"All The Pieces Count..."'- Best Characters in 'The Wire'
by J_Frank_Parnell | created - 01 Jan 2022 | updated - 1 month ago | Public+ = character is deceased ||| = character incarcerated
1. Dominic West
Actor | The Wire
Dominic West was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England as Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West. He is an actor and producer, known for The Wire (2002), Chicago (2002), 300 (2006), The Affair (2014) and The Forgotten (2004). He has been married to Catherine Fitzgerald since June 26, 2010. They have ...
Det. Jimmy McNulty
-Givin' a fuck when it ain't his turn to give a fuck.
-"What the fuck did I do?!?"
-"Y'know why I respect you so much, Bunk? It's because when it came time for you to fuck me... you were very gentle..."
-"Fuck the bosses!"
-Never found out who shot Snot-Boogey
2. Michael Kenneth Williams
Actor | The Wire
Emmy-nominated actor and producer Michael Kenneth Williams was one of his generation's most respected and acclaimed talents. By bringing complicated and charismatic characters to life--often with surprising tenderness--Williams established himself as a gifted and versatile performer with a unique ...
Omar Little +
-Just a nigga with a plan...
-"A man must have a code"
-"I do some dirt, too... but I ain't never put my gun on nobody that wasn't in the game.
-"You got the brief-case, I got the shot-gun. It's all in the game, though, right?"
-Shot Mike-Mike in his hind-parts.
-(on the witness stand, when asked how many times he'd been arrested) “Shoot, I done lost count. Enough not to take it personal.”
-Keeps one in the chamber, in case you ponderin'....
-“It ain’t what you taking, it’s who you taking it from”
-BNBG
-[whistling "Farmer's on the Dell"]
3. Wendell Pierce
Actor | The Wire
Wendell Edward Pierce is an American actor and businessman. He is known for roles in HBO dramas such as Detective Bunk Moreland in The Wire and trombonist Antoine Batiste in Treme; as well as portraying James Greer in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, high-powered attorney Robert Zane in Suits, and Michael ...
Det. William "Bunk" Moreland
-Just a humble motherfucker with a big-ass dick.
-Strictly a suit-and-tie motherfucker.
-"It's better to be lucky, than to be good..."
-"Makes me sick, motherfucker, how far we done fell."
4. Wood Harris
Actor | Remember the Titans
Harris was born Sherwin David Harris in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Mattie Harris. However, he works under his nickname, "Wood". Attended New York University Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School. Has performed in many films and various stage productions including plays by August Wilson, ...
Avon Barksdale |||
-"I ain’t no suit-wearing businessman. I'm just a gangster, I suppose... And I want my corners..."
5. Idris Elba
Actor | Beasts of No Nation
An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting, before he dropped...
Russell "Stringer" Bell +
-Worse than a drug dealer... a property developer.
-A man without a country...
-"Nigga, is you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?! The fuck is you thinking, man?"
-"it's just business..."
6. Anwan Glover
Actor | The Wire
Anwan "Big G" Glover was not bit by the acting bug. He was born with the acting gene. From his days in elementary school, Anwan has been in front of audiences acting, playing instruments, performing and modeling. He credits his love of film to time spent with his sister watching classic Black ...
Slim Charles
-Just a rumble-tumble nigga
-“Y'know the thing about the old days? They the old days...”
-“Don’t matter who did what to who at this point. Fact is, we went to war, and now there ain’t no going back... Once you in it, you in it. If it’s a lie, then we fight on that lie... But we gotta fight.”
-"Ain't enough y'all done violated the sunday morning truce. NO! I'm standin' here holdin' a tore up church crown of a bonafide colored lady. Ya'll know what a colored lady is? Not yo moms, fo' sho..."
-"Shorty Boyd cleaned his whole ak up..."
7. J.D. Williams
Actor | Pootie Tang
J.D. Williams was born on May 22, 1978 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Pootie Tang (2001), The Kill Point (2007) and Oz (1997).
Preston "Bodie" Broadus +
-A soldier
-Ain't never said NOTHIN' to no cop. Ain't never fucked up the count. Never stole off a package. Never did some shit that he wasn't told to do.
-"This must be one o' them contrapment things!!!"
-"Yo, this MY corner. I ain’t runnin' nowhere!!!"
8. Robert F. Chew
Actor | Homicide: Life on the Street
Robert F. Chew was born on December 28, 1960 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), The Wire (2002) and Jamesy Boy (2014). He died on January 17, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Joseph 'Proposition Joe' Stewart +
-"Look the part, be the part motherfucker"
-"I'm livin' life with some burdensome niggas..."
9. Michael Potts
Actor | Show Me a Hero
Michael Potts was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Michael is an actor and assistant director, known for Show Me a Hero (2015), True Detective (2014) and Damages (2007).
Brother Mouzone
-The most dangerous thing in America: A nigger with a library card.
10. Chad L. Coleman
Actor | Left 4 Dead 2
Delivered a fantastic performance of a reformed street 'hitter' on the HBO show 'The Wire' from Series 3 to Series 5 with varied screen time. The character reflected the possibility of reformed criminals into positive characters of society; as with Coleman's character starting a boxing gym for the ...
Dennis "Cutty" Wise
-"I'm gonna show you as gently as I can, how much you don't know..."
-"Game done changed..."
11. Chris Bauer
Actor | The Wire
Chris Bauer was born on October 28, 1966 in Los Angeles, California, USA as Mark Christopher Bauer. He is an actor, known for The Wire (2002), True Blood (2008), Third Watch (1999) and The Deuce (2017). He has been married to Laura Bauer since May 12, 1997. They have two children.
Frank Sobotka +
-Three and a half inches of hard, blue steel
-"You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit... Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket..."
12. Clarke Peters
Actor | The Wire
Clarke Peters was born on April 7, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Wire (2002), Da 5 Bloods (2020) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). He is married to Penny. They have one child. He was previously married to Janine Martyne.
Det. Lester Freamon
-Natural po-lice
-"We’re building something, here, detective, we’re building it from scratch. All the pieces matter."
-Tweedy impertinance.
-Ain't going to the dance, unless he can rub some tit.
-"You follow the drugs, and you're going to get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money... and you don't know where the fuck it's going to take you..."
13. Jamie Hector
Actor | Bosch
The Brooklyn-born actor Jamie Hector may be best known for his role as Marlo Stanfield on the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Wire". He now plays Detective Jerry Edgar on the Amazon hit series "BOSCH". Jamie studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. He is also the founder of ...
Marlo Stansfield
-Little King of Everything.
-"The crown ain't worth much if the nigga wearing it always gettin' his shit took..."
-"You want it to be one way... But it's the OTHER way..."
-"Money ain't got no owners. Only spenders..."
-"My name is my name!".
14. Paul Ben-Victor
Actor | The Wire
Paul Ben-Victor is an internationally recognized actor whose career spans four decades on stage, film, and television which includes his iconic performance as the Greek mobster Spiros Vondas on the acclaimed HBO series THE WIRE which has been called the greatest series of all-time.
One of the film ...
Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos
-"They have my name. But... my name is not my name"
15. Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Actor | Da 5 Bloods
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on September 13, 1954 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Da 5 Bloods (2020), Cedar Rapids (2011) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
Sen Clay Davis
-"I'll take anyone's money, if he GIVIN' it away!!"
-"Fool, what do you think? That we know anything about who gives money? That we give a damn about who they are or what they want? We have no way of running down them or their stories. We don't care. We just cash the damn cheques, count the votes and move on..."
-"Sheeeeeeeeeeyit!!"
16. Julito McCullum
Actor | Akeelah and the Bee
Uriel McCullum was born on December 16, 1990 in Brooklyn, New York. Before his debut into the cinematic world Julito was a dancer for the New York Knicks and Liberty. Born to Colombian and American parents Glynis and Uriel Almanza his mom decided after his fathers murder in a robbery gone bad, to ...
Namond Brice
-"Like, y'all say don't lie, don't cheat, don't steal, an' whatever... But what about y'all, huh? The government!! What's it, Am-ron?!? Steroids?!?"
-"I'll take anyone's money, if he GIVIN' it away!!"
17. Jim True-Frost
Actor | The Hudsucker Proxy
True-Frost graduated from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. He has been an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago since 1989. Prior to that, he was a member of Remains Theater, co-founded by actor William L. Petersen (To Live and Die in L.A., CSI: Crime Scene ...
Det. Roland "Prez" Prysbylewski
-"You juke the stats, and majors become colonels..."
-"No one wins. One side just loses more slowly..."
18. Domenick Lombardozzi
Actor | Cold Pursuit
Domenick Lombardozzi was born on March 25, 1976 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Cold Pursuit (2019), The Family (2013) and Find Me Guilty (2006).
Det. Thomas "Herc" Hauk
-Fighting the war on drugs, one brutality case at a time.
-“Fuckin' white boys, I love 'em. I fuckin' love 'em... Talkin' about the brain-deads in my Kane Street case. I call him up, I tell him I wanna buy some drugs. You know what he says? He says ‘Okay, I'll sell you the drugs. How much drugs do you want?’”
19. Seth Gilliam
Actor | The Walking Dead
Seth Gilliam was born on November 5, 1968 in New York, USA. He is an actor, known for The Walking Dead (2010), The Wire (2002) and Courage Under Fire (1996). He has been married to Leah C. Gardiner since August 24, 2005. They have one child.
Sgt. Ellis Carver
-"They fuck up, they get beat. We fuck up, they give us pensions."
20. Gbenga Akinnagbe
Actor | The Taking of Pelham 123
Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series The Wire and as Larry Brown on the HBO series The Deuce. Akinnagbe was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Yoruba Nigerian parents, and was raised in Silver Spring, ...
Chris Partlow
-"Don't fret, boss. I got you covered. Quick and clean, I promise..."
21. Hassan Johnson
Actor | Brooklyn's Finest
Hassan Johnson is known for Brooklyn's Finest (2009), The Devil's Own (1997) and Top Five (2014).
Roland "Wee-Bey" Brice |||
-"Remember who the fuck you talkin' to right here. Remember who I am. My word is still my word, in here, in Baltimore, and in any place you could think of calling home, it'll be my word that finds you..."
22. Delaney Williams
Actor | We Own This City
Delaney Williams is an American actor whose credits include his well known recurring roles as John Buchanan on NBC's Law & Order:SVU, Jay Landsman on HBO's The Wire, O'Connor on the Netflix Original: Marvel's The Punisher, & as Dennis Egan on CBS' Blue Bloods. He is set to recur in the upcoming 6th...
Sgt. Jay Landsman
-Policing a culture in moral decline
-"He was the black sheep; The permanent pariah. He asked no quarter of the bosses, and none was given. He learned no lessons. He acknowledged no mistakes. He was as stubborn a Mick as ever stumbled out of the Northeast Parishes to take a patrolman's shield. He brooked no authority. He did what he wanted to do, and he said what he wanted to say... And in the end, he gave you the clearances. He's natural po-lice..."
23. Andre Royo
Actor | Super
Andre Royo was born on July 18, 1962 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Collection (2012), The Spectacular Now (2013), Hunter Gatherer (2016), Empire (2015), Hand Of God (2014) and Super (2010). He has been married to Jane Choi since November 21, 1997. They have one...
Reginald "Bubbles" Cousins
-"You equivocating like a motherfucker!"
-(while planning a scam, deciding which roles him and his white buddy should each play) "With a white man [as mark], I best play the bad guy... That way, he ain't confused..."
24. Tristan Mack Wilds
Actor | The Secret Life of Bees
Tristan Wilds was born in Staten Island, New York. In 2005, at the age of 15, Tristan made his television debut as AJ in the mini-series Miracle Boys. After that, he took his talents to a different venue and tried his hand in theater. He worked with Phylicia Rashad and the Roundabout Theater ...
Michael Lee
-Big paws on a puppy
-"Owin' niggas for shit- That ain't me, man..."
25. Bill Raymond
Actor | Lincoln
Bill Raymond was born on September 9, 1938 in San Francisco, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Lincoln (2012), 12 Monkeys (1995) and Michael Clayton (2007). He has been married to Linda Ruth Hartinian since 1991. He was previously married to Peggy A Critchett.
The Greek
-Not even Greek
-"Business. Always business..."
26. Frankie Faison
Actor | Coming to America
Frankie Faison was born on June 10, 1949 in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989) and White Chicks (2004). He is married to Samantha Jupiter Faison. He was previously married to Jane Mandel.
Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrel
-"This is Baltimore, Gentlemen; The gods won't save you here..."
27. Robert Wisdom
Actor | The Dark Knight Rises
Robert Wisdom graces each of his diverse screen roles with a powerful, profound and cool presence-- from his commercial hits to his bold and proactive performances in a variety of new features. He starred on HBO's The Wire, generating wide critical praise. Wisdom appeared in The Hawk is Dying at ...
Maj. Howard 'Bunny' Colvin
-The Mayor of Hamsterdam
-"We pretend to teach them, and they pretend to learn... They see right through us..."
-“ Middle management means that you got just enough responsibility to listen when people talk, but not so much you can tell anybody to go fuck themselves...”
-"You call something a war and pretty soon everybody gonna be running around acting like warriors. They gonna be running around on a damn crusade, storming corners, slapping on cuffs, racking up body counts. And when you at war, you need a fucking enemy. And pretty soon, damn near everybody on every corner is your fucking enemy. And soon the neighborhood that you're supposed to be policing? ...that's just occupied territory...."
28. Glynn Turman
Actor | Super 8
New York City-bred actor Glynn Russell Turman, born on January 31, 1947, who enjoyed his first taste of success as a young teenager, originating the role of "Travis Younger" on Broadway in Lorraine Hansberry's landmark play "A Raisin in the Sun" in 1959 opposite Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia ...
Mayor Clarence Royce
-"I don't think any of us want to have to get a REAL job..."
29. Aidan Gillen
Actor | Game of Thrones
Aidan Gillen is an Irish actor. He is best known for portraying Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011), CIA operative Bill Wilson in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 series Queer as Folk (1999), John Boy in the RTÉ Television series ...
Mayor Tommy Carcetti
-Just a weak-ass mayor of a broke-ass city.
-Still wakes up white, in a city that ain't.
-"You want friends, in this racket? Get a dog..."
30. Sonja Sohn
Actress | Slam
Sonja Sohn was born on May 9, 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Slam (1998), The Wire (2002) and Baltimore Rising (2017). She was previously married to Adam Plack.
Det. Kima Gregs
-"A police is only as good as his informants"
31. Tray Chaney
Actor | We Need to Talk
Tray Chaney, the highly celebrated up and coming actor, is best known for his role as "Poot" on the HBO's Original hit series "The Wire". The strikingly handsome young man of many talents began his career as a performer at the early age of four years old. After graduating from high school, Tray ...
Malik 'Poot' Carr
-"Do the chair know we gon' look like some punk-ass bitches out there?!?"
-The only Season 1 corner-boy to survive the series.
32. S. Robert Morgan
Actor | The Wire
S. Robert Morgan is known for The Wire (2002), Luke Cage (2016) and Literary Visions (1992).
Butchie +
-"Bitch wasn't worth more than a pinky!!"
-"Conscience DO cost..."
33. Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Actor | The Waterboy
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. was born on September 22, 1971 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Waterboy (1998), Walk of Shame (2014) and One Night in Miami... (2020). He is married to Michelle Paress.
D'Angelo Barksdale +
-"The king stay the king..."
-" I just want to go somewhere where I can breathe like regular folk..."
-"Where's Wallace, String?!? Where Wallace at?!?"
34. John Doman
Actor | The Wire
After a substantial career in the advertising industry, John Doman came to acting relatively late. In fact, he made his screen debut at the age of 46. When the acting bug eventually bit, it was upon his return from Vietnam in 1969, where he had served as a Second Lieutenant with the 3rd Marine ...
Col. William A. Rawls
-"Bad news gentlemen, is we're actually gonna have to catch this motherfucker. Good news is that our Mayor finally needs a police department more than he needs a school system..."
-"American Democracy!! Let's show those third world fucks how it's done!!"
-"You, McNulty, are a gaping asshole..."
35. Melvin Williams
Actor | The Wire
Melvin Williams was born on December 14, 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for The Wire (2002), American Gangster (2006) and The Walter Hawkins Tribute Concert (2010). He was married to Mary Williams. He died on December 3, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Deacon
-"A good church man is always up in everybody's shit. It's how we do..."
-The actor was one of two real-life inspirations for Avon Barksdale, Williams served 34 years in prison, for being one of West-side Baltimore's major heroin dealers in the 60s and 70s.
36. Jay Landsman
Actor | The Wire
Jay Landsman is known for The Wire (2002), The Corner (2000) and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (2005).
Sgt. Mello
-"Don't get captured"
-The actor is the real-life Jay Landsman
37. Larry Andrews
Actor | Zombie Apocalypse
Larry Andrews is known for Zombie Apocalypse (2011), The Wire (2002) and As Easy As Closing Your Eyes. He has been married to Fran Boyd since August 11, 2007.
Donnie
-The actor, Larry Donnel "Donnie" Andrews (the guy Butchie sends to arm Omar up, in county lock-up when Chris Partlow sets him up for murdering a delivery-woman) was the real-life inspiration for Omar Little; He made his living robbing Baltimore drug dealers. Omar's four storey "some Spider-man shit" jump was a fictionalized version of a real experience Andrews had.
38. Felicia Pearson
Actress | The Wire
Felicia Pearson was born on May 18, 1980 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Wire (2002), The Family Plan (2023) and Guns and Grams (2016).
Fellicia "Snoop" Pearson +
-"Fuck them West Coast niggers. Cause in B-More, we aim to hit a nigga, y'heard?"
-"This here the Cadillac, man. He meant Lexus, but he ain't know it."
-Doesn't know who Young Leek is.
-The actor is essentially playing herself; She served time for murder, before her acting debut in 'The Wire'.
39. Lance Reddick
Actor | John Wick
Incisive, intense, multi-talented American actor Lance Solomon Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the younger of two sons, to Solomon Reddick and public schoolteacher Dorothy Gee. Having opted initially for a career in music, he attended first the Peabody Preparatory Institute and the Walden ...
Lt. Cedric Daniels
-“You'd rather live in shit than let the world see you work a shovel.”
40. Al Brown
Actor | Red Dragon
Al Brown was born on September 26, 1939 in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Red Dragon (2002), The Replacements (2000) and The Wire (2002). He was married to Barbara Eberz and Janet Newhart. He died on January 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Maj. Stanislaus 'Stan' Valcek
-"This is the Bawlm'r Police Department, not the Roland Park ladies' tee"
-"Fuckin' rat fuckers all of ya!!"
41. Reg E. Cathey
Actor | Fantastic Four
Born into a military family in Huntsville, Alabama -- his father was an army vet who had served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, while his mother held a somewhat mysterious job in the Department of Defence -- Reg E. Cathey spent much of his early childhood living on a rural farmhouse in Germany....
Senator's Aide Norman Wilson
-"They manufactured an issue to get paid. We manufactured an issue to get you elected. Everybody's getting what they need, behind some make-believe..."
42. Method Man
Actor | How High
Award-winning actor, producer, musician, and entrepreneur Cliff "Method Man" Smith, has been forging an extraordinary and unparalleled path across all mediums since he first entered the scene 30 years ago.
Smith currently stars as 'Attorney Davis MacLean' opposite Mary J. Blige in the worldwide hit ...
Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff +
-“Omar had one of dem commando squads wit him, man! I mean, he had this one ho, pullin' guns out her pussy, Unc! Shit was unseemly, man...”
43. James Ransone
Actor | It Chapter Two
James Ransone attended Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, Maryland from 1993-1997. The school is a "magnet school" that allows students to specialize in subjects such as theater, dance, writing, fine arts, and film as well as all the required academic classes. Ransone specialized in ...
Chester "Ziggy" Sobotka |||
44. Amy Ryan
Actress | Gone Baby Gone
Amy Ryan was born on May 3, 1968 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA as Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski. She is an actress, known for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Gone Baby Gone (2007) and Escape Plan (2013). She has been married to Eric Slovin since August 23, 2011. They ...
Off. Beatrice "Beadie" Russell
45. Deirdre Lovejoy
Actress | Raising Dion
Deirdre Lovejoy was born in Abilene, Texas, USA. Deirdre is an actor, known for Raising Dion (2019), The Blacklist (2013) and The Wire (2002).
States Ass. Atty Rhonda Pearlman
46. Pablo Schreiber
Actor | 13 Hours
Pablo Tell Schreiber was born in Ymir, British Columbia, Canada, to Lorraine Reaveley, a Canadian psychotherapist, and Tell Schreiber, an American actor. His paternal half-brother is actor Liev Schreiber. Pablo, who is named after Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, was raised in Ymir, and moved to Seattle,...
Nick Sobotka
47. Michael B. Jordan
Actor | Black Panther
Michael B. Jordan, the middle of three children, was born in Santa Ana, California and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He is the son of Donna (Davis), a high school counselor, and Michael A. Jordan. His middle name, Bakari, means "noble promise" in Swahili. (He is not related to, or named after, ...
Wallace +
48. Maestro Harrell
Actor | The Wire
Maestro Harrell was born on July 29, 1991 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for The Wire (2002), Fear the Walking Dead (2015) and Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018).
Randy Wagstaff
49. Peter Gerety
Actor | Flight
Peter Gerety was born on May 17, 1940 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He is an actor, known for Flight (2012), Charlie Wilson's War (2007) and Public Enemies (2009). He has been married to Natalie Burton since November 27, 2000.
Judge Daniel Phelan
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