Wondering what is the net worth of Michael K Williams? Check out here, his net worth, career and more.
The famous American actor Michael Kenneth Williams was born on November 22, 1966. Williams’s role of Omar Little on “The Wire”, a popular HBO drama series helped him rise to fame in 2002 by scoring widespread critical acclaim.
Williams was described to have a “singular presence, onscreen and off, who made every role his own”, and he was on the road to becoming one of the most accomplished actors of the United States.
Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York City and grew up with 10 of his older siblings. After attending George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School, he enrolled at the National Black Theater.
He left his school to pursue dance as a full-time career. Williams worked with some famous dancers like Madonna, George Michael, and Kym Sims and choreographed several music videos.
How much is the net worth of Michael K Williams?
Michael K WillIiams’s current net worth is estimated at $5 million. He was an famous American actor. Williams’s role of Omar Little on “The Wire”, a popular HBO drama series helped him rise to fame in 2002 by scoring widespread critical acclaim.
Williams’s mesmerizing voice, charismatic personality and prominent facial scar helped land acting roles. Williams debuted acting in Bullet, the 1996 film by Tupac Shakur and then joined the cast in The Wire in 2002 to play Omar Little.
This role was highly appreciated and won the praise of President Barack Obama. In 2007, Williams got the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. Between 2010 and 2014, Williams was also in the cast of HBO series Boardwalk Empire playing Albert “Chalky” White.
Williams is considered as one of the best actors of America during his generation. His role of Omar Little was acclaimed as one of the best seen in the history of television.
Especially Williams’s roles in ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Sopranos and Mad Men’ projected him as part of the artistic team of the late 90s and 2000s which converted American television into a well-received art form.
Writing about Williams, Kenan Malik, the British lecturer and writer stated that his “power and nuance, seldom seen on screen.”
Michael K Williams Net Worth Quick Summary
| Name | Michael Kenneth Williams |
| Popular Name | Michael k Williams |
| Birth Date | November 22, 1966 |
| Death Date | September 6, 2021 |
| Born and Died at | New York City, United States |
| Cause of death | Consumption of a combination of drugs in overdose |
| Career Roles | Actor |
| Net Worth In 2022 | $5 million |
| Years active in the industry | 1994 to 2021 |
| Official website | http://michaelkennethwilliams.com/ |
| Facebook Account | https://www.facebook.com/MKWFanpage/?ref=page_internal |
Michael K Williams Net Worth
Michael K Williams had an estimated net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2021. Williams had a very long career spanning over 30 years in acting during which he accumulated the majority of his wealth.
Once in an interview, Williams had admitted that he confronted a severe debts crisis before he was cast in the role of Omar Little in “The Wire”. He had been borrowing money from his family to manage the tough times. Omar Little’s character in “The Wire” is the crown jewel of Williams’s achievements in acting.
The role depicting an astute drug gang robber became one of the most popular and charismatic characters in the history of television. For this role, Williams was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards.
Michael has appeared in many movies and television shows on the road to popularity from the mid-90s to the early 2000s. A large scar on his face became his characteristic mark and it highly suited the thug characters that he predominantly portrayed.
This scar resulted during a fight at the bar when he was around 25 years old. Some of the highly noted roles that earned him fame and money include Bringing Out The dead, Bullet, Law & Order and The Sopranos.
Career Highlights of Michael K Williams
Michael studied at the National Black Theatre in Harlem and then took up a temporary job at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. Propelled by his passion to become a professional dancer, he abandoned his job and roamed without a home for about a year against the wishes of his family.
During this period, he approached several dancing studios and record labels for a chance.
Williams got a chance to participate in Kym Sims’ “Too Blind to See It” tour as a background dancer. This became his starting point to go on several dance tours and produce many music videos.
Eventually, he got several assignments in dance and choreography with some popular artists like Crystal Waters, George Michael and Madonna.
His talent in acting was discovered by Tupac Shakur who cast him as High Top in the film “Bullet” released in 1996. Over the next decade, he was well occupied with roles in films and television shows.
The characteristic scar on his face best-suited thug type of character which became his favorite choice. Some early projects that helped him gain a strong footing in his career include “Bringing Out The Dead”, “Law & Order”, and “The Sopranos”.
In 2002, Williams was cast as “Omar Little”, on “The Wire”, and this character landed him widespread acclaim that would crown his acting career.
Williams got this chance after the first audition. Initially, he was told that the character Omar Little would appear only in seven episodes in the first season. For playing this role, USA Today named Williams one of the ten reasons why they loved television.
Through a skilful portrayal of this villainous character, Williams could add wit and humor to the otherwise stereotyped and fusty stage of crime dramas on television.
Williams’s popularity soared up through this role and he commanded popular acclaim in the media. In 2007, this role earned Williams two nominations for NAACP Image Awards including the one for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series.
In 2008, Barack Obama, who was a senator then remarked that “The Wire” was his favorite show and “Omar, his most favorite character. Williams was associated with “The Wire” for about six years across its 41 episodes. Williams then got some recurring roles in shows like “Alias”, “Six Degrees”, “Boston Legal” and “CSI”.
Some notable film roles he landed were in movies like “Life During Wartime”, “Gone Baby Gone”, “The Road”, and I Think I Love My Wife”, in addition to scores of others. Williams appeared on some very popular music videos for Young Jeezy, R. Kelly, Marilyn Manson, Trick Daddy, The Game, MGMT, and ASAP Rocky.
From 2010 to 2014, Williams appeared for the five seasons of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” starring Albert “Chalky” White, who was the leader of Atlantic City’s black community during the 1920s. Williams also starred in the sitcom “Community” in three episodes during the third season.
There were talks with Williams over the role of Django in “Django Unchained,” Quentin Tarantino’s film. However, due to scheduling conflicts with “Boardwalk Empire,” he could not accept this role.
In 2012, Williams was the executive producer of the film “Snow on The Bluff”, which he produced independently under Freedom Productions, the company which he founded.
In March 2015, Williams appeared on the show “Hap and Leonard,” of SundanceTV, which was based on a series of novels authored by Joe R. Lansdale. In 2016, he was associated with Vice News, as the host of “Black Market”, a VICELAND program.
In 2016, Williams starred in about six episodes of “The Night Of,” featuring Freddy Knight. This role earned Williams a nomination for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series.
In 2018m Williams worked with the Vice team once again when he was featured in “Raised in the System.” In this character, he goes on a personal journey to unearthing the root of America’s juvenile justice system and the crisis of mass incarceration.
In 2019, Williams played Bobby McCray in “When They See Us,” which became an award-winning production.
For this role, Williams was once more nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. In 2020, he starred in the role of Montrose Freeman in “Lovecraft Country.”
Death of Williams
On September 6, 2021, Williams was found dead in his Williamsburg apartment in Brooklyn. It was Williams’s nephew who discovered him having died.
On September 24, 2021, the Chief Medical Examiner’s NYC Office confirmed the cause of Williams’s death attributing it to the overdose of a combination of drugs including p-fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, cocaine and heroin.
Many times, Williams had earlier admitted that he had suffered drug addiction during the peak of his career. Investigations revealed that he was sold heroin in combination with lethal amounts of fentanyl which took a toll on his life.
The sources said in an interview, “Michael was found dead by a relative around 2 pm today at his Kent Avenue apartment in Brooklyn. He was alone when he was discovered.
Illegal paraphernalia was found in the apartment.”Williams’s funeral was conducted in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral, where his mother resides.
As a tribute to the departed artist, The Baltimore Ravens played the whistle of the song “Farmer in the Dell,” a song of Williams’s Omar Little character as a team intro in the M&T Bank Stadium. In February 2022, four men suspected to be connected with William’s death were arrested by the police.
