by Conan Simmons – October 4, 2020 – 6:40 pm
Tragic news today coming out of Atlanta, Georgia. Tony nominated actor, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, who frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, was found dead early Saturday morning from multiple gunshot wounds to the back.
Atlanta police responded to an emergency call at 2250 Belvedere Avenue at approximately 1:45 am Saturday, October 3. Found on the scene, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, 70 years old, shot multiple times in the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is currently underway with details being kept from the public for the time being. No suspect have been named.
Thomas Jefferson Byrd was born in Griffin, Georgia on June 25, 1950. He received a master’s degree in dance from California Institute of the Arts. Focusing primarily on the stage he later made a couple of television appearances, making his feature film debut in Spike Lee’s 1995 joint ‘Clockers’.
Byrd would appear in many more Spike Lee joints from ‘Girl 6’, ‘Bamboozled’, ‘Get on the Bus’ and ‘Chi-Raq’. He also appeared in the Ray Charles biopic ‘Ray’ starring Jamie Foxx.
Thomas Jefferson Byrd earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in 2003′ ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’. He is not a part of the upcoming film adaptation starring Chadwick Boseman.
Thomas Jefferson Byrd’s final film appearance will be in director Brett Smith’s ‘Freedom’s Path’, starring Ewen Bremner and set during the American Civil War.