Thomas Jefferson Byrd, an actor who has appeared in multiple Spike Lee films, has reportedly passed away at the age of 70. Word of Byrd’s death first arrived via Lee’s Instagram on Sunday morning, when Lee revealed that the actor had been murdered in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday night. While Lee did not reveal any details surrounding Byrd’s alleged murder, he quickly paid tribute to the iconic actor, writing that he hopes “we all wish condolences and blessings to his family.”
Byrd was born on June 25, 1950 in Griffin, Georgia. Prior to serving as an actor, Byrd earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Morris Brown College, as well as a Masters of Fine Arts degree in dance from the California Institute of the Arts.
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Byrd’s first onscreen acting role was in a 1992 episode of “In the Heat of the Night”. A few years later, he appeared in his first of many collaborations with Lee, appearing as Errol Barnes in Clockers, and Evan Thomas Sr. on Get on the Bus. In the decades since, Byrd appeared in several other Lee films — as Honeycutt in 2000’s Bamboozled, Deacon Zee in 2012’s Red Hook Summer, Bishop Zee In 2014’s Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, Apollo in 2015’s Chi-Raq, and Stokey Darling in multiple episodes of the She’s Gotta Have It TV series.
Outside of his work with Lee, Byrd also appeared in Set It Off, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Living Single, and The Last O.G. His final role is in the upcoming Civil War drama Freedom’s Path.
Our thoughts are with Byrd’s family, friends, and fans at this time.
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