Tributes to Michael K. Williams, Actor Who Gave ‘Voice to the Human Condition’
“He had a really rare gift for being fully present in the moment & for conveying the layers under the words,” Mr. Norton said. “He ran so deep. He was also kind & generously enthusiastic.”
The director Ava DuVernay reminisced about filming the mini-series “When They See Us” in New York City with Mr. Williams, who played the father of Anton McCray, one of the teenagers wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in Central Park.
“I remember the times you’d come on set even when you weren’t on the call sheet,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “Just to share a hug. To cheer us on. Strolling in like the King that you were. For just a flash to give some love - then gone.”
The actress Niecy Nash, who played a parent of another teenager in “When They See Us,” described him in an Instagram post as a “beautiful soul, a kind spirit & a good time.”
“Thank you for the many times we traded energy and you made me feel like family,” she wrote.
HBO said on Twitter that the death of Mr. Williams is an “immeasurable loss.”
“While the world knew of his immense talents, we knew Michael as a dear friend,” the network said.
Ahmir Khalib Thompson, the musician known as Questlove, said on Twitter that he could not “take this pain.”