Robert F. Chew From ‘The Wire’ Has Died At 52
Best known for playing the down to earth drug dealer “Proposition Joe” on The Wire, actor Robert F. Chew was found dead in his home in Northeast Baltimore on Thursday. According to The Baltimore Sun, Robert died of heart failure. The news was broken by his sister, Clarice Chew.
Aside from his work on TV, Chew was a mentor and a teacher to many young children and adult actors at the Baltimore Player’s Arena, where he stayed even as he got steady acting work.
“Robert was not only an exceptional actor, he was an essential part of the film and theater community in Baltimore,” David Simon, creator of The Wire, said in an email to The Baltimore Sun on Friday.
“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. He understood so much about his craft that it was no surprise at all that we would go to him to coach our young actors in season four. He was the conduit through which they internalized their remarkable performances.”
Though Robert played a drug dealer on television, he was a highly respected member of his community, and never lost sight of who he was as he experienced success.
Robert even went as far as to help his students at the Baltimore Player’s Arena land small parts on the show whenever he could.
His funeral will be held next Thursday at the Calvin-Scruggs Funeral Home in Baltimore, MD.
Rest in peace Robert…
Ashton Tyler | Elite.
