Lawrence Gilliard Jr.[1] (born September 22, 1971)[2] is an American actor who has appeared in films, television series, and theatre.

He portrayed D'Angelo Barksdale on the HBO drama series The Wire, a role which earned him critical acclaim.

[2] After attending Juilliard School for three years as a clarinet performance student,[7] Gilliard decided to pursue acting instead of music.

[5] Gilliard has appeared on numerous television crime dramas such as Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire, New York Undercover, and CSI: NY.

Film roles include a love-struck ghetto teen in LottoLand (1995), an earnest college football player in The Waterboy (1998), and a member of the Dead Rabbits in Gangs of New York (2002).