J. D. Williams
| J. D. Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Darnell Williams May 22, 1978 Newark, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Playing Bodie Broadus in The Wire and Kenny Wangler in Oz |
Darnell "J.D." Williams (born May 22, 1978) is an American actor best known for his starring roles in the HBO television programs Oz , The Wire and "Pootie Tang"
Early life
Williams was born in Newark, New Jersey. He attended Newark Arts High School, a performing arts public school in Newark, New Jersey.[1] He portrayed a biracial 15-year-old dealing with racism and his father's infidelity in the play A.M. Sunday in late 2003 at Baltimore's Centerstage theater.[2] He had a number of cameos and leading roles in R&B and hip-hop music videos between 2002 and 2005.[3][4]
Career
Williams appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street, a show based on a book by The Wire creator David Simon, where he guest-starred as Casper in the episode "The Why Chromosome".[5] He had a small guest starring role in The Sopranos episode "46 Long" as Special K, an incompetent stickup man and one of Brendan Filone's goons.[4] He went on to play series regular, inmate Kenny Wangler, in the first four seasons of Oz.[6] He then appeared in HBOs The Wire as Bodie Broadus, a Barksdale Organization drug dealer who slowly rises through the ranks throughout the seasons.[6][7] In preparation for the role, he walked around Baltimore's inner city during the middle of the night a few days before the first taping; talking about this to AllHipHop, Williams stated "it was like 12 or 1:00 in the morning. I just threw on a black hoodie and walked around. I went to one of their hoods and watched that night. I learned not to do that no more, I was lucky I made it back that night.".[4] He is older than his character by 8 years.[3]
According to his original HBO bio, he is credited with appearing in the film "Graffiti Bridge", but a 2003 interview with AllHipHop revealed that Williams was not in the movie.[4] The page no longer exists, however. Tevin Campbell filled the cameo role with which Williams was credited.
Williams has had leading roles or cameo appearances in a number of R&B and hip-hop music videos. He has appeared as himself, a love interest, and characters resembling his role as a drug dealer on The Wire.[3][4]
He has starred in a number of commercials; most recently played a delivery man in a FedEx commercial.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 24 Hour Woman |
| 2001 | Pootie Tang |
| 2001 | Popcorn Shrimp |
| 2001 | Snipes |
| 2002 | Durdy Game |
| 2003 | Mr. Smith Gets a Hustler |
| 2005 | Two Guns |
| 2005 | The Warriors |
| 2006 | Shanghai Hotel |
| 2007 | 4 Life |
| 2008 | Cash Rules |
| 2009 | Falling Awake |
| 2010 | Code Blue |
| 2010 | Happy New Year |
| 2011 | Sex, Money and You Already Know |
| 2012 | An American in Hollywood |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | New York Undercover | one episode |
| 1998 | Law & Order | one episode |
| 1999 | The Sopranos | one episode |
| 1999 | Trinity | one episode |
| 1999 | Homicide: Life on the Street | one episode |
| 1999 | Third Watch | one episode |
| 2000 | Sex and the City | one episode |
| 1997-2000 | Oz | twenty-three episodes |
| 2000 | Big Apple | one episode |
| 2001 | 100 Centre Street | two episode |
| 2002-2006 | The Wire | forty-two episodes |
| 2006 | Rap City | three episodes |
| 2008 | The Kill Point | eight episodes |
| 2010, 2011 | Detroit 1-8-7 | two episodes |
| 2010-2013 | The Good Wife | four episodes |
| 2013 | Blue Bloods | one Episode |
| 2014 | The Following | two episodes |
Music videos
- Aaliyah, "Miss You" (2002)
- Freeway, "What We Do" (2002)
- Mariah Carey, "Through the Rain" (2002)
- Lumidee, "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)" (2003)
- Cam'Ron, "Lord You Know" (2004)
- Fabolous, "Breathe" (2004)
- Tupac Shakur, "Ghetto Gospel" (2005)
- Mario, "How Could You" (2005)
- Prodigy, "Stuck On You" (2007)
Theater roles
- Streamers (2007)
- A.M. Sunday (2003)
References
- ↑ Colaneri, Katie (July 5, 2012). ""Super Summer" Arrives In Newark". WBGO. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ Marks, Peter (December 10, 2003). "In 'A.M. Sunday,' an Enigma Wrapped in a Family". The Washington Post (highBeam Research). Archived from the original on 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Yue, Jordan (June 12, 2012). "J.D. Williams: "I Didn’t Want to Keep Doing Characters That Were Evil" | News". BET. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Dove (September 19, 2004). "JD Williams: Walking The Wire". AllHipHop. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ TV.com. "Homicide: Life on the Street - Season 7, Episode 21: The Why Chromosome". TV.com. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bianculli, David (May 29, 2002). "HBO Show Arrives Under 'The Wire' - Baltimore crime drama suffers by comparison". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ Spitz, Marc (June 4, 2012). "Maxim Interrogates the Makers and Stars of The Wire". Maxim. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ↑ Rahman, Ray (September 19, 2011). "Watch The Wire's Bodie Push Weight in a FedEx Commercial". Vulture. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
External links
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