Remembering Michael K. Williams

We’re remembering the life of actor Michael K. Williams, who died earlier this month. He was 54 years old. He was best known for playing Omar Little on The Wire. Michael began his career in entertainment first as a dancer in New York, then an actor with a handful of walk-on credits. By the time he auditioned for The Wire he was in his mid-30s. When Jesse Thorn talked with him in 2016, he was starring in a show called Hap and Leonard. When we heard the news about Williams’ passing, we went into the archives to listen back to our conversation. This remixed podcast episode interview is some bits we’ve played in the past, and a lot of stuff we haven’t. At some points in the interview, you’ll notice he sounds like he’s coming through a telephone. We weren’t able to recover all of Michael’s original studio recording, but we had his phone audio as a backup. In this conversation, Michael talked about his memories of being a New York club kid, the difference that playing Omar made in his life, and the gig that made him realize that being a performer could be a career.