Actor From ‘Chicago’ Shows and ‘Prison Break’ Dies Unexpectedly: Matt DeCaro Was 70

An actor from the One Chicago franchise has died.

Matt DeCaro, also known from Prison Break, passed away unexpectedly early on Saturday. He was 70.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Goodman Theatre was forced to cancel the Saturday matinee of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom due to DeCaro’s death. The show went on Saturday night in his honor, with Scott Aiello playing the late actor’s role of Sturdyvant. His death came hours after appearing as scheduled at Friday night’s performance. DeCaro’s agent at Stewart Talent, Jim McCaffrey, said that while the cause of death has not been determined, it was from natural causes.

“He was the loveliest guy in the world,” said McCaffrey. “He always made everything fun, even when the business was not fun. He also had a deep appreciation for other artists and helped them with their careers. He just cared very deeply for this art form and the people who do it.”

DeCaro has a decades-long career as a long-standing Chicago actor, with stage credits including Robert Falls’ Goodman Theatre production of The Cherry Orchard, as well as Rebecca Gilman’s 1999 play Spinning into Butter. His performance in Men of Tortuga in 2005 at the Steppenwolf Theatre was named one of the Tribune’s top performances of the year, while his work in Drury Lane’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof won him a Jeff Award in 2018. Additional stage credits include Winston Churchill in Drury Lane’s The Audience in 2024 and Doc in the Marriott Theatre’s 2022 production of West Side Story.

On-screen, DeCaro appeared as Officer Delaney in three episodes of Chicago P.D. between 2014 and 2021, as well as an episode of Chicago Fire in 2015. He is best known for his recurring role as Corrections Officer Roy Geary in the first two seasons of Prison Break from 2005 to 2006. He can also be seen in Howard Beach: Making a Case for Murder, Goodnight Sweet Wife: A Murder in Boston, Richie Rich, U.S. Marshals, Mr. 3000, Cop Show, Eli Stone, Eagle Eye, and The Wise Kids.

He’s also appeared in singular episodes of Boss, The Chicago Code, Detroit 1-8-7, The Beast, House, Boston Legal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NCIS, The Office, 24, NYPD Blue, Cold Case, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: SVU, Turks, Cupid, and ER. DeCaro’s final on-screen credit was in the Disney Channel Original Movie Christmas…Again?! in 2021.