Michael K. Williams, who died this week at the age of 54, may be best known for his acclaimed television performances on “The Wire” and “Boardwalk Empire,” but the actor was also a connoisseur of cinema.
Over the years, the cinephile had roles in many films, such as the 2016 remake of “Ghostbusters,” “The Purge: Anarchy,” and “Motherless Brooklyn,” among others.
Despite his wide range of plays, Williams, who has been nominated for an Emmy this year for his supporting role in “Lovecraft Country,” expressed deep fears about being typed in an HBO and Atlantic video short. Playing Omar, he walks over to the real Williams and yells, “Do you think a white boy could have played Omar?”
Still, he maintained a fondness for cinema.
In 2011, Williams, who played Omar in “The Wire,” toured the Criterion Collection office and library as part of his “DVD Picks” series, in which celebrities reveal some of his films. favorite movies.
“Here’s a gold mine,” the actor says in the video before first picking up Italian director Matteo Garrone’s mafia film “Gomorrah”. “One to look at,” Williams says.
He then takes on “The Fugitive Kind,” the 1960 Sidney Lumet drama starring Marlon Brando as a guitar-playing participant. “Look at Marlon Brando!” Williams sprouts. “Boy, it was soft on the eyes right there, man. This is the boy! ”
Williams then gravitates toward “Hunger” from 2008, Steve McQueen’s debut film.
“I’ve heard this guy Steve McQueen is an amazing director,” the actor says. “I haven’t seen it yet, but I have to check it out.”
McQueen’s “12 Years A Slave” won the Oscar for Best Picture and Williams appeared in it.
Williams proclaims that 1955’s “Night of the Hunter,” directed by Charles Laughton, is “a classic!” and Richard Linklater’s 1993 comedy “Dazed and Confused” should be “a staple in your video library.”
Most recently, he picked up the 1936 “Modern Times,” the last film in which Charlie Chaplin played the little tramp. In honor of the British actor who never tweeted, Williams says nothing.