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IMDbPro

Reg E. Cathey(1958-2018)

  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Reg E. Cathey at an event for The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015)
Set over the course of a single night in 1959, 'Flock of Four' follows four teens from Pasadena as they journey to Central Avenue, Los Angeles on a quest to find a legendary jazz performer.
Play trailer1:54
Flock of Four (2017)
15 Videos
12 Photos
Born into a military family in Huntsville, Alabama -- his father was an army vet who had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, while his mother held a somewhat mysterious job in the Department of Defence -- Reg E. Cathey spent much of his early childhood living on a rural farmhouse in Germany. There, he watched American TV shows dubbed into German and first became theatre-struck at the age of nine after attending a USO performance of "Guys and Dolls". That same year, he also took up playing the saxophone. That he became an actor and not a jazz musician was happenstance, but, as he once admitted "he was no Lester Young". An incisive and eloquent personality with a uniquely expressive baritone voice, Cathey was to bring a soulful dignity and often unexpected sense of humour to a wide variety of roles on both stage and screen.

Cathey attended the University of Michigan and later studied acting at the Yale School of Drama. The theatre remained his lifelong passion and New York his preferred place of residence. As he later explained: "I learned how to act at Yale but learned how to be an actor in NYC. I escaped wandering lost in the desert that is Los Angeles after a decade (which I'll never get back) and being psychically traumatized, I didn't audition for film and television, immersing myself in the 'Classics.'" And so, Cathey went on to tackle diverse (non-stereotypical) roles, ranging from Prospero in a musical version of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' to 'Red' Redding in a British production of 'The Shawshank Redemption' (a part made famous by Morgan Freeman in the film version).

Though performing more often than not in New York, Cathey did ultimately return to Hollywood. His formidable screen characters have often been marked by a uniquely erudite fierceness. They have included powerful authority figures, scientists and occasional villains in films (The Mask (1994), Tank Girl (1995), Se7en (1995), Fantastic Four (2015)) and shows like The Wire (2002), Outcast (2016) and House of Cards (2013) (his recurring role as Freddy Hayes, owner of Frank Underwood's favourite BBQ joint and secret hangout, which won him an Emmy Award in 2015 as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series). In keeping with his credo that "the dark stuff is fun", he also proved excellent value as a shadowy keeper of secrets ('The Caretaker') in an episode of The Blacklist (2013) and as the top-hatted zombie master Baron Samedi, in an episode of Grimm (2011). One of his most poignant roles came near the end as the estranged father of Luke Cage (2016). Not long after, Reg E. Cathey passed away as a result of lung cancer in February 2018 at the untimely age of just 59, never having had the chance of fulfilling his longstanding ambition to play a baritone saxophonist.
BornAugust 18, 1958
DiedFebruary 9, 2018(59)
BornAugust 18, 1958
DiedFebruary 9, 2018(59)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 1 win & 10 nominations total

Photos12

Reg E. Cathey in House of Cards (2013)
Kevin Spacey and Reg E. Cathey in House of Cards (2013)
Reg E. Cathey in House of Cards (2013)
Reg E. Cathey in Lights Out (2011)
Jonathan Silverman, Tim Meadows, Gerry Bamman, Reg E. Cathey, Frankie Faison, Jenifer Lewis, Carl Wright, Eve, Rita Owens, Quran Pender, and Kevin Phillips in The Cookout (2004)
Reg E. Cathey at an event for Outcast (2016)
Reg E. Cathey at an event for The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015)
Reg E. Cathey at an event for The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (2015)
Reg E. Cathey at an event for 2015 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2015)
Reg E. Cathey at an event for House of Cards (2013)
Ron Butler and Reg E. Cathey at an event for Everyday People (2004)

Known for

Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Miles Teller in Fantastic Four (2015)
Fantastic Four
4.3
  • Dr. Franklin Storm
  • 2015
Jim Carrey in The Mask (1994)
The Mask
6.9
  • Freeze(as Reginald E. Cathey)
  • 1994
Lori Petty in Tank Girl (1995)
Tank Girl
5.3
  • Deetee
  • 1995
S.W.A.T. (2003)
S.W.A.T.
6.0
  • Lt. Greg Velasquez(as Reginald E. Cathey)
  • 2003

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (2017)
    Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure
    • Captain Quaid (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Mike Colter in Luke Cage (2016)
    Luke Cage
    • James Lucas
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu in Elementary (2012)
    Elementary
    • Mr. Clay
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Tyrel (2018)
    Tyrel
    • Reggie
    • 2018
  • Flock of Four (2017)
    Flock of Four
    • Pope Dixon
    • 2017
  • Outcast (2016)
    Outcast
    • Chief Giles
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2017
  • Oprah Winfrey in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
    • Zakariyya
    • TV Movie
    • 2017
  • Hands of Stone (2016)
    Hands of Stone
    • Don King (uncredited)
    • 2016
  • Amy Schumer in Inside Amy Schumer (2013)
    Inside Amy Schumer
    • Adviser
    • Congressman #2
    • TV Series
    • 2016
  • Horace and Pete (2016)
    Horace and Pete
    • Harold
    • TV Mini Series
    • 2016
  • Kevin Spacey in House of Cards (2013)
    House of Cards
    • Freddy
    • TV Series
    • 2013–2016
  • The Blacklist (2013)
    The Blacklist
    • The Caretaker
    • TV Series
    • 2016
  • Jon Glaser in Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter (2015)
    Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter
    • Dad
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Miles Teller in Fantastic Four (2015)
    Fantastic Four
    • Dr. Franklin Storm
    • 2015
  • Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife (2009)
    The Good Wife
    • Judge Aaron Coleman
    • TV Series
    • 2015

Additional Crew

  • Morphed (2009)
    Morphed
    • narrator
    • TV Series
    • 2009

Producer

  • Sweet Kandy
    • associate producer
    • 2015

Videos15

Hands of Stone
Clip 1:07
Hands of Stone
Season 2 Trailer
Trailer 1:01
Season 2 Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:54
Official Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 2:32
Theatrical Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 2:38
Theatrical Trailer
Official Teaser
Trailer 1:55
Official Teaser
Nasty Baby
Trailer 2:06
Nasty Baby
The Mask
Trailer 1:57
The Mask
Eyes of a Witness
Trailer 1:20
Eyes of a Witness
Outcast: Season 2
Trailer 1:06
Outcast: Season 2
Outcast
Trailer 1:22
Outcast
Outcast: Season 1
Trailer 0:55
Outcast: Season 1

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Reg Carthy
  • Height
    • 6′ 0½″ (1.84 m)
  • Born
    • August 18, 1958
    • Huntsville, Alabama, USA
  • Died
    • February 9, 2018
    • New York, USA(cancer)
  • Parents
      Maureen Davis Cathey
  • Relatives
    • Donza Cathey Friende(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Appearing as Crito in "Talk" off-Broadway
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Attended the University of Michigan and the Yale School of Drama, where he studied theatre.
  • Trademarks
      Deep gravelly yet growling voice

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