Larry Gilliard Jr. is a New York City-based, African-American character actor who has had a long career appearing in mostly independent films, television shows and Off-Broadway productions. Gilliard studied acting at Juilliard School, Baltimore School for the Arts, American Academy of Dramatic Arts and The Acting Studio, Inc.. He made his film debut with the lead role in the 1991 film Straight Out of Brooklyn.
Often cast as a hoodlum, Gilliard has appeared on numerous television crime dramas such as Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, New York Undercover and CSI: NY. Most notably, he had a regular role in HBO's highly acclaimed drama The Wire as Baltimore drug dealer D'Angelo Barksdale. Among his notable film roles include: a love-struck ghetto teen in LottoLand, an earnest college football player in The Waterboy and a member of the Dead Rabbits in Gangs of New York. His most notable theatre role was that of Booth in a new production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Topdog/Underdog. One noteworthy contrast in Gilliard’s career was his role in Brother to Brother. There he played the role of a thoughtful and caring friend to classmate at a New York City university.
Despite appearing in some high-profile projects, Gilliard rarely gives interviews and very little is known about his personal life. He is married to Michelle Paress who joined the cast of The Wire in its fifth season.
