Thomas Jefferson Byrd obit

Thomas Jefferson Byrd, actor in Spike Lee films, shot dead in Atlanta

Actor, 70, died of multiple gunshot wounds in the early hours of Sunday

 

He was not on the list.

The actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd, known for his roles in Spike Lee films, has been shot and killed in Atlanta, police have said.

Officers responded to a call at about 1.45am on Saturday and found the 70-year-old unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds in his back, police spokesman Anthony Grant said in a statement.

Paramedics pronounced Byrd dead at the scene on the city’s south-west side, where he lived.

Grant said homicide detectives were working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting and declined to provide further details.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Lee said he was sad to announce Byrd’s death and recalled how the actor “did his thang” in his films including Clockers Chi-Raq, Bamboozled, He Got Game and Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, among others.

“May we all wish condolences and blessings to his family,” Lee wrote. “Rest in peace, Brother Byrd.”

Lee also shared some of his favorite scenes with Byrd from Clockers and Bamboozled.

Byrd, also a stage actor, was nominated in 2003 for a Tony for his performance in the Broadway revival of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, co-starring Whoopi Goldberg and Charles S Dutton.

“Loved working with you Byrd,” the Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis tweeted. “What a fine actor you were. So sorry your life ended this way. Praying for your family.”

Byrd was a “brilliant dancer, actor, and friend”,” Elisabeth Omilami, a fellow actor and community activist, told WXIA-TV in Atlanta. “He was a special person whose personality filled up the whole room when he entered you knew he was there. He fought his way through this very racist and difficult Hollywood system and was able to maintain a career through it all.”

She said Byrd had only recently finished his last film, Freedom’s Path, with her husband, actor Afemo Omilami.


Actor Lori Petty tweeted: “What a man, what a talent … what a crazy loss.”

 

Film 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1995, Clockers, Errol Barnes,  

1996, Girl 6, Caller #18,  

1996, Get on the Bus, Evan Thomas Sr.,  

1996, Set It Off, Luther,  

1997, Touch Me, Country Doctor,  

1998, He Got Game, Sweetness,  

1998, Bulworth, Uncle Rafeeq,  

2000, Trois, Thomas,  

2000, Bamboozled, Honeycutt,  

2001, MacArthur Park, Cody,  

2002, Never Get Outta the Boat, William Ellis,  

2002, The Kudzu Christmas, Reverend Burton,  

2004, X, Y, Marcus,  

2004, Ray, Jimmy,  

2009, Brooklyn's Finest, Uncle Jeb,  

2010, Bronx Paradise, Jimmy,  

2012, Red Hook Summer, Deacon Zee,  

2014, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Bishop Zee,  

2015, Chi-Raq, Apollo,  

2020, Freedom's Path, Abner, Posthumous release; Final film role  

 

Television 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

1992, In the Heat of the Night, Louis Arthur, Episode: "Random's Child"  

1993, I'll Fly Away: Then and Now, Panhandler, TV movie  

1997, Living Single, Mr. Leon, Episode: "Moonlight Savings Time"  

1998, Mama Flora's Family, Flora's Pa, 2 episodes  

1999, Passing Glory, , TV movie  

2001, Boycott, Raymond Parks, TV movie  

2004, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Curtis Romney, Episode: "Mad Hops"  

2005, Lackawanna Blues, Numb Finger Pete, TV movie  

2017–19, She's Gotta Have It, Stokely Darling, 10 episodes  

2020, The Last O.G., Jimmy, Episode: "Family Feud"  

 

Theatre 

Year , Title , Role , Notes  

2003 , Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , Levee , Won Theatre World Award 
Nominated for Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play