Why Michael K. Williams' Omar Little from THE WIRE Is The Most Memorable Character in Television History
Omar was Black, gay, held up low-level drug dealers, and he captured the heart of a nation as well as a president.
The greatest thing about writing Cappuccino is the editorial freedom. I can, and do, write on whatever topic suggests itself. So, a few nights ago after my son finished watching The Wire and couldn’t stop raving about it, I thought to myself, why not write about Omar Little?
Monday, September 6, 2021, I got to work researching Michael K. Williams’ life, including his stint as a backup dancer and model, his role as Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and how he was discovered by none other than Tupac Shakur who cast him as High Top in the 1996 film, Bullet.
About fifteen minutes later, the news app on my phone chimed.
Michael K. Williams was dead.
Here I was writing about the guy, and then he dies? I was horribly sad. My first thought was drugs. Of course, it was drugs. Williams had a well-known addiction problem, and heroin had apparently been found at the scene. He was fifty-four years old. Most men his age aren’t found dead in their apartments.
In his article “The Redemption of Michael K. Williams,” which I urge you to read, Williams was shockingly honest about his struggle with cocaine. Reverend Christian Ron at the Christian Love Baptist Church in Irvington, New Jersey, shepherded Williams through the worst moments of his addiction, but at first, had no idea who he was.
From Williams’ own account: “I thought, ‘This dude is budding.’ My ego was totally kicking up. I mean, he had to know me. Everyone knows Omar. It was so foolish to think everyone knew me from of ‘The Wire,’ but that’s where my ego was. So I played along. I said, ‘I’m in entertainment’.” “Really?” Christian said. “What kind?” “I laughed, still thinking this guy was playing me.”
‘Acting,’” I said. “I’m an actor.”
“Well, keep it up,” Christian said. “You might make it one day.”
Later in the article, Williams says: “I have to be honest, though, playing Omar was a rush. The response I was getting from people on the street was gratifying. He was my Superman suit, and I had no problem with that. He gave me better street cred than Mike Williams would ever get.”
“Fellow users knew him only as Omar. They couldn’t understand how he could be on a hit show and have to beg money for drugs. “Yo, Omar, where’s the Benz?” they asked. They thought everyone on TV made millions and lived in houses next to the Hollywood sign.”
What made Omar Devone Little such a remarkable character in The Wire (besides Williams’ acting) is how effectively the writers played against type. Omar is a Baltimore stick-up man who targets street dealers. Instead of a track suit, he wears a duster and a bulletproof vest. Instead of an M82, he totes a shotgun. Instead of servicing a stable of women, he’s gay—and surprisingly tender toward his lovers. He follows a personal code of ethics, takes his grandmother to church, refers to himself in the third person, and has an irresistible, gimlet-eyed philosophy on life. When Omar strolls across the screen, you know it’s going to be good.
In January of 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama told the Las Vegas Sun that Omar was his favorite character on The Wire. USA Today named Williams as one of the ten reasons they still loved television. Michael K. Williams had a profound effect on the public imagination and was a huge reason The Wire, despite receiving so-so ratings and never winning any major awards, is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time.
Here then, without further ado, are my four favorite Omar clips, which I offer as testament to the talent of Michael K. Williams, may he rest in power. I hate that he’s dead, and I especially hate that he died alone, but a piece of his work—Omar Little—will always live in our hearts.
(The Wire is a work of social realism; expect strong language.)
Do you have a favorite Michael K. Williams role? If so, I want to hear about it. Leave your comments below.