Star of The Wire and Boardwalk Empire

THE Wire actor Michael K Williams, who was found dead aged 54 at his home in Brooklyn, was best known for playing the charismatic Omar Little on HBO’s acclaimed crime drama.

As well as The Wire, Williams, who had a distinctive facial scar from a bar fight on his 25th birthday, had roles in gangster series Boardwalk Empire and TV film Bessie, and had, over the years, spoken about his personal struggles with drugs.

He was a four-time Emmy nominee for Bessie, The Night Of, When They See Us and Lovecraft Country.

Last week, it was announced Williams, pictured, had joined the cast of Sony’s untitled biopic of famed world heavyweight champion George Foreman. He was set to play Doc Broadus, who was Foreman’s trainer and mentor.

His other film roles included The Road, Inherent Vice and 12 Years A Slave.

However, Williams will be best remembered for Omar, the gay, morally ambiguous criminal who frequently targets drug dealers.

The character was known for the distinctive duster jacket he wore to conceal weapons.

Williams, who was born and raised in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, looked back on a tough upbringing during a 2017 interview with the

New York Times.

He revealed he had been molested as a child and developed a drug addiction.

“The characters that mean the most to me are the ones that damn near kill me,” Williams said of his gangster roles which caused old trauma to resurface. “It’s a sacrifice I’ve chosen to make.”

While he did not identify as gay, He was scarred for life in a bar fight in Queens. The New York Times said he intervened to stop a group of men jumping his friend, only to have his face and neck sliced with a razor blade.

It left a distinguishing scar from the top of his forehead to the middle of his right cheek, which became an indelible part of his acting career.

He started dancing in music videos and landed a role as a drug dealer in Martin Scorsese’s 1999 drama film Bringing Out The Dead.

Williams had a small part in The Sopranos - a show alongside The Wire perennially discussed as being the best ever - before he appeared as Omar in 2002.