Michael K. Williams
Michael K. Williams
Michael Kenneth Williamsis an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire and Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. He was also acclaimed for his role as Jack Gee, husband of Bessie Smith, in the HBO telefilm biopic, Bessie...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActor
Date of Birth22 November 1966
CountryUnited States of America
jobs character paper
My job is to bring to life the character, not to put the words on the paper.
strong growing-up italian
My childhood was pretty colorful; I like to use the word turbulent. But it was a great time to grow up, the '70s and '80s in Brooklyn, East Flatbush. It was culturally diverse: You had Italian culture, American culture, the Caribbean West Indian culture, the Hasidic Jewish culture. Everything was kind of like right there in your face. A lot of violence, you know, especially toward the '80s the neighborhood got really violent, but it made me who I am, it made me strong.
running kings party
My dancing came about as a way to be cool, actually. I knew early on that I was not a street kid. I didn't have the moxie, what it took to run the streets with the dudes that I grew up wanting to emulate. But I had a huge need to be accepted, so I found that I could be the party king. I did drugs really well, and I partied really well.
dark who-i-am brooklyn
I am a dark-skinned, nappy-headed, scar-faced dude from the streets of Brooklyn. I can't hide from being who I am. It's all over my face.
character mean track
I'm looking for diversity, all my characters may or may not be on the wrong side of the tracks. It doesn't mean that they're all the same.
roles
I'm good with all my roles, I've never had a bad role.
dna
Music's been part of my entire life. It's in my DNA.
moving opportunity dancing
I absolutely miss dancing. Don't want to do it for a living, I'm getting old, I can't move like I used to. If I had the opportunity to do something on Broadway or a musical, I would jump at the opportunity.
goal directors attention
My goal as an actor, as an up-and-coming actor in this business is to stay consistent with the work and if you do good work, and stay focused on the work, writers and directors will pay attention.
character years amount
You have to put your character to rest after x amount of years.
character sadness past
For me, my past characters been hard, the way they died, being murdered, the sadness that goes around, the death. It's a very hard thing to do.
hurt character television
Ending a television character that you've been, especially someone like Omar Little, it hurts. For me, it's a huge thing. You feel like a part of you is gone.