Richard DeAngelis passed away the other day. Known as Col. Raymond Foerster on “The Wire,” DeAngelis died from congestive heart failure on December 28, 2005. He may not have been a household name, but like everyone else on “The Wire,’ the man was a killer actor. Even more impressive is the fact that up until he was 38 years old, he was an accountant.

DeAngelis was born in Boston and served in the navy during the Korean War. After leaving the service, he earned a degree in accounting and worked as an accountant for 14 years. Then, at age 38, he reinvented himself.

“One day he just realized, sitting at his desk, waiting for the day to end, that he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, ” his son, Richard Michael DeAngelis, told the Baltimore Sun.

The former accountant quit smoking, went to acting school and became a vegetarian. Eventually, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Maryland’s theatre arts program in 1983.

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