Robert F. Chew

Robert Frederick Chew (December 28, 1960 – January 17, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying drug kingpin Proposition Joe on the HBO drama series The Wire. 2Filmography 1997 Homicide: Life on the Streets as Wilkie Collins Minor character 2 episodes TV Show 2000 The Corner as Shoe Salesman Minor character 1 episode TV Mini Series 2002-2008 The Wire as Joseph' Prosposition Joe' Stewart Primarily Antagonist 25 episodes 2004 Something the Lord Made as Janitor Minor character TV Movie 2011 MadMan? The Hassan Brooks Story as Psychiatrist Protagonist Short Film 2014 Jamesy Boy as Manager Titular Character Movie Final Role 2Career Chew starred in the HBO drama series The Wire as drug kingpin Proposition Joe on all five seasons of the show. The role had drawn acclaim for Chew both for his ability to handle the character's verbose dialogue and the sympathy he drew while playing a "bad guy." Chew recalled that when he auditioned, the other actors were all well groomed, well dressed and thinner than he was. He later learned that the real-life inspiration for the character was a charming and debonair drug dealer so he was surprised to have received the role. He was initially unsure as to how long the character would remain in the series and so he was pleased to be one of the few characters from the drug world who appeared in all five seasons. Chew also appeared on HBO's The Corner (created by David Simon, as was The Wire) and NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street (based on a book by Simon). He received all three roles through the Pat Moran casting agency. Simon has described Chew as a "smart, elegant actor" and stated that he has one of the most authentic Baltimore accents on the sho