Street-level characters comprise a large part of the cast on the fictional HBO drama series ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

''. Characters in this section range from homeless drug addicts up to drug king-pins in charge of entire criminal empires.

Barksdale organization

Omar's crew

Stanfield organization

West Side

Avon Barksdale

Avon Barksdale was the head of the Barksdale organization in season one. He comes from the projects, lives in the projects and plans to stay in the projects. For most of the first season he is the target of homicide detective Jimmy McNulty, who seems to be the only authoritative figure aware of his presence or his empire, which spans the most sought-after drug-dealing territory in Baltimore. Avon is uniformly feared by all other drug dealing criminal organizations in Baltimore due to his ferocity but due to his 'West Side' mentality is no threat to 'East Side' gangs. Together with his closest friend Russell "Stringer" Bell, Avon and their enforcers hold a monopoly on the drug trade in West Baltimore through intimidation and murder.

Russell "Stringer" Bell

Stringer was Avon Barksdale's second-in-command, closest friend, advisor and the main strategist behind coordinating their street dealing organization which he does as the main contact for all business, while he attends a business college in relation to his aspiration as a clean businessman. Together, they operate out of a strip club which is a front for money laundering owned and licensed under a clean member of their gang. Stringer is portrayed as more humble and quiet than Avon but is every bit as ruthless as his friend. He has aspirations to eventually leave the streets and drug life as a whole behind him despite his close and long relationship with Avon. In the third season Bell is killed by

Omar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

and

Brother Mouzone Brother Mouzone is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Michael Potts. Character history Brother Mouzone (from Arabic موزون ''mawzūn'', meaning "balanced,” "weighted") is a drug enforcer and hitman from ...

in his own commercial building that was in development at the time.

D'Angelo Barksdale

D'Angelo Barksdale was Avon's nephew and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization. He was mainly responsible for leading the corner boys in their street dealings and coordinating their earnings and performance. He was the main connection between the upper levels of the crew and the street kids that were selling the product. He struggles with the morality behind his trade and came close to informing on the crew because of it, only relenting because of loyalty to family ties his mother reminded him of before signing. He took the sentence and went to prison where he was killed by a hitman sent by Stringer Bell in season 2.

Bodie

Bodie was a dealer who came of age working for Avon Barksdale. After the Barksdale organization dissolves, he is briefly independent (supplied by the New Day Co-Op) until Marlo forces him to join his crew. He is shot in the head by O-dog with Snoop and Chris providing a distraction after being seen having a conversation with McNulty, because Marlo suspects he may be a snitch.

Poot Carr

Poot is a loyal drug dealer for the Barksdale organization, who serves brief prison time for his crimes. By the end of the series he is working at a shoe store attempting to distance himself from the game after growing tired of it and reeling from the loss of many friends.

Marlo Stanfield

Stanfield is a rising gang leader who gets into a turf war with the

Barksdale Organization The Barksdale Organization is a fictional drug-dealing gang on the television series ''The Wire''. Many of the characters featured in season one of ''The Wire'' belong to this organization. Season 1 largely deals with the Baltimore Police Depar ...

, becoming the key West Baltimore drug kingpin following

Stringer Bell Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in ''The Wire'', played by Idris Elba. He is a secondary antagonist for season 1 and 2, later being the main antagonist for season 3. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as ...

's death and

Avon Barksdale Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Wire'', played by Wood Harris. Barksdale is one of the most powerful drug dealers in Baltimore, Maryland, and runs the Barksdale Organization. Stringer Be ...

's arrest. Stanfield is played by

Jamie Hector Jamie Hector (born October 7, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of drug kingpin Marlo Stanfield on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' and as Detective Jerry Edgar in the drama series '' Bosch''. Career Hector began ac ...

Chris Partlow

Partlow is

Marlo Stanfield Marlo Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO television drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ambitious, intelligent and ruthless gangster and head of the eponymous Stanfield Organization in the Baltimore ...

's second-in-command and best friend in his drug dealing operation. He is played by

Gbenga Akinnagbe Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe ( ; born 12 December 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series ''The Wire'' and as Larry Brown on the HBO series '' The Deuce''. Early life Akinnagb ...

Monk Metcalf

Monk is a lieutenant in the Stanfield organization, and the third most recognized leader of Marlo’s Organization.

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

Snoop is a chief enforcer in the

Stanfield Organization On the fictional television drama '' The Wire'', the Stanfield Organization is a criminal organization led by Marlo Stanfield. The Organization is introduced in Season Three of ''The Wire'' as a growing and significantly violent drug syndicate. ...

, she is a mid-way gangster and she is always seen with

Chris Partlow Christopher "Chris" Partlow is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Gbenga Akinnagbe. Chris is Marlo Stanfield's second-in-command and bodyguard in his drug dealing operation. He is a minor antagonist for season 3 ...

Fruit

*Played by:

Brandon Fobbs Brandon Fobbs (born April 19, 1981) is an American actor. He had a recurring role on HBO television series ''The Wire (TV series), The Wire'' as Stanfield Organization#Fruit, Fruit. He also appeared in ''Pride (2007 film), Pride'' (2007) and '' ...

*Appears in: :Season three: " Time after Time"; " All Due Respect"; "

Dead Soldiers Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

"; " Hamsterdam"; "

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

"; "

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

" and " Mission Accomplished". :Season four: " Boys of Summer". Fruit is a prominent crew chief of one of

's drug dealing crews, and works closely with

Jamal Jamal ( ar, جمال ''/'') is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "beauty",Jamal
at BehindTheName.com and a surna ...

and

Justin Justin may refer to: People * Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin * Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire * Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Rom ...

. Fruit is identifiable by his ever-present

Kangol Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear. The name Kangol reflects the original materials for production, the K coming from the word 'silK' (a recent attribution to 'Knitting' is incorrect), the ANG from 'ANGora', and the ...

hat, and is the chief for one of West Baltimore's most prominent street corners. He is first seen negotiating with

Dennis "Cutty" Wise Dennis "Cutty" Wise is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Chad Coleman. Wise is a reformed criminal who sets up a boxing gym for neighborhood children. The name "Dennis Wise" was taken from an actual Baltimore c ...

over how to distribute a package of dope. He seems to be fair, but he later rips Cutty off, saying the package was taken by the police. Cutty protests, but Fruit pulls a gun on him and forces Cutty to withdraw. Later in the season, his crew's territory is encroached upon by

Bodie Broadus Preston "Bodie" Broadus is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', played by actor J. D. Williams. Bodie is initially a rough, low-level drug dealer, but matures throughout the series and slowly rises through the ranks. Bodie ...

and his crew, which sparks the turf war with the Barksdale organization. Fruit is pressured by Marlo to force the Barksdale Organization away, and Fruit responds by gathering his muscle and beating most of the crew into submission with baseball bats. Cutty, now working for the Barksdale organization, takes part in the subsequent retaliation strike against Fruit's corner. Slim Charles kills one of Fruit's dealers, but Fruit escapes death because Cutty is unable to bring himself to kill again. In " Boys of Summer", the season four premiere, Lex, the father of Patrice's child, watches Fruit and Patrice entering a nightclub. On leaving, they walk through the parking lot. Lex kills Fruit with a single gun shot to the head. He shows no regret for his action. To Patrice's horror, he simply asks, ''Sup Patrice?''. Fruit's death results in Marlo ordering an immediate retaliation hit on Lex.

East Side

"Proposition Joe" Stewart

Joseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart is an Eastside

drug kingpin A drug lord, drug baron, kingpin or narcotrafficker is a high-ranking crime boss who controls a sizable network of people involved in the illegal drug trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they are normally not directly ...

who supplies much of Baltimore through his direct connection to The Greek's smuggling organization. He is murdered and replaced as leader of New Day Co-op by

Melvin "Cheese" Wagstaff

Cheese is the nephew of

Proposition Joe Joseph Stewart, better known as "Proposition Joe" or "Prop Joe", is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Robert F. Chew. Joe is an Eastside drug lord who prefers a peaceful solution to business disputes when possible. H ...

and a crew chief in his Eastside drug crew. He is murdered by

Slim Charles Slim Charles is a fictional character in the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Anwan Glover. An enforcer for the Barksdale Organization and later the top lieutenant of kingpin Proposition Joe, he is portrayed as principled, loyal, and compet ...

in the final episode as retribution for his role in Joe’s death. Although never revealed in the series, Cheese is

Randy Wagstaff Randy Wagstaff is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Maestro Harrell. Randy is an enterprising student who is dependent on social services. During season 4, he was an 8th grade pupil at Edward Tilghman Middle School a ...

's father. Originally, his first name was listed as "Calvin" on the official HBO site, but it was later changed to "Melvin". The character is played by rapper

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

Frog

*Played by:

Gary "Damien Reign" Senkus Jr Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Uni ...

*Appears in season two: " Undertow"; " Backwash" and "

Port in a Storm "Port in a Storm" is the 12th and final episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Robert F. Colesberry. It originally ...

" (uncredited). season five: "

-30- -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

" (uncredited) Frog is a white street-level dealer from

Greektown, Baltimore Greektown is a neighborhood located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The neighborhood is bounded by Lombard Street to the north, O'Donnell Street to the south, South Haven to the west, and I-895 to the east. A long stretch of Eastern Av ...

who was raised on Rapolla Street just like Nick. He used to attend

St. Casimir Church, Baltimore St. Casimir Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore located in the Canton, Baltimore, Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. History St. Casimir's was established as a parish in 1902, becoming an independent ...

. His allegiances are never made clear, though from the photo on the crime board in Season 2 he is shown with

Petey Dixon Petey may refer to: People * Petey Greene (1931–1984), African-American television and radio talk-show host * Petey Pablo (born 1973), stage name of American rapper Moses Barrett III * Petey Perot (born 1957), American retired National Football ...

. He is seen early in season two distributing a package for

Ziggy Sobotka Chester Karol "Ziggy" Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor James Ransone. Though his father Frank Sobotka was a well-respected stevedore union leader, Ziggy's thoughtless and immature behavior gained h ...

(and stealing from him in the process) and later negotiates with

Nick Sobotka Nickolas Andrew Sobotka is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Pablo Schreiber. Nick is the cousin of Ziggy Sobotka, the wayward and rebellious son of Nick's uncle Frank Sobotka. Plot details Season 2 Nick is a ...

, who first admonishes him for being a

wigga ''Wigger'', or ''wigga'', is a term for a white people, white person of Ethnic groups in Europe, European ethnic origin, who emulates the perceived mannerisms, African American Vernacular English, language, and Hip hop fashion, fashions associat ...

, to distribute another. During the early stages of season two's investigation, he sells heroin to

Thomas "Herc" Hauk Thomas "Herc" Hauk is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Domenick Lombardozzi. The series introduces Herc as a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Narcotics Unit, begrudgingly detailed to the initial Barks ...

and is photographed by

Kima Greggs Shakima "Kima" Greggs is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actress Sonja Sohn. Greggs is a determined and capable police detective in the Baltimore Police Department. Openly lesbian, she often displays a hardened, c ...

and

Ellis Carver Ellis Carver is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Seth Gilliam. Carver is a former Sergeant of the Baltimore Police Department's Western District Drug Enforcement Unit. While initially matched to the simple-mind ...

. He can also be seen for a split second in the series finale during the closing montage.

Nick Sobotka

Louis and Joan's son and Frank's nephew, Nick is a well-liked young stevedore with extensive family connections to the Baltimore port and links to the criminal underworld.

Ziggy Sobotka

Ziggy is Frank's son, an impulsive and often reckless young checker, loosely based on Pinkie Bannion, a real life docker in the Baltimore area, at the docks with a desire to prove himself and a respected father to live up to.

"White" Mike McArdle

*Played by: Brook Yeaton *Appears in season two: "

Collateral Damage Collateral damage is any death, injury, or other damage inflicted that is an incidental result of an activity. Originally coined by military operations, it is now also used in non-military contexts. Since the development of precision guided ...

"; "

Stray Rounds "Stray Rounds" is the ninth episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on July 27, 20 ...

" (uncredited); " Bad Dreams" and "

" (Uncredited). White Mike is a mid-level South Baltimore drug dealer from Curtis Bay with his own territory. He supplied

with packages of narcotics to distribute but their relationship soured when Ziggy failed to make adequate profit from the package. He is one of several characters in The Wire who are fond of strawberry soda. McArdle was supplied by

The Greek The Greek is a fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely f ...

's smuggling operation and was arrested as part of an investigation into that operation. He was quick to turn against his suppliers and gave up all the information he had. McNulty's last name was originally McArdle, according to a draft of the pilot script. Brook Yeaton is also credited as an assistant set dresser and set dressing buyer for the show.

Fat Face Rick

*Played by: Troj Marquis Strickland *Appears in: :Season three: " Straight and True" (uncredited); " Slapstick"; "

" :Season four: "

Home Rooms "Home Rooms" is the third episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by Richard Price from a story by Ed Burns & Richard Price, and directed by Seith Mann, it originally aired on September 24, 2006. Plot Mayor ...

" (uncredited); "

Final Grades "Final Grades" is the 13th and last episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and directed by Ernest Dickerson, it originally aired on December 10, 2006. ...

" :Season five: "

More with Less "More with Less" is the first episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Joe Chappelle. It originally aired on January ...

"; " Transitions"; "

The Dickensian Aspect "The Dickensian Aspect" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the HBO series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Ed Burns (from a story by David Simon and Ed Burns) and was directed by Seith Mann. It aired on February 10, 2008. Plot ...

"; and "

–30– -30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, v ...

." Ricardo "Fat Face Rick" Hendrix is a drug kingpin from Baltimore's Veronica Avenue, on the East Side. He is typically seen smoking a cigar, and is among the first to join the New Day Co-Op. He is a dissenting voice in the Co-Op for

when

is warring with

. Rick and Phil Boy assist

when he gives Bell the ultimatum, to either end the war with Stanfield or lose access to the high-quality heroin. Later, he is the first to bring up the idea that West Sider

should work with the Co-Op against the encroachment from New York dealers. In season four, episode 11 ("A New Day"), Omar and Renaldo are spying on the New-Day Co-Op and briefly discuss a time when they robbed Fat Face Rick, who "fell down on his knees, wept like a little baby." At the end of the fourth season, Rick leads the quorum confronting Joe, after Omar has stolen the shipment. In the fifth season Rick's full name is revealed as Ricardo Hendrix, when ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' runs a story exposing a corrupt property deal. Rick owns a strip club named Desperado and the council wants to relocate him to redevelop the land. However, they are offering to pay Hendrix more than his club is worth and to sell him better council owned property elsewhere so that he will net a million dollars for moving. The paper exposes a history of campaign donations from Rick and people using the address of his club including several to city council president

Nerese Campbell The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on ''The Wire''. Maryland State politicians Clay Davis * Played by: Isiah Whitlock, Jr. * Appears in: :Season one: "One Arrest"; " The Cost" ...

who is sponsoring the property deal. Hendrix continues his involvement with the Co-Op and brags in a meeting about his property deal with his friend Hungry Man - drawing the ire of Stanfield. After Stanfield's arrest and sale of the connection to the Greeks, Hendrix, along with Slim Charles, is seen, in the series finale, meeting with

Spiros Vondas Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos ( Greek: Σπύρος Βονδόπουλος) is a fictional character on the HBO drama '' The Wire'' played by actor Paul Ben-Victor and the secondary antagonist in season 2. Biography Vondas is The Greek's secon ...

and

, discussing the new business arrangement for importing the drugs into Baltimore.

Hungry Man

*Played by:

Duane Chandler Rawlings Duane may refer to: * Duane (given name) * Duane (surname) * Duane, New York, a US town * the title character of ''Duane Hopwood'', a 2005 film featured in the Sundance Film Festival * Duane Adelier, a main character of ''Unsounded'', a 2012 fanta ...

*Appears in: :Season four: "

" (uncredited) and "

". :Season five: "

More With Less "More with Less" is the first episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by David Simon from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Joe Chappelle. It originally aired on January ...

" and " Transitions". Nathaniel "Hungry Man" Manns is an older East Side drug kingpin and charter member of the New Day Co-Op. He is at the meeting to discuss encouraging

to join the Co-Op to combat the incursion of New York drug dealers into eastern Baltimore. Hungry Man believes that Stanfield is hiding bodies by putting several into individual coffins through a funeral home front until he is corrected by

. He is part of the quorum that confronts "Proposition Joe" Stewart following

Omar Little Omar Devone Little is a fictional character on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', portrayed by Michael K. Williams. He is a notorious Baltimore stick-up man, who frequently robs street-level drug dealers. He is legendary around Baltimore for h ...

's robbery of the Co-Op. In the fifth season,

Baltimore County Baltimore County ( , locally: or ) is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Baltimore metropolitan area. Baltimore County (which partially surrounds, though does not include, the independent City of ...

territory is divided among Eastside kingpins to compensate for territory lost in the gentrification of east Baltimore. Hungry Man is one of the people to benefit from the arrangement. He tells

that he is out of line for encouraging Prop Joe to delegate control of the territory to his subordinates. Later Hungry Man airs a grievance with Prop Joe's nephew Cheese because Cheese has been encroaching upon the territory assigned to Hungry Man. Cheese is furious, but Prop Joe promises that Cheese will respect the agreed upon boundaries. Stanfield observes Cheese storming out of the meeting. Stanfield has his enforcers

and Snoop kidnap Hungry Man and deliver him to Cheese as a gift to encourage Cheese to betray Prop Joe. When Hungry Man's body surfaces, the implication is that Cheese has killed him.

Ghost

*Played by:

Mike D. Anderson Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

*Appears in: :Season three: " Straight and True" (uncredited); " Slapstick" (uncredited). :Season four: "

" (uncredited). :Season five: "

" (uncredited)" Transitions" (uncredited) and "

"(uncredited) Ghost is an East side drug kingpin and Co-Op member. He is part of the quorum that confronts "Proposition Joe" Stewart following

's robbery of the Co-Op. In the fifth season Ghost receives

territory to compensate for territory lost in the gentrification of East Baltimore. Ghost continues to attend Co-Op meetings throughout the fifth season.

George "Double G" Glekas

*Played by: Teddy Cañez *Appears in season two: "

Ebb Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tabl ...

"; " Hot Shots";"

Hard Cases "Hard Cases" is the fourth episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon & Joy Lusco and was directed by Elodie Keene. It originally aired on June 22, 2003. ...

"; "

Duck and Cover "Duck and cover" is a method of personal protection against the effects of a nuclear explosion. Ducking and covering is useful in offering a degree of protection to personnel located outside the radius of the nuclear fireball but still within su ...

"; "

" and "

Storm Warnings "Storm Warnings" is the tenth episode of the second season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Rob Bailey. It originally aired on August 10, 2003 ...

". George Alexander Glekas (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Γιώργος Αλέξανδρος Γλεκας; February 18, 1960 - 2003) runs a warehouse and appliance store for

under the name Pyramid Industries. He acts as the organization's

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

. Glekas often gets advice from Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on important deals. The retail store he owns was used as a front to move their stolen goods from the docks. Prior to appearing in the series Glekas had been charged with fencing stolen goods in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, but the case was dropped for lack of evidence. Glekas was indicted in the smuggling investigation but was not arrested because he was shot and killed by

in a dispute over payment for a stolen car smuggling deal. Ziggy confesses to the murder and was shown serving time for the crime.

Phil Boy

*Played by:

Sho 'Swordsman' Brown Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * Shō (instrument), ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * Kane (instrument), ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given n ...

*Appears in: :Season three: " Slapstick" (uncredited); "

" :Season four: "

" :Season five: " Transitions"; "

"; and "

." Phil Boy is another portly kingpin who joins the Co-Op, though he does not attend the initial formation meeting. He is noticeably younger than his colleagues, and he can be recognized by the do-rag he always wears. He and Fat Face Rick accompany "Proposition Joe" Stewart when he gives

the ultimatum, to either end the war with

or lose access to the high-quality heroin. Philboy is part of the quorum that confronts Stewart after

steals their shipment of narcotics. Phil Boy continues to attend Co-Op meetings in the fifth season. He is also present at the first meeting of the re-formed Co-op following Marlo's downfall in the series finale.

Others

Bubbles

Bubbles is a heroin addict with a vast knowledge of the streets of Baltimore. He becomes an informant after a friend whom he introduced to the drug lifestyle gets badly beaten when using counterfeit money upon Bubbles' advice. Bubbles volunteers information and creatively points out key figures to the police in exchange for small amounts of cash for him and for his friend's escaping prosecution for a

drug-related crime A drug-related crime is a crime to possess, manufacture, or distribute drugs classified as having a potential for abuse (such as cocaine, heroin, morphine and amphetamines). Drugs are also related to crime as drug trafficking and drug produc ...

. Bubbles also befriends Kima, and despite their different situations, they share a level of mutual respect and empathy.

Brother Mouzone

Brother Mouzone, meaning "judicious" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, is a drug enforcer and hitman from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. "The Brother" does not fit the usual picture of drug-trade "muscle", always wearing a suit, bowtie, and glasses, speaking politely and precisely. He is also quite erudite, reading magazines such as ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', '' Harper's'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...

'', and ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

''. His attire, extremely proper and pious persona, and title of "Brother" imply that he is associated with the Nation of Islam, specifically its paramilitary wing, the

Fruit of Islam The Fruit of Islam (FOI) is the security and disciplinary wing of the Nation of Islam (NOI). It has also been described as its paramilitary wing. The Fruit of Islam wear distinctive blue, brown or white uniforms and caps and have units at all NOI ...

, although this is never explicitly stated. On first encountering Mouzone, the street dealer Cheese mocks his formal style of dress by remarking that he must either be in "the Nation" or still let his mother pick out his clothes. He reveals himself as a Muslim when, believing he is about to die, he mouths "

Allahu akbar Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

" repeatedly after Omar shoots him. He is always accompanied by his "man" Lamar, who runs errands for Mouzone.

The Deacon

*Played by: Melvin Williams *Appears in :Season three: " All Due Respect", " Straight and True", "

Back Burners "Back Burners" is the seventh episode of the third season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Joy Lusco from a story by David Simon & Joy Lusco and was directed by Tim Van Patten. It originally aired on November 7, ...

", "

Moral Midgetry "Moral Midgetry" is the eighth episode of the third season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Richard Price from a story by David Simon & Richard Price and was directed by Agnieszka Holland. It originally aired on ...

", " Slapstick", "

", :Season four: "

", " Refugees", "

Margin of Error The margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in the results of a survey. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence one should have that a poll result would reflect the result of a census of the e ...

", "

That's Got His Own "That's Got His Own" is the 12th episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by George Pelecanos from a story by Ed Burns & George Pelecanos, and directed by Joe Chappelle, it originally aired on December 3, 200 ...

". :Season five: "

Late Editions "Late Editions" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire'', the penultimate episode of the series. The episode was written by George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon and George Pelecanos and was direct ...

" The Deacon is a West Side church figure who is involved in many community projects. He also has many contacts within the city’s academic population. He is a friend of teacher Grace Sampson and helps her ex-boyfriend

when he is released after a long prison sentence. Initially he tries to encourage Cutty to enroll in a GED program, but Cutty is not interested in this idea. The deacon then helps Cutty to open a community boxing gym. He puts Cutty in touch with State Delegate

Odell Watkins The following are politicians, family members, and assistants administrating the politics of Baltimore on ''The Wire''. Maryland State politicians Clay Davis * Played by: Isiah Whitlock, Jr. * Appears in: :Season one: "One Arrest"; " The Cost" ...

through the politically influential Reverend Frank Reid to help with obtaining the necessary permits for the gym. He also helps Cutty to get a paying job working as a school custodian at Edward Tilghman Middle, where Grace teaches the eighth grade. The Deacon is also friends with

Howard "Bunny" Colvin Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Robert Wisdom. Colvin is a wise and able police major in the Baltimore's Western District, alienated by the careerism and bureaucracy rampant in the Ba ...

. When Colvin was Western District police commander the Deacon often served as his conscience. Colvin started three drug tolerant zones in his district and the deacon was dismayed at the poor conditions addicts faced in these areas. He convinced Colvin to involve public health academics in providing services for the addicts now he had gathered them into an easy to reach area. Colvin was forced to retire because of his actions. The deacon found him a new job working with a sociologist, studying the prevention of repeat violent offender behavior. As a middle-aged man, Melvin Williams, the actor who plays the Deacon, was a real-life drug kingpin who was arrested by series writer

Ed Burns Edward P. Burns (born January 29, 1946) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He has worked closely with writing partner David Simon. For HBO, they have collaborated on ''The Corner,'' ''The Wire,'' ''Generation Kill'', ''The P ...

in 1984 when the latter was a Baltimore city police officer. Creator

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...

was responsible for covering the arrest for ''

'' at the time. Williams received a 34-year sentence for his crimes and much of the evidence against him came from a wiretap investigation like the one featured in the first season of the show.

Dee-Dee

*Played by: Genevieve Hudson-Price *Appears in :Season three: "

" :Season four: " Corner Boys" :Season five: " Unconfirmed Reports" Dee-Dee is a drug addict. In Season Three she shows up in the Hamsterdam area buying an eight-ball of cocaine from a car. A year later she is living in West Baltimore and working as a prostitute. Fifteen months later again she is seen at a narcotics anonymous meeting. She is played by Genevieve Hudson-Price, the daughter of author

Richard Price Richard Price (23 February 1723 – 19 April 1791) was a British moral philosopher, Nonconformist minister and mathematician. He was also a political reformer, pamphleteer, active in radical, republican, and liberal causes such as the French ...

, who writes for the show.

Hucklebuck

*Played by:

Gil Deeble Gil or GIL may refer to: Places * Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name * Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan * Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...

*Appears in: :Season one: "

" :Season two: "

" (uncredited) :Season three: " Middle Ground" (uncredited) :Season five: "

" Hucklebuck is a drug addict and friend to Bubbles and

Johnny Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

. He often assists them on their "capers" to make money for drugs. He is a part of Johnny's copper house robbery scam in season 1. Hucklebuck continues to live on the street when Bubbles is in recovery in season 5.

Lamar

*Played by:

DeAndre McCullough DeAndre is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Musicians * DeAndre Brackensick (born 1994), an American singer from San Jose, California * Soulja Boy (DeAndre Cortez Way; born 1990), an American rapper, record producer, actor, and ...

*Appears in: :Season two: "

" (uncredited); " Bad Dreams" (uncredited) and "

" (uncredited). :Season three: "

" and " Mission Accomplished". Lamar is the assistant and inept bodyguard of New York

mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

. He has accompanied Mouzone on both his visits to Baltimore. On their first trip they worked at the Franklin Terrace high rises for

– guarding his territory against East Side drug dealers. Lamar failed to protect his charge against

on this trip. He was distracted by a dog and knocked unconscious by Omar while guarding a motel room door. His failure allowed Omar to enter the room and shoot Brother Mouzone. Brother Mouzone recovered and returned to Baltimore for revenge. He had Lamar seek out Omar in various gay bars, having learned that he was homosexual. Lamar resented the task and his visceral homophobia made him confrontational with those he came across while searching for Omar. Eventually Lamar was approached by Omar’s boyfriend

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

allowing Mouzone to capture him and find Omar. DeAndre McCullough, the actor who plays Lamar, was profiled in David Simon and Edward Burns's book and television miniseries ''

The Corner ''The Corner'' is a 2000 HBO drama television miniseries based on the nonfiction book '' The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood'' (1997) by David Simon and Ed Burns, and adapted for television by David Simon and David Mi ...

''. McCullough was found dead on August 1, 2012, in the Woodlawn section of Baltimore County.

Raylene Lee

*Played by:

Shamika Cotton Shamika Cotton is an American actress from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is perhaps best known to television viewers as Michael Lee's drug-addicted mother Raylene Lee in the acclaimed HBO series ''The Wire''. Career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Shamika ...

*Appears in: :Season four: " Refugees", " Corner Boys", "

Misgivings "Misgivings" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by Eric Overmyer from a story by Ed Burns & Overmyer, and directed by Ernest Dickerson, it originally aired on November 19, 2006. Plot Polit ...

", " A New Day" (uncredited) and "

" :Season five: " Transitions" and "

" Raylene Lee is Michael Lee and "Bug"'s mother. She is a drug addict.

Devar Manigault

*Played by: Cyrus Farmer *Appears in: :Season four: " Corner Boys", "

Know Your Place "Know Your Place" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. Written by Kia Corthron from a story by Ed Burns & Kia Corthron, and directed by Alex Zakrzewski, it originally aired on November 12, 2006. P ...

" and "

" Devar Manigault is Raylene Lee's partner and father to her younger son "Bug". Devar is feared by Michael and it is heavily implied that Michael suffered sexual abuse by Devar. Shortly after Devar is released from prison he is savagely beaten to death by

at Michael's behest. Chris spits on him at the crime scene, leaving his DNA, leading to his arrest for murder.

Squeak

*Played by: Mia Arnice Chambers *Appears in season three: "

"; "

"; " Slapstick"; "

" and " Mission Accomplished". Squeak is the girlfriend of

Bernard Bernard ('' Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "bra ...

, a low level member of the Barksdale organization. Bernard was responsible for supplying the organization with disposable mobile phones and was told to buy no more than two phones at any one outlet and provide receipts for his purchases. Squeak's nagging convinced Bernard to start breaking these rules. Squeak was an old acquaintance of Bubbles and their association allowed the police to use her as an inroad to the Barksdale organization. Bubbles put Squeak and Bernard in touch with

Lester Freamon Lester Freamon is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Clarke Peters. Freamon is a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. He is a wise, methodical detective whose intelligence and experi ...

who was a posing as a conman who could provide them with phones at lower price. With Squeak's encouragement, Bernard accepted Freamon's offer and began buying solely from him on the condition that he provide him with receipts. Freamon gave Bernard pre-wiretapped phones that eventually brought down the Barksdale organization. When the investigation was closed with the arrest of

, Bernard and Squeak were also brought in. Bernard joked that he could not wait to go to jail to get away from Squeak.

Sherrod

*Played by: Rashad Orange *Appears in :Season three: " All Due Respect" (uncredited); " Mission Accomplished" (uncredited) :Season four: " Soft Eyes"; " Refugees"; " Alliances"; "

Unto Others Unto may refer to: * Unto (name) * Unto a Good Land (Swedish: Invandrarna) is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1952 *Unto Ashes, musical ensemble based in New York City incorporating madrigal, folk, New Age music and Dark Wave *Unto the Fourth Genera ...

"; " A New Day"; "

". Sherrod is a young homeless boy who is befriended by Bubbles. He has been living on the streets since his mother succumbed to drug addiction. He last regularly attended school in the fifth grade at Steuart Hill elementary, though Bubbles tried to get him to go back at some point between the third and fourth seasons. As the fourth season starts, Bubbles is selling small items from a shopping cart to get by, and is trying to train Sherrod to run his own business. Sherrod's basic math skills prove to be extremely poor, and Bubbles insists that he return to school. Bubbles visits Edward Tilghman middle school with Sherrod and convinces the Assistant Principal, Marcia Donnelly, to take him in, even though he has been missing from the school system for years. Sherrod only attends class once, when Bubbles forces him to, cutting class instead to go on the corner and deal drugs for "Jojo". He tries to fake doing homework by bringing books from school back to the squat he shares with Bubbles. It is thus revealed that Sherrod is

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

as well as

innumerate Numeracy is the ability to understand, reason with, and to apply simple numerical concepts. The charity National Numeracy states: "Numeracy means understanding how mathematics is used in the real world and being able to apply it to make the be ...

, as he does not know that the two books he is trying to pass off to Bubbles as a textbook and its associated workbook are actually an algebra textbook and a dictionary. Sherrod is completely unaware of his blunder, as he cannot read the titles on the covers. Bubbles, who can read, immediately notices Sherrod's lie and shows disappointment. When Bubbles finds Sherrod dealing on a school day, he tries to talk to him and is attacked by an addict who needs money. Bubbles then tells Sherrod that he cannot stay with him any more unless he returns to school. Sherrod continues to deal drugs and is involved in an assault on

Namond Brice Namond Brice ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Julito McCullum. Namond is a middle school student during season 4 and is friends with Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff. He often bullies Duquan “Dukie” ...

when they vie for territory. He also becomes a drug addict. Eventually, he returns to Bubbles, saying he wants to get away but he owes Jojo money. Bubbles offers Sherrod the chance to return home and says he will help with the debt. Bubbles, however, had previously prepared a lethal "hot shot" of narcotics he intended to use to kill another addict who had repeatedly harassed and assaulted Bubbles. Sherrod finds the vial Bubbles has prepared and takes it himself, dying soon afterwards.

Walon

*Played by: Steve Earle *Appears in: :Season one: "

One Arrest 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length ...

", " Game Day" and " The Cost". :Season four: "

". :Season five: " Unconfirmed Reports", " React Quotes", "

", and "

". Walon is an

HIV-positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immun ...

recovering drug addict. He first appears in season one when Bubbles and

see him speaking at a

Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subst ...

meeting. Bubbles is moved by the strength Walon conveys in his speech. They see Walon again in the projects looking after his drug addicted nephew. Bubbles' conversations with Walon help him realise that he wants to get clean. When he makes a serious attempt, Walon gives him advice on keeping clean, which Bubbles is unable to stick with. Years later, when Bubbles is locked in a medical rehab facility, Walon visits him to again help him with his sobriety and grief. In season five he acts as Bubbles' sponsor, pushing him to be more open about his struggles and the death of Sherrod. Walon is played by singer/songwriter and recovering heroin addict Steve Earle. Earle also performs the theme song for Season 5, and his track "I Feel Alright" is featured in the montage at the end of Season 2.

Johnny Weeks

*Played by:

Leo Fitzpatrick Leonardo Aurellio Randy Fitzpatrick is an American actor and co-director of the Marlborough Chelsea gallery. He is best known as Telly in '' Kids'' (1995) and Johnny Weeks in ''The Wire'' (2002–2004). Career He was discovered at age 14 by ...

*Appears in: :Season one: " The Target"; "

The Pager "The Pager" is the fifth episode of the first season of the HBO original series ''The Wire''. The episode was written by Ed Burns from a story by David Simon & Ed Burns and was directed by Clark Johnson. It originally aired on June 30, 2002. Plo ...

"; "

"; " Game Day" and "

Sentencing In law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a trial. A sentence may consist of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions. Sentences for mult ...

". :Season two: "

" and "

". :Season three: " Time After Time"; "

"; " Straight and True"; "

"; " Middle Ground" and " Mission Accomplished". In season one Johnny is Bubbles' best friend and a drug addict with notoriously bad luck. He is naive and enthusiastic for "the game", allowing Bubbles to play the role of teacher. In the pilot episode he is badly beaten by

Poot Carr Malik "Poot" Carr is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Tray Chaney. Poot starts out as a drug dealer in the Barksdale Organization who slowly rises through the ranks. He eventually ends up leaving the drug t ...

and

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

after trying to pass counterfeit money to

D'Angelo Barksdale D'Angelo "Dee" Barksdale (c.1978-79 - July 21, 2003) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Larry Gilliard Jr. D'Angelo is the nephew of Avon Barksdale and a lieutenant in his drug dealing organization which controls mo ...

's operation. This spurs Bubbles to become a police informant. Johnny disapproves and takes no part in it except when arrested by police. While in the hospital for that beating, Johnny discovers he is

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

positive. He also undergoes a

colostomy A colostomy is an opening (stoma) in the large intestine (colon), or the surgical procedure that creates one. The opening is formed by drawing the healthy end of the colon through an incision in the anterior abdominal wall and suturing it into ...

operation. Unlike Bubbles he shows no interest in giving up his addiction and continues thievery and various other scams with Bubbles, despite carrying a colostomy bag. In the season three finale he dies from an overdose. His body is discovered in a vacant house in the "Hamsterdam" free zone that Major Colvin had set up. Johnny is based on a young white homeless addict that David Simon met while researching ''

''. This man would follow Simon's subject, drug addict Gary McCullough, around.

Dennis "Cutty" Wise

After getting out of prison he joins back up with the Barksdale crew as muscle, but cannot complete a task he was assigned. Instead, he leaves the criminal world and starts up a boxing center in an attempt to reach out to local street youths. He is later wounded trying to talk Michael Lee out of a life of crime. He reappears in Season 5 to briefly train Dukie as well as to give him advice on how to deal with people that give him trouble.

References

{{The Wire Lists of The Wire characters