All Articles Tagged "david simon"
He Will Be Missed: ‘The Wire’ Actor Robert Chew Dead At Age 52
Fans of The Wire are undoubtedly sad about this.
Actor Robert Chew, best known for his role as Proposition Joe (or Prop Joe, for short), was found dead in his Baltimore home on Thursday, according to The Baltimore Sun. He was 52 years old.
His sister Clarice told the newspaper he died of heart failure.
As word quickly spread of his passing, former cast members of The Wire extended their condolences. Actor Michael K. Williams, who played Omar in the series, tweeted, “RIP to the talented Mr. Robert Chew.
Actor Jamie Hector tweeted, “I don’t want to believe this #RIP Robert F. Chew. Prop Joe will always be remembered Robert Chew will always be loved and missed.” Fans of the show will remember that Hector’s character Marlo Stanfield was responsible for the death of Prop Joe on The Wire.
Creator David Simon sang Chew’s praises, saying:
“Robert was not only an exceptional actor, he was an essential part of the film and theater community in Baltimore. He could have gone to New York or Los Angeles and commanded a lot more work, but he loved the city as his home and chose to remain here working. And apart from that, he was a fine and generous man.”
Born and raised in Baltimore, Chew was a teacher and mentor at Baltimore’s Arena Players. He was responsible for having the series hire 22 young actors for season four of The Wire, which was known for its focus on the Baltimore school system.
Chew was not married and had no children. He is survived by his mother and three sisters.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Where Are They Now? Our Favorite Good and Bad Guys From “The Wire”
Source: bearlyrambling.blogspot.com
Back in the day, I used to hear people talk about “The Wire” the way they talk about “Roots” in that it was must-see television that would blow your mind and change your way of thinking. Of course, at that time, I thought folks were just being over-the-top with their adoration of the show, but that was until I decided to invest about two months of my life to watch the entire five seasons. And yes, my mind was blown. As crazy and good as the storylines were, it was the characters who had me engrossed. If you were a fan, I’m sure you would agree, and you probably also want to know where the hell all these talented individuals went to and what they’ve done with their lives since. We can’t tell you where they ALL are, why, that would take forever AND a day. But we can play “Where’s Waldo?” with some of our favorite characters and faces. Per the usual, be ready to click.
Creator of The Wire Speaks On Snoop’s Arrest and Limitations of Entertainment Industry
(Slate) — Earlier today, The Wire actress Felicia “Snoop” Pearson was arrested as part of a large-scale drug raid in Baltimore and surrounding counties. Slate asked David Simon, creator and executive producer of The Wire (and currently in production on Treme), for comment. He offered this statement, provided to Slate through an HBO spokesperson.
First of all, Felicia’s entitled to the presumption of innocence. And I would note that a previous, but recent drug arrest that targeted her was later found to be unwarranted and the charges were dropped. Nonetheless, I’m certainly sad at the news today. This young lady has, from her earliest moments, had one of the hardest lives imaginable. And whatever good fortune came from her role in The Wire seems, in retrospect, limited to that project. She worked hard as an actor and was entirely professional, but the entertainment industry as a whole does not offer a great many roles for those who can portray people from the other America. There are, in fact, relatively few stories told about the other America.
David Simon: ‘The Wire’ Has Nothing to Apologize for
(Baltimore Sun) — It is my understanding that Commissioner Bealefeld — by finally choosing to emphasize the quality rather than the quantity of arrests — has been able to reduce the homicide rate somewhat in our city. If true, this is not only commendable, it is a long time coming. Too long, in fact. Interestingly, the newspaper that covered his department began making the argument to do exactly that as early as 1994, in a series of articles entitled “Crisis In Blue” that carefully articulated the disconnect between the Baltimore department’s aggressive street-level prosecution of the drug war and the root causes of violence in the city.
