Michael K. Williams, ‘The Wire’ Star, Dead at 54
Michael Kenneth Williams, who most viewers will remember as Omar Little in The Wire and Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire, has died at age 54.
Sadly, amazing stars keep leaving us. The NYPD confirmed to Variety and other major entertainment sites that the actor was found deceased in his New York residence earlier today. His death appears to be related to drug abuse, a struggle he’d been open about for years; during the filming of The Wire, he got so deep into the role of Little — who robs drug dealers — that it affected him in real life.
While most folks will remember him from The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, he also landed sizable TV roles in The Night Of and 2020’s Lovecraft Country. Furthermore, his work can be found in many acclaimed films, including Inherent Vice, 12 Years a Slave, Gone Baby Gone, and The Road. He never made a big dent in blockbusters despite his appearance in Assassin’s Creed and landing a major villain role in Solo: A Star Wars Story that had to be reworked once Ron Howard boarded the project mid-production, which caused the actor to drop off due to scheduling issues — he was replaced by Paul Bettany.
Next month, the actor will be seen reprising his role as Kimble ‘Irish’ Graves in Battlefield 2042, the new installment of the long-running FPS franchise — his presence was key in Battlefield 4 (2013), and this entry picks up that storyline 22 years later despite not packing a single-player component. Check out his return in an official short film released last month:
Beyond Battlefield 2042, Michael K. Williams had recently wrapped up in the upcoming series Vital Signs and the yet to be released films Surrounded and 892. He can also be seen in the Netflix animated series F is for Family.
May he rest in peace.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
