Sean Whitesell (March 11, 1963 – December 28, 2015) was an American film and television actor, writer and producer.

Early life and education

Whitesell was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa,Variety Magazine: "Sean Whitesell, Producer for ‘Oz,’ ‘House,’ ‘The Killing,’ Dies at 52" by Carmel Dagan
December 31, 2015Times of India: "'Oz' producer Sean Whitesell dead at 52"
January 1, 2016Deadline: "Sean Whitesell Dies: Television Writer-Producer And Brother Of WME’s Patrick Whitesell Was 52" by Ross A. Lincoln
December 31, 2015 the son of Patricia and John Patrick "Jack" Whitesell.
Mar 12, 2001 He had five brothers: John II,

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, Thomas, Patrick, and James.The Wrap: "Sean Whitesell, TV Writer and Brother of WME’s Patrick Whitesell, Dead at 52" by Jeff Sneider
December 31, 2015 He graduated from the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

and then studied acting at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

, where he received an MFA in acting.

Career

Whitesell is best known for his portrayal of cannibalistic inmate

Donald Groves The characters of '' Oz'', fictional characters on the television series about prison life, are a diverse mixture of inmates from various gangs and prison staff. Cast timeline : Main cast ("Starring" in opening credits) : Secondary cast (" ...

, the initial cellmate of Miguel Alvarez (

Kirk Acevedo Kirkland M. Acevedo (born November 27, 1971) is an American actor best known as Miguel Alvarez in '' Oz'', Joe Toye in '' Band of Brothers'', and FBI Agent Charlie Francis on '' Fringe''. His best-known films are '' The Thin Red Line'', '' D ...

), in season one of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' Oz'', on which he was a regular until his character's execution. In 2002, Whitesell returned to the show, but not to act; he wrote and produced several episodes in the show's later seasons. Whitesell acted almost exclusively in television, aside from some early minor film roles, such as in '' Calendar Girl'' opposite Jason Priestley. He also served as both a writer and a recurring guest actor on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', in addition to appearing in the television movie that concluded the series in 2000. Although Whitesell did no further acting after the end of ''Homicide'' ended, he was a producer for most of the fourth season of ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'', and also wrote one episode, "Ugly". He also produced and wrote for several other successful series, including '' The Black Donnellys'', ''

Boston Public ''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...

'' and ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

''.

Personal life

Whitesell was married to KTTV weather anchor and morning meteorologist Maria Quiban Whitesell; they had one son, Gus. Whitesell died on December 28, 2015, in Los Angeles from glioblastoma multiforme, aged 52. Services were held at Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitesell, Sean 1963 births 2015 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Television writers from California American male television writers Television producers from California University of California, San Diego alumni People from Iowa Falls, Iowa Male actors from Iowa Deaths from brain cancer in California Deaths from glioblastoma 20th-century American male actors Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Screenwriters from Iowa Whitesell family