The Story Behind Michael K. Williams' Face Scar — and How It Helped Launch His Career (2024)

Michael K. Williamsmade a habit of seeing the silver lining.

The lateWireactor, whodiedin 2021 at age 54, previously opened up abouthow he got the distinctive scaron his face during a "barroom brawl" — and how he believed the altercation ultimately launched his Hollywood career.

"On my birthday — my 25th birthday — I got cut in my face in a barroom brawl," hetold NPRin June 2014. "There was a popping party going on in Queens. I went outside to get some air, and I saw that two of my other friends were being surrounded by some dudes who I didn't know. And it looked like they were about to get jumped. And I said, 'Yo, I'm ready to leave. Let's go back. I'm going to go back home now.'"

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He continued: "But this one dude kept pacing behind me. He kept walking behind me. He kept like, you know, like sucking his teeth. And I'm looking, I'm like, 'Yo — so what's up, dude? Yo, bro, what's your problem?'"

Williams said he thought the man was preparing to "smack" him, but he'd actually procured a razor blade.

"He was positioning the razor in his mouth to get between his middle finger and his ring finger, and then he just … swiped me down my face, and this cut my face. It was actually the first hit of the fight," he said. "So we managed to escape with our lives, barely, that night. Things changed immediately after that."

From there, Williams said the scar that formed on his face led to him being considered for more "thug roles," beginning with his breakout part in the 1996 movieBulletalongside late rapperTupac Shakur.

"Tupac Shakur was filming a movie in New York calledBullet, oppositeMickey Rourke," he recalled on NPR. "And the production office that they were working out of in New York happened to have a Polaroid picture of me, from me going to audition from some various music videos. So he happened to see a Polaroid picture of me and was like, 'Yo, this dude looks thugged out enough that he could play my little brother.' I think he saw my pain and my struggle, my heart. I was just like — I was starstruck, you know? I was like, 'Wow, that's Tupac Shakur.'"

RELATED GALLERY: Michael K. Williams Career in Photos

Years prior, in a 2011 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,Williams explained why he "opted out" of retaliating after the fight that night.

"I knew that I did not want blood on my hands," he said. "And I honestly believe that because I let it go, I didn't harbor any ill feelings. I didn't react in a negative way in revenge; I believe that something happened inside, spiritually. It's why people look at this and see a thing of beauty. Had I taken the other route, I think it would have made me ugly — from the inside."

He later added, "I'm very, very fortunate."

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Williams was found dead on Sept. 6, 2021, at around 2 p.m. in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment, an NYPD source told PEOPLE. His nephew, Dominic Dupont, discovered his body in the living room.

"It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams," a rep for Williams told PEOPLE. "They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss."

Williams waslaid to rest in a private funeralheld in Harrisburg, Pa., on Sept. 15, 2021. A week later, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner declared Williams'cause of deathwas "acute intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin and cocaine."

In February 2022,four men were arrestedin connection with the actor's death, including Irvin Cartagena, Hector Robles, Luis Cruz, and Carlos Macci.Cartagena pleaded guiltyin April 2023 to selling Williams the fatal drugs that resulted in his death. The men were part of the drug-trafficking organization DTO, operating in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Macci pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy in April 2023 and will be sentenced in July, perThe New York Times. The news outlet also reported that Robles and Cruz have pleaded not guilty.

Throughout his career, Williams opened up about hisaddiction and mental health struggles.

"Addiction doesn't go away," hetoldThe New York Timesin 2017. "It's an everyday struggle for me, but I'm fighting."

In addition toThe Wire, Williams was known for his appearances onLaw & Order,Boardwalk Empire, Hap and Leonard,When They See UsandLovecraft Country, the last of which earned him his fifthEmmy nomination in 2021for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series. He also had roles in films likeGone Baby Gone(2007),The Incredible Hulk(2008),12 Years a Slave(2013),The Purge: Anarchy(2014),Inherent Vice(2014) andGhostbusters(2016).

Williams' posthumous memoir,Scenes from My Life, was released in August 2022, detailing his storied career and the incident that left him with the distinctive scar down the center of his face.

"I guessthe scar gave me an edge," wrote Williams. "It made me look like the tough guy I wasn't."

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.