David Harris, the actor best known for his role as Cochise in the classic film “The Warriors,” died in 1979. He was 75 years old.
His daughter, Davina Harris, told the New York Times that Harris died on Friday at his home in New York City after a battle with cancer.
In The Warriors, Harris played Cochise, a key member of the gang wearing the red jackets. Based on Saul Jurick’s 1965 novel of the same name, the Walter Hill-directed film follows a New York City mobster who is framed for murder and thus decides to travel from the Bronx to Coney Island. Harris’ character Cochise was set apart from others by his unique choice of fashion style that included a large turquoise headband and necklace as a sign of rebellion.
“The Warriors” was heavily panned when it was originally released, but eventually achieved cult status. “We thought it would be a little movie that would last a little while and take off, and no one would ever talk about it again,” Harris said in a 2019 interview with ADAMICradio.
He added: “I was in Hong Kong, I was in the Philippines, and 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.’
From the 1980s to the 2000s, Harris worked in multiple films, including “Bubaker” (1980), “Quicksilver” (1980), “A Soldier’s Story” (1984), and “Fatal Beauty” ( 1987) and “James”. “White” (2015), among others. He also appeared in TV shows like “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “ER,” “NYPD Blue,” “Mike Hammer: Private Eye” and more.
His breakout project was the 1976 Emmy Award-nominated television movie Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys, in which he played Haywood Patterson. The following year, he participated in the play Secret Service, starring Meryl Streep and John Lithgow.
Harris was born in New York City on June 18, 1949. He attended the High School of Performing Arts where an English teacher recommended he join the drama department.
“I fell in love with it,” he said in a 2022 interview with “The Claw’s Corner.” “You said you know what, I think this is my place.”
Harris is survived by his daughter, his mother, Maud Mary Harris. sister, Janet C. Harris Zweren; Brothers Arthur A. Harris and Vincent J. Harris; and two grandchildren.