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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 ability to mesmerize audiences with his stunning character portrayals.

Born in 1966 in Brooklyn, Williams was best known for his remarkable work on The Wire (2002). The wit and humor that Williams brought to Omar, the whistle-happy, profanity-averse, openly gay drug dealer-robbing stickup man, earned him high praise, and made Omar one of television's most memorable characters. Williams also co-starred in HBO's critically acclaimed series Boardwalk Empire (2010), in which he played Chalky White, a 1920s bootlegger and the impeccably suited, veritable mayor of Atlantic City's African American community. In 2012, "Boardwalk Empire" won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He received his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie for HBO's Bessie (2015) and subsequently received his second nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for his portrayal of Freddy in HBO's The Night Of (2016).

In 2018, Vice (2013) returned for its sixth season with an extended special season premiere produced by and featuring Williams as he embarked on a personal journey to expose the root of the American mass incarceration crisis: the juvenile justice system. The episode "Raised in the System" offered a frank and unflinching look at those caught up the system, exploring why the country's mass incarceration problem cannot be fixed without first addressing the juvenile justice problem. Williams investigated the solutions that local communities were employing that resulted in drastic drops in both crime and incarceration. Michael garnered his first Emmy nomination as a producer for this incredible documentary and continues to host screenings across the country as a way to educate and raise awareness.

Giving back to the community played an important role in Williams' off-camera life. He launched Making Kids Win, a charitable organization, the primary objective of which is to build community centers in urban neighborhoods that are in need of safe spaces for children to learn and play. Williams served as the ACLU's Ambassador of Smart Justice.

Williams began his career as a performer by dancing professionally at age 22. After numerous appearances in music videos and as a background dancer on concert tours for Madonna and George Michael, Williams decided to pursue acting seriously. He participated in several productions of the La MaMA Experimental Theater, the prestigious National Black Theater Company. and the Theater for a New Generation, directed by Mel Williams.

Michael K. Williams was born, raised, and resided in Brooklyn, New York, until his death on September 6, 2021.

John Costelloe was born on 8 November 1961 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Die Hard 2 (1990), Black Rain (1989) and Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). He died on 18 December 2008 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Angel Salazar (born March 2, 1956) is a Cuban-American comedian and actor.

This manic,human laugh factory is rather difficult to describe. His Cuban heritage and penchant for sporting mini-skirts notwithstanding, Salazar's performance is a mixture of street-smart ethnic wisecracks, risqué humor, physical comedy, and audience involvement.

He disappeared from films in 1993 for a decade!? Only appearing in a documentary called "Comedian"(2002) in between. He reappeared in 2003 in the films, "Harlem Blues"and "Vote for Me". He once again disappeared for 2 yrs from film!?. In 2005, he came back for a film called "Rose Woes and Joe's " But then he once again vanished for 2 more years!? In between he did another documentary in 2006 "The Latin Legends of Comedy" with J.J. Ramirez and Joey Vega.He reappeared in 2007 with "Made in Brooklyn " then again gone for 2 more years!?

He again appeared in 2009 and made one short film,'Trust Me'. Then the very next year 2010 he did another short film, 'Crumble' with his co-star from Scarface (1983), Steven Bauer.

He came back to films in 2011 with "The Last Gamble "as a character named 'Angel' no-less. He has 2 complete films coming out in 2012.

Born in China, Kim Chan fled China in 1928 with his father Lem and two older sisters. Settling first in Rhode Island, then in New York, Kim left his family after his father caught him lying about an afternoon spent at the cinema. Faced with an ultimatum, Kim left for years as a day laborer, occasionally homeless, frequently sleeping on vermin-infested ironing boards.

Yet when he was not laboring in laundries and restaurants, Kim Chan sought work as an actor in film, television, and the theater. Many roles were small, often reflecting racial stereotypes - casting as a Japanese soldier was common in the 1940s. Chan's big break came only in 1983 with his comedic turn as Jonno, the butler to the late night talk show host Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) in Martin Scorsese's _The King of Comedy (1983)_. Since then he has appeared in numerous roles, seemingly never wanting for work.

Jo Andres was an American filmmaker, choreographer and artist.

Andres first became known on the kinetic downtown New York performance scene of the 1980s for her film/dance/light performances, shown at The Performing Garage, La Mama E.T.C., P.S. 122, St. Marks Danspace, and the Collective for Living Cinema. As a filmmaker, Andres drew acclaim and awards for the 1996 film, Black Kites (1996), which aired on PBS and played several film festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, London and Human Rights Watch Film Festivals. She directed music and art videos, as well as her own film performance works. Andres was a dance' consultant to the acclaimed Wooster Group. She was an artist in residence at leading universities, museums and art colonies, including Yaddo and The Rockefeller Study Center in Bellagio, Italy.

She created a series of cyanotype photographs, which can be seen on JoAndres.com.

She and her husband, actor Steve Buscemi, had one son, Lucian Buscemi.

Franklyn Seales was a stage and television actor best remembered for playing the finicky business manager Dexter Stuffins on the NBC sit-com "Silver Spoons." He also appeared in films, most notably as the real-life cop killer in "The Onion Field."

One of eight children, Seales was born in 1952 on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. In 1960, Seales' family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in New York City.

A painter since age six, Seales planned to study art at Pratt Institute. But then John Houseman noticed Seales when he was helping a friend to audition by performing the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." Signed on the spot to a full scholarship at Juilliard, Seales studied acting as a member of Houseman's Acting Company, during the early 1970s.

Seales' first big break was the PBS broadcast of the television drama The Trial of the Moke (1978). He portrayed Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point.

Seales' film debut was in the true-crime drama The Onion Field (1979). He portrayed a weak, gullible ex-con who's just out of jail when a fast-talking killer, played by James Woods, talks him into a senseless crime that results in the murder of a police officer.

From 1983 to 1987, Seales played the character for which he was best remembered, the finicky business manager Dexter Stuffins on the NBC situation-comedy Silver Spoons (1982), which also starred John Houseman as stoic Grandpa Stratton.

Toward the end of his life, Seales worked mainly in the non-profit Equity-waver theatre on the Westside of Los Angeles. He appeared in plays ranging from the theater of the absurd to Shakespeare. Los Angeles Times critic Lawrence Christon called Seales "one of America's most compelling stage actors."

As a member of the all-star L.A. Theatre Works, Seales was one of a company of 36 actors who contributed $6,000 each for the pleasure of performing classic plays together on the radio. Some of the Theater Works other members were James Earl Jones, Ted Danson, Richard Dreyfuss, Bonnie Bedelia, Stacy Keach, Michael York, and Ed Asner.

Seales last appeared in "Nothing Sacred," at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in the fall of 1988. A comedic adaptation of Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons," it was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Seales appeared as Uncle Havel, an aristocratic fop and former military man. For his characterization, Seales relied on his recollections of the English colonels and majors of his native St. Vincent, when it was still a British colony, "with their little sticks and stiff mustaches."

Although he was acclaimed for his versatility, Seales admitted that being a light-skinned black man had limited the roles that were available to him.

Franklyn Seales died on Monday, May 14, 1990 from complications from AIDS at his family's home in Brooklyn, New York. He had been too ill to work for several months. In its obituary, the Los Angeles Times said that "Seales as an actor came to be seen as a link between the tradition of black Africa and the sophistication of classical Anglo drama."

He was survived by his mother, three brothers and three sisters. A memorial service was planned at Juilliard.

Charles Bradley was born on 5 November 1948 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), Stand Up Guys (2012) and Creed II (2018). He died on 23 September 2017 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Jonas Mekas, born December 24, 1922, Semeniskiai, Birzai, Lithuania, is a director, cinematographer, editor, writer, actor, poet, artist and publicist. More than 60 years of tireless work in film, arts and media has earned him the epithet "The Godfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema". In 1944 Jonas Mekas left Lithuania, with his brother Adolfas, because of the war. The both of them were imprisoned in a labor-camp in Elmshorn, Germany. After eight months they escaped to Denmark. By the end of 1949 the Mekas brothers emigrated to the U.S., settling in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Two weeks after his arrival, he borrowed the money to buy his first Bolex 16mm camera and began to record brief moments of his life. Soon he got deeply involved in the American Avant-Garde film movement. In 1954, together with his brother, he started Film Culture magazine, which soon became the most important film publication in the US. In 1958 Jonas Mekas began his legendary Movie Journal column in the Village Voice. In 1962 he founded the Film-Makers' Cooperative, and in 1964 the Film-Makers' Cinematheque, which eventually grew into Anthology Film Archives, one of the world's largest and most important repositories of avant-garde cinema, and a screening venue. Jonas Mekas film "The Brig" was awarded the Grand Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1963. Other films include "Walden" (1969), "Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania" (1972), "Lost Lost Lost" (1975), "Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol" (1990), "Scenes from the Life of George Maciunas" (1992), "As I was Moving Ahead I saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty" (2000), "Letter from Greenpoint" (2005), "Sleepless Nights Stories" (2011) and "Out-takes from the Life of a Happy Man" (2012). In 2007, he completed a series of 365 short films released on the internet -- one film every day -- and since then has continued to share new work on his website. He currently lives and works in New York City.

Paul Auster was born in Newark, New Jersey on February 3rd 1947. His father was a landlord, who owned buildings with his brothers in Jersey City. The family was middle-class and the parents' marriage was not a happy one. Auster grew up in the Newark suburbs of South Orange and Maplewood. He read books enthusiastically and developed an interest for writing.

Auster attended high school in Maplewood, some twenty miles southwest of New York City. After his parents' divorce, during his senior year in high school, his mother moved, with his sister and him, to an apartment in the Weequahic section of Newark. Instead of attending his high-school graduation, Auster headed for Europe. He visited Italy, Spain, Paris and naturally James Joyce's Dublin. While he travelled he worked on a novel.

He returned to the United States in time to start at Columbia University in the fall. In early 1966 he began his relationship with Lydia Davis. Davis, who is now also a writer, was at that time attending Barnard College and was a good match for Auster's intellect. In 1967 Auster again left the US to attend Columbia's Junior Year Abroad in Paris. Auster became disillusioned with the dull existence within the programme and quit college. But he was still reinstated at Columbia when he returned to New York.

Auster's undergraduate years at Columbia coincided with a period of social unrest but he didn't participate actively in student politics. He supported himself with a variety of freelance jobs and wrote articles for university magazines. In June of 1969 Auster was granted a B.A. in English and comparative literature. The following year he received his M.A. from Columbia.

A high lottery number saved Auster from having to worry about the Vietnam draft and he took a job with the Census Bureau. During this period he also began work on the novels "In the Country of Last Things" and "Moon Palace", which he would not complete until many years later. In February 1971 Auster left once again for Paris. He supported himself there with a variety of odd jobs and minor literary tasks. He also worked on several film projects, one of them being in Mexico. In 1973 he moved with Davis to Provence where they became caretakers of a farmhouse.

After returning to the US in 1974, Auster has written poems, essays, novels, screenplays and translations. He directed his first motion picture in 1995. He lives in Brooklyn, New York City with his wife and two children.

Polly Platt was born on 29 January 1939 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, USA. She was a producer and production designer, known for Say Anything (1989), Terms of Endearment (1983) and Broadcast News (1987). She was married to Tony Wade, Peter Bogdanovich and Phillip Klein. She died on 27 July 2011 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Jean Michel Basquiat began painting graffiti in New York in 1977. He always signed his works with SAMO, which means "Same Old Shit". His works came to the attention of the American painter Keith Haring, who drew inspiration for his own work from New York graffiti paintings. Basquiat also made drawings on paper, sheet metal, T-shirts and other materials. And assemblages were created from scrap. In 1980 he took part in an exhibition together with Jenny Holzer, John Ahearn and several other artists. The following year, the medium "Artforum" reported on Basquiat in a major article.

Further exhibitions followed, which contributed to his popularity. He presented his work in 1981 at the exhibition "New York, New Wave" at P.S.1. His contacts with the director Julian Schnabel, who made a film about Basquiat in 1996, as well as other acquaintances with artists such as the American painter Willem de Kooning also advanced his career - also in the international art scene. In 1982 an exhibition of his works opened in Italy. In the same year, at the age of 21, he was invited to take part in the documenta in Kassel.

In 1983 he met Andy Warhol, which not only developed into a friendship. Warhol became his mentor and supporter. The relationship developed into a working group and joint exhibitions followed. Warhol called Basquiat the first black superstar artist. His works quickly became sought after by critics, collectors and artists. He made his breakthrough with mixed media, using colored pencils, oil pastels, pastels, watercolors, pencils, charcoal and acrylics. He used it to design canvases and paper, adding columns of words and grimaces or the copyright symbol.

In the 1980s, Jean Michel Basquiat became one of the most important figures in the New York art scene alongside artists such as Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel, David Salle and Francesco Clemente. In his second phase, Basquiat emphasized the figurative nature of his subjects. Nevertheless, his roots in graffiti art cannot be denied, they are always present. He created paintings with large formats and fast movements. He used Jackson Pollock's drip painting technique by letting the paint fall onto the surface. Basquiat's themes in his art included protesting against racial discrimination.

With his works, the artist also wanted to draw attention to the difficult conditions of the weaker people in society. Basquiat was very productive in his short artistic career. His complete works number several hundred Work.

Jean Michel Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988.

Novella Nelson was born on 17 December 1939 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Devil's Advocate (1997), A Perfect Murder (1998) and The Ten (2007). She was married to George Blanchard. She died on 31 August 2017 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

David Lipman was born on 12 May 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for True Grit (2010), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) and Weekend at Bernie's II (1993). He was married to Elizabeth A Bacharach. He died on 19 June 2024 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Gregory Rozakis was born on 30 January 1943 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for America America (1963), Death Wish (1974) and The Cotton Club (1984). He died on 24 August 1989 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Harry Endo was born on 20 July 1922 in Denver, Colorado, USA. He was an actor, known for Magnum, P.I. (1980), Hawaii Five-O (1968) and Murder, She Wrote (1984). He was married to Myrtle. He died on 9 January 2009 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Daniel Levins was born on 7 October 1953 in Freeport, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Grease (1978), The Goodbye Girl (1977) and Can't Stop the Music (1980). He was married to Judith Blazer and Eugene Gabriel-Thomas Walsh. He died on 15 September 2015 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Oni Faida Lampley was born on 15 April 1959 in Ogden, Utah, USA. She was an actress, known for Stay (2005), Money Train (1995) and Dragonfly (2002). She was married to Tommy O Abney. She died on 28 April 2008 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

William Wadsworth was born on 7 June 1874 in Pigeon Cove, Massachusetts, USA. He was an actor, known for Kidnapped (1917), Chris and His Wonderful Lamp (1917) and Vanity Fair (1915). He died on 6 June 1950 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Frank Behrens was born on 15 February 1919 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor, known for The Twilight Zone (1959), One Step Beyond (1959) and Peter Gunn (1958). He was married to Amzie Strickland. He died on 15 December 1986 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

'Rodion Rathbone' is the only natural child of Basil Rathbone. He was born in Britain in 1915 after his father returned from World War I. He was raised in Britain by his mother after his parents divorced in 1926. He went to Hollywood in the late 1930s to reunite with his father.

Everett Quinton was born on 18 December 1951 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Natural Born Killers (1994), Pollock (2000) and The Sorrows of Dolores (1986). He died on 23 January 2023 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Sally Phipps was born on 25 May 1911 in Oakland, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Why Sailors Go Wrong (1928), Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl (1926) and Joy Street (1929). She was married to Alfred Marion Harned and Benedict Gimbel Jr. She died on 17 March 1978 in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Novelist, playwright, short-story writer, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Bruce Jay Friedman was born in New York City on April 26, 1930, and raised in The Bronx by his parents, Irving and Molly (Liebowitz) Friedman. Determined to be a writer, Friedman attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism in the school's first-rate journalism department. After serving as an Air Force officer during the Korean War, he married model Ginger Howard (who became a writer and acting coach) in 1954. He established himself as a writer for men's magazines published by the Magazine Management Co., eventually working himself up to executive editor of three of the company's titles: "Men", "Male" and "Man's World". These magazines were unlike Hugh Hefner's "Playboy" magazine in that they focused on macho subjects such as hunting, fishing and war.

Friedman published his first novel, "Stern" in 1962 and established himself as a writer and playwright, most famously known for his off-Broadway hit "Steambath" (filmed as Steambath (1973)) and his 1978 novel "The Lonely Guy's Book of Life". "Steambath" ran at the Truck and Warehouse Theater from June 30 to October 18, 1970, for a total of 128 performances and was adapted for television in 1973, being the first American TV program to feature nudity. "The Lonely Guy's Book of Life" was adapted into the 1984 Steve Martin vehicle The Lonely Guy (1984), with a screenplay by Friedman.

In addition to short stories and plays, Friedman also has published another seven novels, and has written numerous screenplays, including the Oscar-nominated Splash (1984). He resides in New York City with is second wife, educator Patricia J. O'Donohue.

Bill Lee was born on 23 July 1928 in Snow Hill, Alabama, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Do the Right Thing (1989), Jungle Fever (1991) and She's Gotta Have It (1986). He was married to Susan Kaplan and Jacquelyn Shelton. He died on 24 May 2023 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA.

Songwriter ("Blue Christmas"), composer, author and guitarist, and a contact man for Dawn Music. He joined ASCAP in 1948, and his chief musical collaborators included Jay Johnson and Milton Leeds. His other popular-song compositions include "Blue Snowflakes", "Play Fair", "Yesterday's Kisses", "Whittlin'", "Tomorrow's Just Another Day to Cry", "Got a Ring Around Rosie's Finger", "A Smile Will Chase Away a Tear", "You Laughed and I Cried", "Who Shot the Hole in My Sombrero?", "My Oklahoma Rose", and "Hillbilly Rock'.