David Harris, star of 70s cult classic The Warriors, dies aged 75
Date: 2024-10-27
Veteran actor David Harris, star of the 1979 cult classic The Warriors has died of cancer at the age of 75.
Harris is best known for playing stylish gang member Cochise in the iconic New York-set movie.
His daughter confirmed the news of his death to The New York Times.
Based on the 1965 novel of the same name, Walter Hill’s film followed a street gang as they attempted to survive a perilous journey from the Bronx to Coney Island after being framed for murder.
As one of the gang’s most visually distinctive members, Cochise partnered his red leather waistcoat with a large afro and colourful headband.
Years later, Harris reprised the role in 2005, voicing Cochise in the Rockstar video game version of the film.
Outside of The Warriors, Harris appeared in film and television throughout the 1980s to early 2000s, including episodes of NYPD Blue and Law & Order.
Harris’s first major screen role came in the 1976 television film Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys, an Emmy-award winning drama about nine Black men who are imprisoned after being falsely accused of rape.
The actor then starred opposite John Lithgow and Meryl Streep in the 1977 play Secret Service.
It was in 1979 that the star teamed with director Walter Hill to create his most famous role, gang member Cochise. This cult favourite followed an innocent street gang – the titular Warriors – as they attempted to evade rival crews in perilous New York.
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‘I was in Hong Kong, I was in the Philippines, I was in Tokyo. I’ve done a lot of movies, but I get off the plane and people go, It’s the guy from The Warriors,’ the actor recalled in a 2019 interview with pop culture website ADAMICradio.
Harris would go on to reprise the role years later, in the video game adaptation.spin-off of the same name – still retaining the iconic look which made him stand out from his brothers.
In the years since the film’s release, Harris and other members of the cast would appear at fan events and comic book conventions to pay tribute to their characters.
He went on to appear opposite Robert Redford in the film Brubaker the year after The Warriors’ release, and continued to keep busy throughout the 1980s, appearing in episodes of Hill Street Blues, MacGyver and The Equalizer.
Through the early 2000s, the actor remained a mainstay of American television, popping up in episodes of Elementary, ER and Law & Order – plus its spin off, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The actor is survived by his mother, three siblings and two grandchildren.
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