Sometimes it’s easy to sit back and wonder how many people passed away without being noticed like this before social media became a big thing. Back in those days, the news might have taken a while to get around, but now it’s anywhere from minutes to a couple of hours after the passing of a celebrity that the word has gone around the horn and become a huge deal. Without taking anything away from any of those that have died in the last several years, it’s fair to say that while it does inform the largest number of people in a short amount of time, there are likely certain abuses that are bound to be noticed as well. Michael K. Williams passed just recently in his home at the age of 54, but as of yet, it would appear that the cause hasn’t been determined. The impact that the actor had on the business is kind of obvious though since quite a few people have stepped up and made it known how they felt about the man and how many he touched throughout the length of his career.
Michael’s life is impressive when one looks back on it since he was homeless at one point and managed to work his way up through modeling, dancing, and of course, acting. The fact that he kept such a positive outlook on his life and helped to inspire others is a big reason why it’s so tragic that he’s departed this life at this time. 54 is still a relatively young age to pass away, but it’s not unheard of obviously. What he leaves behind though is a legacy of those that interacted with him and the performances he put on throughout the length of his career that were easily some of the best in the business.
Pretty much everyone is bound to remember the roles that helped to make him famous since he was one of the more prominent faces that popped up here and there over the years, but some are bound to remember a few moments in which he truly appeared to shine, even if they were in movies that didn’t really please the fans. One show in particular though that a lot of people are bound to remember him by, and I’m not talking about The Wire, where he was definitely celebrated and for good reason, is Boardwalk Empire, as he played the character of Chalky White, a racketeer that was working with Nucky Thompson. While he wasn’t the most important character in the show he was definitely one of the most visible at times since he carried himself with the type of presence that made it clear that he was a somebody. The fact is that Michael carried himself in this manner in real life as well, though the arrogance that he placed into some of his characters was notably absent as he did a great deal to help his community and give back to people. Many would gladly claim that Michael was one of the many people that knew and remembered where he came from and wasn’t about to forget, which indicates that he was a very self-aware and respectable individual.
One of the other roles that are fairly memorable came during the movie version of Assassin’s Creed, which didn’t meet with a lot of approval but was still not quite as bad as people want to believe. We didn’t get to learn a lot about the character of Moussa, who was descended from a Haitian Assassin, but what was discovered was that like every person being held there he was a skilled and capable fighter that could hold his own against several opponents at once. But apart from that, he was yet another member of the Brotherhood that the main character had avoided for so long. It wasn’t the best of movies, but the deeper feeling that was intended by Assassin’s Creed was kind of lost on those that nitpicked everything to death. Still, like always, Michael played his role to the best of his ability, which is to say that he put in a great performance no matter that the movie wasn’t exactly the favorite of many.
It’s fair to say that there are still a lot of people who didn’t know Michael by his name or by his distinctive look, but all the same, he was a celebrated actor that was hard to miss once a person came to understand who he was. The very distinctive scar across his face was given on his 25th birthday when someone injured him with a razor blade, and it would eventually work for him as several of his roles were handed out due to the thuggish look it gave each character. While some might not think that this is a totally positive thing, it did help to make Michael the star he eventually became, and the respected actor that many saw him as. Rest in peace sir, you’ll be missed.
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