Al Brown, who portrayed Stan Valchek, the eventual police commissioner for the Baltimore Police Department in David Simon’s The Wire, died Friday. He was 83.

His character recurred in all five seasons of The Wire, which aired from 2002-2008 on HBO. The critically acclaimed crime drama explored the relationship between various Baltimore institutions and city law enforcement.

Every season focused on a different institution: the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and print news.

Brown appeared most prominently in the second season which focused on the city’s ports. His character suspected corruption and drug smuggling amongst dock workers at the ports.

From 2002-08, Brown appeared in 20 episodes of the HBO hit in a recurring role as the commander of the Baltimore Police Department in charge of the Southeastern district.

He would eventually rise in rank to police commissioner through the same dealings that had not earned him any friends by the end of the show’s fifth and final season.

His daughter Jenny told TMZ that before starting his acting career in the ’90s, Brown served in the U.S. Air Force for two tours in Vietnam.

The actor began his career in the ’90s. He appeared in shows such as Rescue Me, Law & Order: SVU, Commander in Chief, Maron, The Hustler and a 2004 TV movie titled Something the Lord Made, among others.