Michael Kenneth Williams

Character: Chalky White

Named by USA Today as one of the "10 Best Reasons to Watch Television," Michael Kenneth Williams played the legendary Omar Little (Barack Obama's favorite TV character) on all five seasons of The Wire. Achieving critical acclaim and a loyal fan base, Michael has been nominated twice for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

In addition to his work on Boardwalk Empire, Michael was recently a regular on the adventure drama The Philanthropist, and has had recurring roles and special guest appearances on Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Six Degrees, The Sopranos, CSI, Boston Legal and The Kill Point, starring opposite John Leguizamo and Donny Wahlberg as the gifted sniper.

A native of Brooklyn, Williams started out his career as a street dancer and choreographer, working on more than 50 music videos and national concert tours. Fashion photographers David LaChapelle and Steven Klein pulled him off the street and into a modeling career, which led to him being handpicked by Tupac Shakur to play the rapper's brother in the 1996 film Bullet, before working with Martin Scorsese on Bring Out the Dead. Early in his career, Williams added his love of theater to his passion for acting. He worked with the La'Mama Theater in New York and appeared in various productions with the prestigious National Black Theater.

Director J.J. Abrams, a fan of Mission Impossible:  III and The Wire, created a role for Williams on Alias, as did Edward Norton for the film The Hulk.  Additionally, Williams' film work includes scene-stealing cameos in I Think I Love My Wife, directed by Chris Rock, and Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna.