Table of Biography
Michael K. Williams is a late American actor. Michael K. Williams is known for portraying the role of Omar Little in the 2002 HBO drama series, “The Wire.”
Early Life
Born as Michael Kenneth Williams, better known as Michael K. Williams. He was born on the 22nd of November 1966, in Brooklyn, New York City, the United States of America. At the time he died, he was 54 years old and held American nationality. He belongs to the African-American ethnicity and practices the Christian religion. According to his date of birth, he has a zodiac sign of Sagittarius.
Caption: Michael K. Williams’s old photo with his mother (Source: Air Mail)
He was born to his father Booker, T. Williams, and his mother, Paula Williams. As a child, he grew up in the Vanderveer Projects in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was raised in a rough and hazardous neighborhood. Further, he was in bad company as a teenager, but that all changed when she discovered the performing arts.
Education
Moving on to his academics, he attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School. Later, he went to the National Black Theatre in New York City. He was molested as a child, which left him emotionally scarred and resulted in troubled teenage years. Moreover, he had low self-esteem and frequently sought assistance and consolation from the church.
Michael K. Williams – Death
Williams was found dead in his New York apartment on 6th September 2021. According to law enforcement sources in the United States, he died of a suspected drug overdose. This has not been confirmed officially. According to New York Police Department spokesman John Grimpel, officers responded to Williams’ Brooklyn apartment at 14:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday after receiving an emergency call.
Professional Creer
Initially, Michael K. Williams worked at a pharmaceutical company at quite an early age to support his family. He later left the job after a short time to pursue his dance career. Moreover, he worked as a background dancer for singer Kym Sims and choreographed Crystal Waters’ “100% Pure Love” in the year 1994.
One of his first acting roles was as High Top in the 1996 film “Bullet,” alongside Tupac Shakur, and he also served as an American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador to the Campaign for Smart Justice. He rose to prominence after appearing in the 2002 HBO drama series “The Wire” playing the role of Omar Little.
Caption: The poster 2002 HBO drama series, The Wire (Source: Twitter)
Later, while playing Omar Little, Williams adopted his character’s name and developed a cannabis habit as well as a cocaine addiction in 2004. He also appeared in J. J. Abrams’ “Alias,” as well as “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Boston Legal,” “The Sopranos,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Human Giant,” and “Third Watch.”
Later Career
Williams appeared as a recurring guest star Q, a police sniper in “The Kill Point,” and as Devin Amronklin, a Boston-area detective in the 2007 film “Gone, Baby, Gone.” He starred as Teddy in Chris Rock’s film “I Think I Love My Wife,” as well as The Thief in the 2009 film “The Road.”
He starred as Albert “Chalky” White, the leader of Atlantic City’s black community, in HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” for five seasons (2010-2014). On July 23, 2011, “Community” creator Dan Harmon revealed that Williams would appear in “at least three episodes” of the sitcom’s third season. On May 16, 2012, he announced that he was an executive producer of the independent film “Snow on the Bluff,” his first film under his company, Freedom Productions.
Williams also revealed in 2014 that he would be starring in the film “Dirty Whiteboy” as rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard (ODB) from the Wu-Tang Clan. He was cast in SundanceTV’s “Hap and Leonard” on March 9, 2015, after which he began working with Vice News, hosting a VICELAND program titled “Black Market” in 2016.
Moreover, he was cast as Dryden Vos, a crime lord, in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” but he was unable to return for re-shoots due to scheduling conflicts with “The Red Sea Diving Resort.” Further, he also appears in the 2020 season of HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” as Montrose Freeman.
Awards
Throughout his career as an actor, William has won several awards and recognitions. This actor has received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “Boardwalk Empire” (2014, 2015), and Lovecraft Country (2021). Moreover, he also won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in “Lovecraft Country.” Along with the cast of “Inherent Vice” (2014), he received the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award. Similarly, he has been nominated for Emmy Awards five times.
Michael K. Williams – Net Worth 2024
At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated at around $5 million. Williams had gained a considerable amount of money from his profession as his major source of income was from his acting career.
Relationship Status
Michael K. Williams was an unmarried man who died without having been married. The actor kept his personal life private, but because of his portrayal of certain characters on-screen, many fans wondered if he was gay. He did not identify as gay, despite playing many homosexual characters. Furthermore, he has a history of dating women, including a widely-known relationship with Tasha Smith. Michael is the father of one son, Elijah. This actor was straight in terms of sexual orientation.
Michael K. Williams – Body Measurement
Caption: Michael K. Williams attending an award function (Source: The Blast)
Williams stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.80 m) and weighs around 80 kg (176 lbs). He has brown hair with a pair of brown eyes color. His body measurement measures 38-12-32 inches and has a shoe size of 9 US.
Social Media
This American actor is no longer alive in this world. But, when he was alive, he was active on Instagram and Twitter. Currently on his Instagram page ‘@bkbmg’ there are over 680k followers and over 145.2k followers on his Twitter ‘@BKBMG.’