Charley Scalies, the actor fondly remembered for his tough-talking role as Thomas “Horseface” Pasuka in The Wire, has died at the age of 84. His daughter, Anne Marie, confirmed he passed away Thursday at a nursing home in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Scalies launched his acting career in the 1990s and shared the screen with Hollywood heavyweights such as Al Pacino in Two Bits and Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys. But it was his 2003 turn in the acclaimed second season of HBO’s The Wire that made him a standout. Playing “Horseface,” a dockworker involved in a smuggling ring, Scalies appeared in all 12 episodes of the season, bringing gritty realism and heart to the union storyline.
He also had a memorable guest role in season 5 of The Sopranos, portraying Tony Soprano’s high school football coach. In a surreal dream sequence, the coach confronts Tony, criticizing his descent into the cr1minal world.
Throughout his career, Scalies made appearances on popular series such as Cold Case, Law & Order, and Jersey Girl, among others.
Off-screen, Scalies was a devoted family man, survived by his wife, three children, and many grandchildren.