David Dominic Harris, globally known for his role as Cochise in the 1979 film “The Warriors,” passed away on October 25, 2024, at his residence in New York City, New York. He was 75 years old. His daughter, Davina Harris, verified that cancer was the cause of death.
“The Warriors,” directed by Walter Hill, featured Harris as a uniquely outfitted gang member. Although the film initially received a mixed response, it eventually gained a cult following. It currently holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Harris was born in 1949 in New York City, New York, and developed a love for acting while attending the High School of Performing Arts. In a 2022 interview with “The Claw’s Corner,” he recalled his early career, noting, “I fell in love with it. I said you know what, I think this is my niche.”
His career took off with the 1976 Emmy-nominated TV movie “Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys,” in which he played Haywood Patterson. Before his memorable role in “The Warriors,” Harris took the stage in the 1977 production “Secret Service,” alongside Meryl Streep and John Lithgow.
In a 2019 radio interview, Harris discussed the lasting influence of “The Warriors.” He said, “It wasn’t a typical gang movie. It was futuristic. It was like ‘The Seven Samurai’… It was based on a Greek army that was caught behind enemy lines, and they had to fight their way back all night to get back to their own line — it’s a true story.”
Harris’s acting career spanned more than four decades, with performances in significant films like “Brubaker” (1980), “A Soldier’s Story” (1984), “Purple Hearts” (1984), “Quicksilver” (1986), “Fatal Beauty” (1987), and his last film “James White” (2015). He also made appearances on popular television shows including “MacGyver,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Heat of the Night,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “NYPD Blue,” “ER,” and “Profiler.”
Harris is survived by his mother, Maude Marie, three siblings, and two grandchildren.