Michael K. Williams

Michael was rumored to be gay until the birth of his son, Elijah Williams, from one of his girlfriends.

He has revealed no information about his personal life and is largely secretive.

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

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

He was molested during adolescent, and this incident scarred him emotionally and resulted into a troubled teenage. He had low self-esteem and often sought help and consolation from the church.

His neighborhood was very rough and violent. 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 career as a dancer.

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 “100% Pure Love”, Crystal Waters’ single 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 from the viewers.

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

From 1997 to 2001, he was seen in 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, as he expected to be signed up for major roles.

Spanning an impressive career in films and television, Michael K. Williams has several iconic shows and series in his portfolio. He has appeared in recurring episodes of the hit television series ‘Law & Order’, ‘CSI’, ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘Alias’.

His portrayal of strong and ruthless characters played with a hint of gentleness and compassion was widely appreciated. In 2008, he was also lauded by Barack Obama, for his portrayal of Omar Little in HBO’s ‘The Wire’. Obama stated that ‘The Wire’ was his favorite television series and Omar Little was a fascinating character and the toughest guy on the show.

Michael is the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for the Campaign for Smart Justice.

He has also established a charitable organization named ‘Making Kids Win’. The organization aims to build community centers and equip urban neighborhoods with safe spaces for children to grow, play and be educated.