Michael K. Williams Biography

Michael was born Michael Kenneth Williams on November 22, 1966, in East Flatbush area of New York City. His father was an African-American from South Carolina while his mother was from Nassau.

Michael K. Williams attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School and later enrolled at the National Black Theatre in New York City.

He grew up in a rough and violent neighborhood. As a teenager, Williams got into bad company for a while, but all this changed as soon as her discovered the performing arts.

Williams initially worked at a pharmaceutical company at quite an early age to support his family. Later, he quit the job after a short while to focus on his dance career.

Inspired by one of Janet Jackson’s popular songs Rhythm Nation 1814, Michael quit his pharmaceutical job and left school to pursue his dream as a dancer. He visited a number of labels and dance studios and was homeless for quite some time. After a year, he was finally selected as a background dancer and continued to do the job for artists like George Michael, Madonna, and Kym Sim.

On his 25th birthday in 1991, he got into a bar fight on Jamaica Avenue where he was slashed with a razor blade in the face. The wound left a big scar on Michael’s face and it later became one of the main reasons for Michael to be cast as a thug in movies and videos.

In 1994, Michael choreographed Crystal Waters’ single 100% Pure Love, and appeared in a number of dance videos. In addition to working as a dancer, he was also offered modeling jobs. In 1995, he played a minor role in a film titled Mugshot and received appreciation for his skills.

His first acting role came in 1996, when American rapper Tupac Shakur discovered Michael and cast him as High Top in the film Bullet. Bullet was Michael’s first experience in mainstream movies.

From 1997 to 2001, he made guest appearances in a number of movies and television series, including Law & Order, The Sopranos, and Deadline. During the time, Michael briefly battled depression owing to the failure in his acting career.

In 2002, Michael auditioned for a role at HBO and was immediately called back to play the part of Omar Little, a street thug, in The Wire, a role which would ultimately change his life. The part gained him widespread recognition and he received tremendous critical acclamation. Originally meant to be a minor character slated to appear in seven episodes of the first season, Michael’s excellent portrayal prompted the showrunners to prolong his character and make it one of the major ones in the show.

From 2010 to 2014, Michael appeared as Chalky White on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. The part garnered him critical acclaim. He also received nominations for two SAG Awards and a NAACP Award for the series.

In 2012, he executive produced the found footage-style drama film Snow on tha Bluff.

Michael K. Williams modeled for the 2014 fall collection for GAP. In the following years, he appeared in a number of series, movies, and television miniseries, including Ghostbusters, CSI, Community, Snitch, Captive, The Gambler, The Purge: Anarchy, A Day in the Life, Hap and Leonard, and many more.

The 2016 television movie Bessie, based on the life of the famous blues singer Bessie Smith, featured him as the first husband of the legendary singer. The role earned him numerous award nominations and critical acclaim.

In 2020, Michael played Montrose Freeman in Lovecraft Country.

He never revealed any information about his personal life and remained largely secretive.

Michael K. Williams died on September 6, 2021. He was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse. He was 54. 

Williams was known for his iconic scar that ran down his face, which he got in a bar fight on his 25th birthday.

Williams was a talented dancer and choreographer before pursuing acting.

Despite his tough on-screen personas, Williams was known for his kindness and generosity off-screen.

Williams was a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and spoke openly about his own struggles with addiction and depression.