The Wire stars now – Meghan Markle snub, tragic overdose death and huge £35m fortune

American crime drama The Wire captivated audiences across the globe with it its fascinating storylines and gritty character portrayal when it first hit screens in 2002.

Originally broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States, the TV show ran for six years before it came to an end in March 2002.

Produced and also set in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire focused on a criminalised institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement.

Although the programme only received average ratings at time and never won any major television awards, it has often been remembered as one of the greatest television series of all time.

It also catapulted Idris Elba into superstardom and as he celebrates his 50th birthday on September 6, Daily Star has taken a look at where some of the characters from the show are now.

Dominic West as Detective Jimmy McNulty

British actor Dominic West played Baltimore Detective Jimmy McNulty in The Wire.

Known for his convincing American accent, the star was involved in all five seasons and became widely remembered for his realistic portrayal.

Talking about his character and hiding his British accent, he previously said: “Whenever I open my mouth in a room full of Wire fans, I’m used to a sort of deflation of like, ‘Oh dear, he’s not McNulty.

“It’s nice that people thought I was American, otherwise, it wouldn’t have worked, would it?”

Once the show came to an end, Dominic’s acting career continued to flourish and he went on to star in many films including Centurion in 2010, Pride in 2014 and most recently appeared in the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era playing the role of Guy Dexter.

Sonja Sohn as Detective Shakima “Kima”

Actress Sonja Sohn played Detective Shakima “Kima” Greggs in all five seasons.

Appearing alongside Detective Jimmy, Shakima was smart and showed audiences that women were more than capable of excelling in such a gritty role.

Talking to NPR, the star previously confessed that playing a policewoman was initially fairly difficult for her.

She said: “My own perception of cops was that they came into your neighbourhood, they roughed up people that you loved for no reason and took them away.

“So I had to overcome all of that to play this cop.”

Once the show came to an end, the actress decided to stay in Baltimore and launched non-profit organisation ReWired for Change which helps young parolees improve their lives.

The star also continued acting and appeared in films such as High Flying Bird and played an Agent Katherine Milner in Netflix’s Utopia in 2020.

Michael K. Williams as Omar Little

Michael K. Williams starred as the likeable character Omar Little, who was beloved by fans across the globe.

His character was even mentioned by former US president Barak Obama who said Little was his favourite person in the show.

During the programme, troubled Omar was evicted from his home after becoming addicted to cocaine.

Speaking about how he developed his character, Michael told The Guardian: “I was using Omar as a means of escape. Now I don’t use my job as a way to define me: it’s what I do, not who I am. I have that understanding now.”

Following The Wire, the Hollywood legend continued his acting career and starred in Boardwalk Empire, F Is for Family, Lovecraft Country, and had a small part in award-winning film, Twelve Years a Slave.

But in September 2021, the world was left mourning when Michael was found dead in his apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by his nephew.

On September 24, 2021, the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that the actor died from a combination of fentanyl, p-fluoro, heroin, and cocaine, and ruled the death by overdose.

Five months after his passing, in February 2022, police arrested four men in connection with his death.

Wendell Pierce as Detective Bunk Moreland

Actor Wendell Pierce was already well known in the acting world when he took on the role of Detective Bunk Moreland.

Talking to HBO about The Wire’s popularity, he said: “I remember one time in particular—I was actually in Zimbabwe. I walked into my hotel room, turned on the television, and thought, ‘Wait a minute, that sounds like me.'”

Following the show, Wendell kept himself booked and busy appearing in roles such as Numb3rs, Treme, Suits, Ray Donovan, Chicago P.D. and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

Away from the limelight in 2016, Wendell was arrested and charged with simple battery for an alleged attack against a female Bernie Sanders supporter while outside Atlanta Loews Hotel.

According to reports at the time, Wendell got into a heated debate with a couple over differences in opinion about the U.S. presidential race.

The police report said Wendell followed the couple in the hotel after their alteration and tried to force his way into their room.

It also claimed he pulled the woman’s hoodie off and hit her in the head. However the actor denied allegations made against him.

The actor was booked and released on $1,000 bond from Fulton County Jail.

He also got himself into hot water last year as he claimed his Suits co-star Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was insignificant compared to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said on LBC: “Today 3,000 people are going to die in America from COVID. A couple of hundred people are going to die, even this hour, in the UK.

“It was quite insensitive and offensive that we are all complicit in this sort of palace… gossip in the midst of so much death. I think it is insignificant.”

Pierce also branded the interview Shakespeare’s phrase “‘full of sound and fury signifying nothing”.

Idris Elba as “Stringer” Bell

British actor Idris Elba starred as “Stringer” Bell for three seasons of The Wire and went on to become one of the most successful actors from the show.

However, he almost missed out on being a part of the show due to the fact that he was from the UK.

Speaking about his role, Idris previously said: “Alexa Fogel was a casting director that was really into seeing new talent. She said ‘I love you, I gotta bring you into this audition, but you have to promise that you can’t tell him you’re from East London.'”

Following The Wire, Idris has gone on to star in a number of film and TV roles which include Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Cats and Avengers: Infinity War.

He also went on to have a successful music career as a rapper, DJ and producer.

Back in 2019, the Hollywood icon revealed that he was the DJ at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding reception the previous year.

In 2018, he was also named People’s Sexiest Man Alive and is one of the highest-grossing actors in the world, with his films generating $10billion (£8.6bn) as of 2019.

He is said to have amassed a personal net worth of £35million through his movie success and endorsements.

Michael B. Jordan as Wallace

A young Michael B. Jordan got his start in television as a 16-year-old drug dealer named Wallace on The Wire.

It was his first recurring role at the time, but he almost attempted to quit acting altogether after he was written off the show—however co-star Andre Royo talked him out of doing it.

Thankfully, Michael still decided to pursue his acting career and landed a role in All My Children following his time in The Wire.

In 2015, the actor starred in the leading role for the film Creed which was the sequel to Sylvester Stallone’s classic Rocky Balboa.

He also starred in his most notable role to date playing criminal antihero Erik Killmonger in Black Panther.

Michael is set to appear in I Am Legend 2 and Creed III which will be released in 2022.

Deirdre Lovejoy as Rhonda Pearlman

Throughout her five seasons on The Wire actress Deirdre Lovejoy took on the role of Rhonda Pearlman who played an assistant state’s attorney who went on to become a judge.

Talking to Parade about her part in the show, the actress said: “That experience was special not only because of the content—a Peabody Award-Winning script and just brilliant writing.

“But I got to take the character from start to storyline finish over a five-year period.”

Following her role on the show, Deirdre went on to star in Bones, Body of Proof, Orange Is the New Black, and Shameless, and has had starring roles on The Blacklist and American Gothic.

In 2020, she played a defense attorney in the film Manhunt: Deadly Games.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk