Robert F. Chew

Robert F. Chew is an American actor from Baltimore, Maryland. He starred in the HBO television drama series The Wire as manipulative drug kingpin Proposition Joe on all five seasons of the show. The role has drawn acclaim for Chew both for his ability to handle the character's verbose, Dickensian dialogue and the sympathy he draws while playing a "bad guy." Chew recalls 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...