The Wire

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The Wire Actor James Ransone Dies at 46

Actor also known for It: Chapter Two and Generation Kill

(Newser) - James Ransone, best known for his turn as troubled dockworker Ziggy Sobotka on The Wire, has died at 46, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Authorities said the actor died by hanging on Friday, Variety reports. Deadline reports that his wife, Jamie McPhee, wrote on Instagram , "I...

The Wire 's 'Horseface' Dead at 84
The Wire's
'Horseface'
Dead at 84
OBITUARY
May 5, 2025 9:27 AM CDT

The Wire's 'Horseface' Dead at 84

Philadelphia-born Charley Scalies succumbs to complications from Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Charley Scalies, an actor who starred as Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa on the second season of The Wire, has passed away at age 84. Scalies died at a nursing facility in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, on Thursday following a long battle with Alzheimer's, his daughter confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter . He...

Hawaii Supreme Court Quotes The Wire in Gun Rights Ruling

'The thing about the old days, they the old days' was first heard on the HBO show

(Newser) - "What's past is past" was the underlying message, sort of, of a ruling this week from Hawaii's Supreme Court, though its decision cited a different famous quote from a popular TV series to get its point across. CBS News and the AP report that the state's...

Dealer Pleads Guilty in Death of Wire Star
Dealer Gets 10 Years
in Death of Wire Star
UPDATED
Aug 19, 2023 9:03 AM CDT

Dealer Gets 10 Years in Death of Wire Star

Irvin Cartagena supplied fentanyl-laced heroin that killed Michael K. Williams

(Newser) - The man who sold Michael K. Williams the drugs that killed him has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. The actor, best known for his roles in The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, died after taking fentanyl-laced heroin he bought from Irvin Cartagena in Brooklyn on Sept. 5, 2021....

Elderly Drug Dealer Sentenced in Wire Actor's Death

72-year-old got 2.5 years in prison

(Newser) - One of the men arrested in the overdose death of The Wire actor Michael K. Williams was on Tuesday sentenced to two and a half years behind bars. Carlos Macci, 72, pleaded guilty in April to possessing and distributing narcotics, NBC News reports. "I would like to say, your...

Michael K. Williams, 54, Dies
Actor's Death Ruled Accidental
updated
Sep 24, 2021 5:10 PM CDT

Actor's Death Ruled Accidental

Tests found a mix of drugs in Michael K. Williams' system

(Newser) - Update: New York officials have ruled the death of actor Michael K. Williams accidental. The cause was acute drug intoxication, the city's medical examiner said Friday. Tests showed fentanyl, parafluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in the actor's system, the AP reports. The medical examiner's office had no further...

Every Year Before The Wire, Williams Posed the Same Question

'What are we going to say this year,' actor who played Omar would ask David Simon

(Newser) - David Simon, creator of The Wire, weighs in on the death of his friend Michael K. Williams in a New York Times essay, one that recounts a question the actor would ask at the start of each season. "What are we going to say this year?" Williams played Omar,...

Wire Star Was 'the Kindest of Persons'

Actors including Wendell Pierce, Edward Norton remember Michael K. Williams

(Newser) - Celebrities, including many of Michael K. Williams' co-stars on The Wire, are paying tribute to the Emmy-nominated actor, who was found dead in his Brooklyn home on Monday. "The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his...

House of Cards Star Reg E. Cathey Dies of Cancer
'One of a Kind'
House of Cards
Star Dies at 59
OBITUARY
Feb 10, 2018 6:30 AM CST

'One of a Kind' House of Cards Star Dies at 59

Reg E. Cathey had suffered from lung cancer

(Newser) - As Freddy Hayes, he served up barbecue to Frank Underwood on House of Cards, while on The Wire he served as right-hand man to Mayor Tommy Carcetti. Now, sad news out of New York: Actor Reg E. Cathey died there at age 59 after fighting lung cancer, TMZ reports. The...

10 Best TV Shows of All Time
10 Best TV Shows
of All Time
Sep 29, 2016 8:52 AM CDT

10 Best TV Shows of All Time

'The Sopranos' takes the No. 1 spot

(Newser) - Getting people to agree on the greatest TV show of all time is about as futile as trying to sway people to your side in a political argument on Facebook. Undaunted, Rolling Stone adds its thoughts to the mix with what it calls its "definitive ranking of the game-changing...

Wire Star Disputes Public Account of Altercation

Wendell Pierce is charged with battery

(Newser) - Actor Wendell Pierce isn't saying much about his arrest over the weekend on battery charges, but he suggests that the version of events depicting him as the aggressor is inaccurate. "I regret that what started as a civil political discussion escalated to the level that it did,"...

Wire Star Allegedly Attacked Bernie Fans, Is Arrested

Wendell Pierce is a Hillary Clinton supporter

(Newser) - Wendell Pierce, the actor best known for his roles in The Wire and Treme, was arrested early Sunday after what sources say was a late-night political argument in an Atlanta hotel. Sources tell TMZ that Pierce, a Hillary Clinton supporter, became enraged when he discovered a couple he was chatting...

Ex-Gangster, Inspiration for The Wire, Dies in Prison

Nathan "Bodie" Barksdale died of natural causes: Baltimore rep

(Newser) - Nathan "Bodie" Barksdale, the former Baltimore gangster who inspired characters in the HBO series The Wire, has died in a federal medical prison in North Carolina. He was 54. He was shot more than 20 times in his life and had to have his right leg amputated below the...

Wire Stars, Creator Call for Peace in Baltimore

Look for reform without a brick in your hand, David Simon says

(Newser) - As images of unrest in Baltimore were seen around the world last night, the creator and several cast members of the TV show most associated with the city added their voices to those calling for peace. Andre Royo, who played Bubbles on The Wire, tweeted a call for his "...

Wire Star Beaten, Stabbed at Nightclub

Anwan Glover expected to make full recovery

(Newser) - Wire actor Anwan Glover is expected to make a full recovery after being beaten, kicked, and stabbed by unknown attackers at a nightclub in Washington, DC, early yesterday. According to a police report seen by the Washington Post , the 41-year-old was punched to the floor of Cafe Asia and heard...

(Some) HBO Shows Headed to Amazon Prime

Sorry, no 'Game of Thrones'

(Newser) - Soon, Amazon Prime customers will be able to stream HBO shows—but before you get too excited, be warned that the announcement mostly applies to older programs. Game of Thrones isn't part of the exclusive deal, though seasons of shows like Girls and Veep will appear some three years...

David Simon of The Wire: Calm Down on Surveillance

This is a 'faux scandal' driven by people who don't have a clue

(Newser) - David Simon created The Wire and presumably knows a thing or two about surveillance. One thing he's sure of: All this noise about the feds snooping on Americans is a "faux scandal," he writes at his website . The column opens with a question: "Is it just...

The Wire , as ... Musical?
 The Wire, as ... Musical? 
funny or die
Jun 5, 2012 2:17 PM CDT

The Wire, as ... Musical?

David Simon is a fan of the Funny or Die spoof

(Newser) - Funny or Die marks the 10th anniversary of The Wire by turning it into a musical, of course. It even stars Michael Kenneth Williams, better known by fans of the show as the unforgettable Omar, notes the Baltimore Sun . Wondering what show creator David Simon thinks of the spoof?...

Wire Actor Gave Back to Baltimore Projects

Sandra Sohn helped troubled teenagers

(Newser) - Sonja Sohn couldn't leave Baltimore behind after The Wire. So the actress who played Det. Shakima “Kima” Greggs on the HBO show started a program for troubled teens called ReWired for Change, the Washington Post reports. Meeting in a university classroom, she urged thugged-up teenagers to reconsider their...

Wire Actress Pleads Guilty to Heroin Charge

Snoop avoids jail time with plea deal

(Newser) - Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, best known for playing a drug-gang hit woman of the same name on The Wire, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin. The 31-year-old actress was arrested along with dozens of others earlier this year after a federal-state wiretap of a Baltimore drug ring. She...

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