Here's how the late, great Michael K. Williams received his famous face star. The Sopranos is considered the show that kicked off the modern "Golden Age" of television, where shows introduced more complex characters and plotting in addition to a more cinematic sheen. Other examples of this include The Shield, Breaking Bad and The Wire. The latter debuted in 2002, with the crime series set in Boston. The Wire is now considered one of the greatest shows ever produced, with Michael K. Williams receiving praise for his work as stick-up man Omar Little.
Williams was instantly iconic in the role with his duster and face scar, but The Wire's Omar had a tough exterior was contrasted with his more tender nature in private. Williams hadn't done much before landing The Wire, appearing in Bullet alongside Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur, Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out The Dead and - like nearly every up and coming actor - a couple of appearances on Law & Order.
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Omar is the part that made the actor's career, with his scar only adding to the character's intensity. In 2014, Michael K. Williams explained the origin of his face star in an NPRÂ interview. The actor explained that on the night of his 25th birthday, he was out with friends in Queens. During the night, he noticed some of his friends being surrounded, and thinking a fight was about to start, attempted to intervene. He told his friends it was time to leave when a stranger approached Williams from behind. "The dude wiped his hand across his mouth and ... smacked me," recalled the actor. Michael K. Williams then elaborated that this man "... spit a razor. He was positioning the razor in his mouth to get it between his middle finger and ring finger."
This man slashing Michael K. Williams' face left him with a scar that ran from his forehead down to his right cheek. Williams would later claim he and his friends "barely" escaped from the ensuing fight alive, but the actor also states the scar actually helped him land roles. Before making his movie debut with Bullet, Williams was a dancer who toured with singers like George Michael and Madonna, but he found that the scar often saw him being put up for "thug" roles.
Michael K. Williams had many other great roles following The Wire, including Boardwalk Empire's Chalky White, the titular Leonard in Hap and Leonard and Robert in 12 Years A Slave. The actor passed away in 2021 due to an accidental drug overdose but left behind a legacy of great work.
Next: Who Is The Best HBO Character? It’s Obviously The Wire’s Omar