The Wire star Michael K Williams found dead at Brooklyn home

6 September 2021, 22:05 | Updated: 6 September 2021, 23:23

The Wire star Michael K Williams has been found dead at his Brooklyn home, according to police sources.

The actor, best known for playing Omar Little in the hit HBO crime series, was found dead on Monday afternoon in the US, the PA news agency understands.

Mr Williams also had roles in Boardwalk Empire and the TV film Bessie – and earned four Emmy nominees over the course of his career.

The actor, who had a distinctive facial scar from a bar fight on his 25th birthday, also appeared in The Road, Inherent Vice and 12 Years a Slave.

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He had been due to appear in Sony’s upcoming biopic of George Foreman, the heavyweight champion, after his casting was announced last week.

He would have taken on the role of the boxer’s trainer and mentor, Doc Broadus.

But Mr Williams was best known for his portrayal of charismatic Omar Little, a morally ambiguous criminal who targeted drug dealers in the much-loved The Wire.

His co-star in the series, Isiah Whitlock Jr, said he was "shocked and saddened" at the news.

"One of the nicest brothers on the planet with the biggest heart. An amazing actor and soul. May you RIP. God bless," he wrote on Twitter.