David Harris, Actor in Cult Classic 'The Warriors,' Dies

David Harris, known for his portrayal of gang member Cochise in the 1979 cult classic film "The Warriors," has died at age 75. 

The actor's daughter, Davina Harris, confirmed the news to The New York Times, saying he died from cancer. 

Harris, born in New York City on June 18, 1949, attended the High School of Performing Arts, but he was uncertain about his career path, as he revealed in a 2022 interview.

"I didn't know what I wanted to do, I was always the jokester," he said during an appearance on "The Claw's Corner." "I fell in love with it," he added. "I said, 'You know what? I think this is my niche.'"

He later attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and landed his major TV film role in 1976's "Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys," which went on to earn nominations for two Emmy Awards. The following year, Harris was cast alongside Meryl Streep and John Lithgow in the play "Secret Service."

"I was onstage with giants," he said on "The Claw's Corner." "I was so scared and so nervous that I got cast. But they took me under their wing."

Harris' career pivoted when he landed the role of Cochise, a gang member with his token headband and turquoise necklaces. At the time, he had just returned to New York after performing in a Minneapolis play when his agent connected him with Walter Hill, who directed "The Warriors."

"We thought it was a little film that would run its little run and go, and nobody would ever talk about it again," Harris said in an interview in 2019 with ADAMICradio. "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."'"

Years later, in 2024, "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer Prize finalist and playwright Eisa Davis, created a new Broadway musical version of "The Warriors" which has taken on the form of a concept album.

It narrates the story of "The Warriors" through a mix of musical styles, including hip hop, rock, ska, and salsa. It features a diverse lineup of performers, such as Lauryn Hill, Nas, Ghostface Killah, and Billy Porter, along with Broadway stars like Phillipa Soo, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Amber Gray, NPR reported.

Currently, there are no plans for "The Warriors" to come to Broadway, but Miranda and Davis would "love to see a stage adaptation of this down the road."

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