Michael K. Williams

Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–2014).

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, to an African-American father from South Carolina and a Bahamian mother, Williams enrolled at the National Black Theater. He left school early to pursue a career as a dancer, which resulted in his working with Kym Sims, George Michael, and Madonna, and found work choreographing music videos. His distinctive voice, prominent facial scar, and charisma helped him obtain acting work, initially alongside Tupac Shakur in the 1996 film ''Bullet'' before being cast in ''The Wire'' in 2002.

Williams earned five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performances in the HBO television biopic ''Bessie'' (2015), the Netflix drama series ''When They See Us'' (2019), and the HBO crime series ''The Night Of'' (2016) and the HBO supernatural series ''Lovecraft Country'' (2020). He had a recurring role in the NBC sitcom ''Community'' from 2011 to 2012. He also had supporting roles in a number of films including ''Gone Baby Gone'' (2007), ''The Road'' (2009), ''Inherent Vice'' (2014), and ''Motherless Brooklyn'' (2019), as well as starring roles in ''12 Years a Slave'' (2013), ''Robocop'' (2014), ''The Purge: Anarchy'' (2014), ''The Gambler'' (2014), ''Triple 9'' (2016), ''Ghostbusters'' (2016), and ''Assassin's Creed'' (2016).

During his career he acknowledged struggles with fame throughout his life, admitting that he had suffered from drug addictions during the height of his success. He continued to live in Brooklyn until his death in 2021 at age 54, after using heroin laced with a lethal amount of fentanyl. Four men were charged in the aftermath of his death with various crimes, including manslaughter. Provided by Wikipedia