Lorin Williams September 6th, 2021 - 3:27 PM
Actor Michael K. Williams, known for roles in some of HBO’s most prolific television series, was found dead Monday afternoon, according to Consequence. The Lovecraft Country actor was only 54 years old. Authorities have not yet declared a cause of death for the New York native, who was found in his Brooklyn apartment.
According to the New York Post, a family representative released a statement confirming the news of Williams’ passing: “It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.”
The actor recently mesmerized viewers as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s historical fiction series, Lovecraft Country, from Misha Green (Underground). Adapted from Matt Ruff’s (Mirage) novel of the same name, the series turn earned Williams a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at this year’s Emmys.
As the news spread, tributes began pouring in from costars and fellow actors. Niecy Nash (Reno 911, Claws), who co-starred with Williams in Netflix’s When They See Us, posted about him on her Instagram page. She referred to Williams as “…a talent beyond measure.”
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Williams’ friend and The Wire co-star, Wendell Pierce (Jack Ryan, Waiting to Exhale), posted multiple tributes on his Twitter account. Pierce described Williams as “A immensely talented man with the ability to give voice to the human condition..”
If you don’t know, you better ask somebody. His name was Michael K. Williams. He shared with me his secret fears then stepped out into his acting with true courage, acting in the face of fear, not in the absence of it. It took me years to learn what Michael had in abundance. pic.twitter.com/BIkoPPrPzg
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) September 6, 2021
Aldis Hodge (City on a Hill) took time to pay homage to the actor on his Instagram profile as well.
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Williams’ impact also captivated the younger generation as music producer and filmmaker, AMORPHOUS, posted a warm tribute to the actor, recalling their first meeting at this year’s BET Awards. Williams had honored another fallen actor, Earl Simmons bka DMX, at the award ceremony this summer.
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Consequence reports the actor’s career began in dance, as he toured with various artists as a backing dancer. He coveted his first acting role alongside the late rapper, Tupac Shakur (Poetic Justice), in 1996’s Bullet. Williams scored his first major role years later in David Simon’s groundbreaking drama series, The Wire. As Omar Little, Williams became an iconic antihero in a series centered on the politics of policing and the war on drugs in Simon’s native Baltimore. The role earned him an NAACP Image Award nomination and critical acclaim. It also surmounted Williams into developing his own issues with substance misuse.
“I was in jeopardy of destroying everything I had worked so hard for,” Williams revealed in a 2018 NPR interview. He detailed how he eventually turned to religion, seeking solace at a New Jersey church where the pastor knew very little of his prolific career.
Another role found him as Boardwalk Empire’s Albert “Chalky” White in 2010, according to Consequence. As the Prohibition Era hoodlum, Williams scored a Screen Actors Guild Award. Critics praised his work again in 2015’s Bessie, as he scored his first Emmy nomination playing Jack Gee alongside Queen Latifah (The Last Holiday, The Equalizer). The following year he earned a second nomination for the limited series, The Night Of, with Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal, Venom). He scored a third Emmy nom for 2019’s When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s (Selma, 13th) Netflix series based on the Central Park Five.
Williams was most recently cast to appear in the upcoming George Foreman biopic, via Rolling Out. Directed by George Tilllman Jr. (The Hate U Give, Men of Honor), Williams was set to play Foreman’s trainer and mentor, Doc Broadus. In addition to his various TV work, Williams also starred in films such as The Road, Inherent Vice, 12 Years a Slave, and When We Rise.
