and more expansive, like his morally gray police chiefs in “The Wire,” “Bosch” and “Resident Evil.”

Here are some of Reddick’s career highlights and how to watch them.

‘The Wire’

Reddick’s breakthrough role came in 2002 with the role of Cedric Daniels, who began the critically acclaimed HBO series as a principled but ambitious lieutenant in the narcotics unit of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to “All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire,” by Jonathan Abrams, Reddick was almost cast as the addict-turned-informant Bubbles because he resembled the person whom the character was based on — more so than Andre Royo, who ultimately won the part. Reddick had previously played addicts in “The Corner” and “Oz,” and Bubbles might have set him on an entirely different typecasting trajectory — away from the law enforcement and authority figure roles he started accumulating.

He put in a lot of effort to flesh out Daniels. He shadowed a real-life narcotics officer to learn the ropes. He also used boxing exercises to make Daniels look as strong as possible. Reddick’s portrayal evolved over the show’s five seasons, but it was always calm yet intense and utterly distinctive.

It’s available on HBO Max

‘Fringe’

Most stars of the fascinatingly loopy Fox sci-fi drama “Fringe” played multiple parts in multiple universes, creating several versions of primary and alternate characters. Reddick played the role of Special Agent Phillip Broyles and Colonel Broyles respectively in one universe. (In the third series, Reddick was given the strange task of playing the role of Agent Broyles in meeting Colonel Broyles.

This was another five-season run for Reddick, who had appeared in J.J. Abrams’s earlier series, “Lost.” This time, Reddick got to show off his musical ability (the episode “Brown Betty”), get rather silly while his character tripped acid (“Lysergic Acid Diethylamide”) and contemplate the meaning of Twizzlers across multiple episodes. Reddick seemed so serious, didn’t he?

‘Corporate’

Reddick spoofed his own stoic severity in several comedic roles — highlights include an inappropriate toy store manager in a Funny or Die sketch; a guest spot in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” in which he struggles to control his temper; and an appearance on Eric André’s Adult Swim talk show that started strange and just got stranger. Andre looked as confused as the audience as Reddick punched the desk, then returned later to declare that he wishes he was LeVar Burton.

These were only one-off events. To see Reddick really let loose, watch him lend his intimidating rep to full effect in the Comedy Central satire “Corporate” as a hilariously psychopathic boss with a spiritually absurd name: Christian DeVille. Although he doesn’t believe in God, he believes in making money for his name.

Paramount+ Streaming

‘Bosch’

After doing “The Wire” and “Fringe” back to back, Reddick was hesitant to play another top cop role. But Irvin Irving in the Amazon crime drama “Bosch” is not just another cop — the Los Angeles chief of police is more of a political animal who loves power games.

Michael Connelly, author of the novels that form the basis of series, tweeted that Reddick was able to deepen a character who was, by the author’s own admission, “paper-thin in the books,” making him “Machiavellian, intriguing and even sympathetic.” Irving is constantly disgruntled and fuming about Bosch (Titus Welliver), a detective who refuses to play by the rules — the chief’s disdain is evident in his posture, in his voice, in everything he does. Reddick is a master at grabbing your attention.

It’s available on Amazon Prime Video

‘John Wick’

Reddick’s most popular film role came late in his career: Charon, the sleek concierge at the Continental Hotel in the “John Wick” movie franchise.

As an employee of a Manhattan establishment that catered to traveling assassins, Charon — named after the ferryman of Hades in Greek mythology — was the soul of discretion. He was particularly sensitive to the needs and desires of John Wick (Keanu Reynolds).

Charon, who is a concierge clerk, moves around the film to be in the middle of the action. (If you need someone to help load a shotgun, he’s your guy.) The fourth, “John Wick: Chapter 4,” arrives in theaters next week.

It’s on Peacock!