David Harris, ‘The Warriors’ Actor Who Played Cochise, Dies at 75

David Harris, the actor known for his role as Cochise in the 1979 cult classic “The Warriors,” has died. He was 75.

Harris died Friday at his home in New York City after a battle with cancer, his daughter Davina Harris told the New York Times.

In “The Warriors,” Harris played Cochise, an integral member of the eponymous red vest-wearing gang. Based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel of the same name, the Walter Hill-directed film follows a New York city gang that is framed for murder and thus decides to travel from the Bronx to Coney Island. Harris’ character Cochise was set apart from the others by his unique choice of fashion style that included on a headband and a big turquoise necklace as a sign of rebellion.

“The Warriors” was critically panned when it was originally released, but eventually attained cult status. “We thought it was a little film that would run its little run and go, and nobody would ever talk about it again,” Harris said in an interview in 2019 with ADAMICradio.

“I was in Hong Kong, I was in the Philippines, I was in Tokyo,” he added. “I’ve done a lot of movies, but I get off the plane and people go, It’s the guy from ‘The Warriors.’”

From the ’80s all the way through the 2000s, Harris worked on multiple films, including “Bubaker” (1980), “Quicksilver” (1980), “A Soldier’s Story” (1984), “Fatal Beauty (1987) and “James White” (2015), among others. He also appeared in TV shows like “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “ER,” “NYPD Blue,” “Mike Hammer: Private Eye” and more.

His breakthrough project was the 1976 Emmy-nominated TV movie “Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys,” where he played Haywood Patterson. The following year, he was cast in the play “Secret Service,” starring Meryl Streep and John Lithgow.

Harris was born in New York City on June 18, 1949. He attended the High School of Performing Arts, where one of his English teachers recommended he join the drama department.

“I fell in love with it,” he said in a 2022 interview with “The Claw’s Corner.” “I said you know what, I think this is my niche.” 

Along with his daughter, Harris is survived by his mother, Maude Marie Harris; a sister, Jeannette C. Harris-Zwerin; brothers Arthur A. Harris and Vincent J. Harris; and two grandchildren.