Happy New Year to all who still pop in here for the very occasional
thread.
Have any of you watched American Gangster (the TV show, not the
movie)? Recently there was a profile on "Little" Melvin Williams, who
ran the drug trade in Baltimore in the late '60s and early '70s before
going to prison. He was the model for Avon Barksdale (or perhaps
Stringer Bell) in The Wire, and when I watched the show I was
astounded to see that the man who played the deacon in The Wire was
none other than Little Melvin himself! They gave him a role in the
show--ironically, he plays a man of the cloth and he's not too bad an
actor. The guy has a pretty amazing story, so do check out American
Gangster if you get the chance. He was pulling in a couple million
dollars at age 15 just from gambling. This was prior to his jumping
into the drug trade.
I also noticed at one point in the show, when they were showing a
police board that named all of Williams' lieutenants, there was a guy
named Nathan Barksdale, so that name on The Wire comes straight from
real life.
Also, has anyone noticed that Clark Johnson has a role in the upcoming
final season of The Wire? Anyone know if he's reprising his Homicide
role? It would be nice to see Meldrick in his porkpie hat once again,
but I have a feeling this is too much to ask. He's probably playing a
member of the media, since that is this season's focus.
Todd
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