The ‘Lovecraft Country’ star and 5-time Emmy nominee was found dead in his Brooklyn resident on Monday, an NYPD rep told The Hollywood Reporter.
Michael K. Williams, the known actor and who had received 5-time Emmy nominee best popular for his portrayal as Baltimore stick-up man Omar Little on HBO’s The Wire, has passed away, his rep told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 54 year old.
“It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the demise of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this insurmountable loss,” his longtime rep, Marianna Shafran of Shafran PR, said.
Williams was found in his Brooklyn home on Monday afternoon, a New York Police Department spokesperson told THR. No cause of demise was yet revealed.
More nearly, Williams played Montrose Freeman on HBO’s Lovecraft Country — for which he received a 2021 Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series (the awards are Sept. 19) — and Bobby McCray, the father of Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), who convinced his son to sign a false confession, in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Netflix miniseries about the Central Park Five, When They See Us.
The gravelly-voiced Williams also starred as angry Vietnam veteran Leonard Pine for three seasons (2016-18) on the SundanceTV drama Hap and Leonard, racketeer Chalky White on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire from 2010-14 and close Freddy Knight in 2016 miniseries The Night Of, also for HBO.
We are devastated to learn of the demise of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years,” a statement from the network said.“While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him. We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”
Williams was born in Brooklyn on Nov. 22, 1966. His mom was from the Bahamas and his dad from South Carolina. He was raised in the Vanderveer housing projects in East Flatbush and attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in the borough.
“Growing up, I got picked on a lot,” he told Time magazine in 2017. “I was the corny one. I was not famous with the ladies. In a very alpha-male community, being sensitive is not considered a quality.”