Leroy Tidd



Leroy Tidd, later known by his Muslim identity Salah Udeen (Arabic: صلاح أودين), was a African American inmate featured in Oz. Portrayed by Jacques Smith.

Life before Oz
In his crime flashback, Tidd is portrayed as a getaway driver, for a petty stick-up artist. He is seen nervously waiting for the stick-up artist to finish the robbery, amidsts loud gunfire. After the robbery is complete, the stick-up artist jumps in the car, and Tidd is seen making a hasty getaway... Too hasty. As he loses concentration and collides with a pursuing police patrol car. His partner gets out of the car and begins shooting at the police, but is gunned down as he tries to flee the scene. Tidd, knowing he was caught, decides to give up peacefully and is arrested on the spot.

In Oz
"Prisoner number 00T255, Leroy Tidd. Convicted May 10, 2000 - Armed robbery, resisting arrest. Sentence: 20 years, up for parole in 12."

Whilst in Oz, Tidd makes friends with another black inmate named, Mondo Browne, he and Mondo quickly become partners in crime. He is first seen in the gym, as he and Mondo shadow Bruno Goergen. He and Mondo decide to confront Goergen, and after Mondo calls Goergen 'white trash'. Goergen plays right into their hand by giving them the racial slur, they were looking for. After the insult by Goergen, Tidd and Browne take turns practicing their punches on Goergen's face. Later, he and Mondo are transfered to Em City to further Adebisi's takeover of the unit. Upon arriving in Em City, Mondo decides to rape Irish inmate, Cyril O'Reily. As Cyril walked by, Tidd tripped him, and Browne attempted to have Cyril give him fellatio, but Cyril fought back, and easily fended off Tidd and Browne as the Correctional Officers arrived to break up the fight. After the attempted rape, Cyril's brother, Ryan, paid a visit to Adebisi about the incident and was pissed. Adebisi ensured O'Reily that it wouldn't happen again, and O'Reily left. Later, Tidd delivered a lunch tray to Death Row inmate, Moses Deyell. Deyell complained about the fact that it was chicken nuggets again, but was told by Tidd, that they had state dietary guidelines to follow. After Browne is killed by Keller and Supreme is framed for it, Tidd is promoted to lieutenant status, to replace Supreme. Later, Tidd grows suspicious of Poet, after he sees him hanging around with Muslim leader, Kareem Said, so he keeps his eye on Poet. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees Poet attempting to steal one of Adebisi's party tapes. He visits Poet when he notices that Poet is high. Poet asked Tidd, how he felt about Browne getting iced, Tidd told him that he didn't feel very good about it, but wanted some of the drugs Poet was shoveling up his nose. As the conversation goes on, Poet revealed Said's plan to have Adebisi taken down. Tidd quickly informs Adebisi about the plan and offers to kill Poet, but is told to wait for the right moment. Later, Said moves into Adebisi's cell and during the night, Adebisi offers up one of his party tapes as a "loyalty test". Said accepts the tape and promptly turns it over to Warden Glynn, who after he sees it, fires Querns and re-enstates McManus to Em City. As McManus returns to Em City, he transfers several black inmates out of the unit, including Tidd. When, Adebisi hears his number called, he goes into his cell, where Said is, to confront him about the transfer. Adebisi accuses Said of betrayal, and attempts to kill him. After a short struggle, Adebisi emerges from the cell, presumably victorious. Only to cough up a good deal of blood, then falls to the floor, revealing the fatal stab wound in his back. With Adebisi dead, Em City returns to normal.

In Part II of Season 4, Tidd is placed in Unit B. He makes a small appearance during Vern Schillinger's interview with the news team and calls Schillinger a pussy. Which ultimately, causes a fight to ensue between him and Aryan inmate, James Robson. Later, Tidd makes an offer to Schillinger to kill Saïd. Originally, Schillinger turns him down, but Tidd convinces him that he could get close to Said. Schillinger then agrees to the hit. In the Library, Tidd approaches Said and begs to him to become a Muslim, but Said, seeing through Tidd's trickery, turns him down. Tidd not wanting to leave empty handed, continues to try to get Said to let him in, but Said continues to refuse. Finally, Said gets angry with Tidd and yells at him to get up and leave. C.O. Johnson comes over to see if everything is okay. Said tells Johnson that Tidd was harassing him, Johnson asked Tidd if he was making trouble, and Tidd tells Johnson that he wasn't. Johnson then tells Tidd to leave. In the Gym, Tidd tries to join the Muslims again by exercising with them, but is turned down, again by Said. Tidd begs again, which angers Said, and causes him to strike Tidd in the face. After he strikes Tidd, Said leaves. Tidd continues his efforts to join Said and the Muslims by staging a false fight scenario with Robson and Hoyt. It works and Arif convinces Said, that Tidd is genuine. Said then welcomes Tidd into the Muslims. During lunch, Robson and Hoyt remind Tidd of his promise to Schillinger and about the money they gave him for the hit on Said. Tidd tells them, that he is waiting for a moment when he and Said are alone to initiate the hit. That moment comes, when he relieves Arif of his guarding duties. Tidd appoarches Said, and is about to strike, but realizes that he really has converted to Islam, and aborts the hit. Tidd is formally welcomed into the group by Said and is given a new name, Salah Udeen, which means 'honoring the faith'. Later in the library, Salah is visited by Hoyt and Robson again. They are angered that Said isn't dead yet and ask Tidd what happened to the deal. Salah tells them, that he thought about it and realized he doesn't want to kill Said anymore, and tells them that his new name is Salah Udeen. Robson insults Tidd's intelligence, and tells Tidd that no one goes back on The Brotherhood. Salah leaves and is told by Robson that it wasn't over. After Tidd changed his mind about Said, Robson gives the hit on Said to a prospect Aryan named, Carl Jenkins. As lunchtime appoarches, Said and the rest of the Muslims are waiting in the lunch line. As Jenkins and Said get closer, Salah notices what Jenkins is going to do, and dives in front of Said taking the knife that was intended to kill Said. Said yells for help, but it's too late for Salah. Later, Arif arrives at Said's cell to break the news to him that Salah had died.