There are some actors who you recognize over and over again without ever learning their name. They seem to be in everything you watch, but they never hog the spotlight. They're just there, doing their job quietly. Reg E. Cathey was one such actor. You might struggle with the name, but how about if we mentioned 'The Wire'? Or Freddy Hayes from 'House of Cards'? Do you recognize him now?
Cathey was a distinguished and celebrated actor within his own profession, but truly preferred the stage to the big screen. He'd recently played Red in a stage adaptation of 'The Shawshank Redemption' in London and worked with Oprah Winfrey in 'The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks'. As with many stars on this list, Cathey found himself in a fight with cancer that he couldn't win, and left us in February, aged 59.