10 Iconic TV Characters Only ONE Actor Could Play
6. Omar Little - The Wire
When considering all-time great TV characters, it's impossible to ignore The Wire's Robin Hood-esque stick-up man Omar Little.
An instant fan favourite character, Omar became popular due to his position as a foil for the show's various criminal empires, for his strict moral code, his almost mythic ability to evade death, and most of all, his phenomenal portrayal by the late, great Michael K. Williams.
There isn't a single note in Williams' performance that feels contrived or actorly: we're never in doubt that we're watching a deceptively smart, dangerous legend of the streets on manoeuvres, with every ounce of movement and action feeling like it bleeds from Williams' own skin.
The Wire was widely praised throughout its run for casting lesser-known actors to portray many of its most pivotal characters, yet not one disappeared into their role quite as persuasively as Williams, who carried Omar with him for the rest of his tragically curtailed life and career.