Actor David Harris, who is best known for starring in the 1979 New York City classic The Warriors, has died. He was 75 years old.
His daughter, Davina Harris, confirmed to The New York Times he passed away from cancer in his New York City home.
Harris starred in The Warriors as Cochise, a member of a gang that travels across New York City to make it back to the safety of Coney Island after they get framed for the murder of a top gang leader in the Bronx. But their night-long quest turns into a fight for their lives as they narrowly escape the vengeful gangs of New York City.
Harris starred in several projects since getting his start in acting in 1976. But The Warriors, which was critically panned when it premiered in 1979, remains his most well-known film.
“We thought it was a little film that would run its little run and go, and nobody would ever talk about it again,” he said in a 2019 interview with ADAMICradio.
“I was in Hong Kong, I was in the Philippines, I was in Tokyo,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of movies, but I get off the plane and people go, it’s the guy from The Warriors.”
Harris’ first acting role was in the Emmy nominated 1976 movie Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys, about a group of Black men falsely accused of rape.
Thus began a decades-long career with appearances and performances in MacGuyver, The Equalizer, A Soldier’s Story, ER, and more. He also had a regular role on NYPD Blue between 1993 and 2002.
His final credited acting role was in 2019 in an episode of the BET+ contemporary reboot of First Wives Club.
The actor was remembered by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who recently released a concept album based on The Warriors.
“Shocked and saddened at the passing of David Harris, aka the original Cochise in The Warriors. We were celebrating and giving him his flowers for his unforgettable performance just over a week ago. Grateful for that moment with him. Our hearts are with his daughter and galaxy of family and friends,” Miranda wrote on social media.
Harris is survived by his daughter, his mother Maude Marie Harris, and his siblings, Jeannette C. Harris-Zwerin, Arthur A. Harris and Vincent J. Harris.