Tony-nominated actor Anthony Chisholm, known for playing Burr Redding in HBO’s Oz, has died at 77.
Chisholm’s talent management company, The Katz Company, confirmed his death earlier today in a post to Instagram.
“Affectionately called ‘Chiz,’ he was an actor and storyteller like none-other, embodying loyalty, devotion, and compassion to his artistry. We lost a great one today.”
A cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Chisholm’s death comes after M&C reported the death of actor Ben Jorgensen, who played Kevin Sheffield on ABC’s All My Children. Friends confirmed that Jorgensen died from suicide at 51.
Singer Johnny Nash, known for his 1970s smash single, I Can See Clearly Now, also passed away earlier in the month at 80.
Nash reportedly died from natural causes.
Tributes pour in from friends and fans
Tributes have been pouring in on social media since Chisholm’s’ management company broke the news of his death earlier today.
Celebs who paid tribute on Twitter included actress Viola Davis, who posted an emotional eulogy.
“Why did I think you would live forever? Love you Anthony… The acting world will miss your wisdom, your immense talent, your generosity,” she tweeted.
Others who tweeted tributes included Wendell Pierce, William Jackson Harper, Nicco Annan, and Aisha Hinds.
Anthony Chisholm bio
Anthony Chisholm was a stage and screen actor.
He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in April 1943.
After serving in the U.S. Army as a platoon leader during the Vietnam War, he launched his acting career.
Chisholm started as a stage actor, appearing in several off-Broadway theater productions, including The Boys from Syracuse and The Threepenny Opera at Cleveland’s Karamu House.
He also appeared on Broadway productions, including multiple August Wilson plays. He played Elder Joseph Barlow in Wilson’s Radio Golf and Wolf in Two Trains Running.
He also appeared in Jitney, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2017.
Chisholm later moved to the screen, appearing in Uptight (1968), Robert Downey Sr.’s Putney Swope, the Spike Lee-directed Chi-Raq (2015), and Jonathan Demme’s psychological horror, Beloved.
He appeared in many TV shows, including High Maintenance, Law and Order: SVU, Random Acts of Flyness, Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga, and HBO’s drama series Oz.
In 2007, Chisholm was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Radio Golf.
He also received other awards, including the Ovation Award, the NAACP Theatre Award, and the AUDELCO Award.
Chisholm is survived by Alexander (son), Che (daughter), son-in-law Peter Vietro-Hannum, and grandchildren Ravi and Avani Vietro.