Michael Kenneth Williams  (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He played  Omar Little  on the  HBO  drama series  The Wire [1] [2] [3]  and Albert "Chalky" White on the HBO series  Boardwalk Empire . He was also acclaimed for his role as Jack Gee, husband of  Bessie Smith , in the HBO  telefilm   biopic   Bessie . He acted in supporting roles in a number of films and television series, including  The Road ,  Inherent Vice ,  The Night Of ,  Gone Baby Gone ,  12 Years a Slave ,  When We Rise ,  When They See Us , and  Hap and Leonard