Case file · Who is who
The Wire Faces
Season 1 · 2002 · The Towers and the basement
A slighted judge, a cop who cannot keep his mouth shut, and a makeshift detail in a basement going after the Barksdale crew, who own the West Baltimore towers.
This page says who people are, not what happens to them, so it is safe to read mid-season. Cards marked “later” are people who only show up in the back half of the season.
- Police
- Barksdale crew
- The street
- Courts & politics
- Home
The detailthe basement unit chasing Barksdale
Jimmy McNulty
James McNulty
Det., Homicide
His off-the-record chat with Judge Phelan after a trial is what starts the whole case. Divorced, two sons, drinks too much, cannot leave a thing alone. Bunk's partner.
played by Dominic West
Lt. Daniels
Cedric Daniels
Lieutenant, Narcotics
Put in charge of the detail. Careful and ambitious, squeezed between the brass upstairs and the detectives downstairs.
played by Lance Reddick
Kima Greggs
Shakima Greggs
Det., Narcotics
The sharpest cop on the detail. Runs Bubbles as her informant. Lives with her girlfriend Cheryl.
played by Sonja Sohn
Lester Freamon
Det., from the pawn-shop unit
Quiet man who spent years exiled to pawn-shop paperwork and builds miniature furniture at his desk. Pays attention.
played by Clarke Peters
Bunk Moreland
William Moreland
Det., Homicide
McNulty's partner and drinking buddy. Cigar, good suits, dry wit. Not formally on the detail but always around it.
played by Wendell Pierce
Herc
Thomas Hauk
Det., Narcotics
Muscle first, thinking second. Partnered with Carver.
played by Domenick Lombardozzi
Carver
Ellis Carver
Det., Narcotics
Herc's partner, and the more ambitious of the two.
played by Seth Gilliam
Prez
Roland Pryzbylewski
Det., problem transfer
Dumped on the detail because nobody else wants him. Valchek's son-in-law. Gets off to a very bad start.
played by Jim True-Frost
Sydnor
Leander Sydnor
Det., borrowed from Auto
Young detective brought in for undercover buys.
played by Corey Parker Robinson
Polk & Mahon
Augustus Polk, Patrick Mahon
Dets., dead weight
Two old-timers sent to the detail to fill chairs. The reason the word “humps” exists.
played by Nat Benchley, Tom Quinn
Homicide & the brassupstairs
Rawls
William Rawls
Major, commands Homicide
Runs Homicide by the clearance rate and hates McNulty with real dedication.
played by John Doman
Burrell
Ervin Burrell
Deputy Commissioner, Operations
The political top of the department. Wants a quick case with good numbers and no surprises.
played by Frankie Faison
Landsman
Jay Landsman
Sergeant, Homicide
McNulty and Bunk's direct boss. Funny, lazy, cynical, and not stupid.
played by Delaney Williams
Santangelo
Michael Santangelo
Det., Homicide
In McNulty's squad, short on cleared cases, which Rawls notices.
played by Michael Salconi
Cole & Norris
Ray Cole, Ed Norris
Dets., Homicide
McNulty's other squadmates, in and out of the office.
played by Robert F. Colesberry, Ed Norris
Valchek
Stan Valchek
Major, Southeastern District
Prez's father-in-law. Protects him, loudly.
played by Al Brown
Fitzlater
Terrance Fitzhugh
FBI special agent
McNulty's friend at the Bureau and his back channel to federal toys.
played by Doug Olear
The Barksdale organizationWestside, out of the Towers
Avon Barksdale
The boss
Runs the Westside drug trade from the Franklin Terrace high-rises. Stays invisible: when the case opens the police do not even have his photo. The detail's target.
played by Wood Harris
Stringer Bell
Russell Bell
Second-in-command
Avon's partner and the brains of the operation. Takes economics classes at community college and runs the crew like a company.
played by Idris Elba
D'Angelo (Dee)
D'Angelo Barksdale
Avon's nephew
After the trial that opens the season he is demoted from the Towers to running the low-rise Pit. Thinks more than his job allows.
played by Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Wee-Bey
Roland Brice
Enforcer, Avon's driver
The muscle. Keeps tropical fish.
played by Hassan Johnson
Stinkum
Anton Artis
Lieutenant
A ranking soldier in the crew.
played by Brandon Price
Bird
Marquis Hilton
Enforcer
Hot-headed hitter.
played by Fredro Starr
Savino
Savino Bratton
Soldier
Crew muscle.
played by Chris Clanton
Little Man
Soldier
Crew muscle.
played by Micaiah Jones
Bodie
Preston Broadus
Pit corner boy
Works under D'Angelo. Hard-headed, loyal, fists first, mouth second.
played by J.D. Williams
Poot
Malik Carr
Pit corner boy
Bodie's sidekick. Mostly chasing girls.
played by Tray Chaney
Wallace
Pit corner boy
About sixteen, soft-hearted, looks after the younger kids in a vacant rowhouse.
played by Michael B. Jordan
Brianna
Brianna Barksdale
Avon's sister
D'Angelo's mother, and fully part of the family business.
played by Michael Hyatt
Donette
D'Angelo's girlfriend
Mother of his baby son.
played by Shamyl Brown
Shardene
Shardene Innes
Dancer at Orlando's
Works the club and starts seeing D'Angelo.
played by Wendy Grantham
Orlando
Orlando Blocker
Front man
Manages Orlando's, the strip club whose liquor license is in his name for the crew.
played by Clayton LeBouef
Levy
Maurice Levy
The crew's lawyer
Expensive, effective, and on retainer.
played by Michael Kostroff
The streetnobody's employees
Omar
Omar Little
Stick-up man
Robs drug dealers with a shotgun and whistles “The Farmer in the Dell” on his way in. Has a code: never a civilian.
played by Michael Kenneth Williams
Brandon
Brandon Wright
Omar's partner
In Omar's crew, and his boyfriend.
played by Michael Kevin Darnall
Bailey
John Bailey
Omar's crew
Third man in the stick-up crew.
played by Larry Hull
Bubbles
Reginald Cousins
Informant
Heroin addict with a shopping cart, a quick mind and real charm. Kima's eyes on the street.
played by Andre Royo
Johnny
Johnny Weeks
Bubbles' protégé
Young white junkie Bubbles is trying to teach the game. Not a fast learner.
played by Leo Fitzpatrick
Proposition Joelater
Joseph Stewart
Eastside boss
Runs the other side of town. Always has a deal to offer.
played by Robert F. Chew
Courts & politicsdowntown
Le juge Phelan
Daniel Phelan
Circuit court judge
Presided over D'Angelo's trial, then leans on the department to go after Barksdale.
played by Peter Gerety
Rhonda Pearlman
Assistant State's Attorney
The prosecutor attached to the detail. Handles the warrants and wiretap paperwork.
played by Deirdre Lovejoy
Nakeesha Lyles
Trial witness
Security guard who testified at D'Angelo's trial in episode 1.
played by Ingrid Cornell
William Gant
Trial witness
The other witness from that trial.
played by Larry Hull
Clay Davislater
R. Clayton Davis
State senator
Maryland state senator with friends everywhere.
played by Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Homethe people they go back to
Elena McNulty
Jimmy's ex
Separated from Jimmy. Their sons are Sean and Michael.
played by Callie Thorne
Marla Daniels
Cedric's wife
A lawyer with political ambitions of her own.
played by Maria Broom
Cheryl
Kima's girlfriend
Would rather Kima had a safer job.
played by Melanie Nicholls-King
No match. Try a nickname (Bunk, Prez, Stringer, Wee-Bey…).
Nicknames to real names
- Jimmy McNulty → James McNulty
- Lt. Daniels → Cedric Daniels
- Kima Greggs → Shakima Greggs
- Bunk Moreland → William Moreland
- Herc → Thomas Hauk
- Carver → Ellis Carver
- Prez → Roland Pryzbylewski
- Sydnor → Leander Sydnor
- Rawls → William Rawls
- Burrell → Ervin Burrell
- Landsman → Jay Landsman
- Santangelo → Michael Santangelo
- Valchek → Stan Valchek
- Fitz → Terrance Fitzhugh
- Stringer Bell → Russell Bell
- D'Angelo (Dee) → D'Angelo Barksdale
- Wee-Bey → Roland Brice
- Stinkum → Anton Artis
- Bird → Marquis Hilton
- Savino → Savino Bratton
- Bodie → Preston Broadus
- Poot → Malik Carr
- Brianna → Brianna Barksdale
- Shardene → Shardene Innes
- Orlando → Orlando Blocker
- Levy → Maurice Levy
- Omar → Omar Little
- Brandon → Brandon Wright
- Bailey → John Bailey
- Bubbles → Reginald Cousins
- Johnny → Johnny Weeks
- Proposition Joe → Joseph Stewart
- Le juge Phelan → Daniel Phelan
- Clay Davis → R. Clayton Davis
Words you will hear
- The detail
- The ad-hoc unit of Homicide and Narcotics cops assigned to the Barksdale case, working out of a basement.
- The Towers
- The Franklin Terrace high-rise projects, the Barksdale crew's home turf and main market.
- The Pit
- The courtyard of the low-rise projects, where D'Angelo's crew sells.
- The wire
- A court-approved wiretap, here on pay phones and pagers. Needs an affidavit and a judge's signature.
- Tout / lookout
- The ones shouting the brand name and watching for police.
- Stash house
- Where the product and money are kept, away from the corner.
- Humps
- Detail slang for useless cops sent to fill a chair.
- The game
- The drug trade and everything around it, as seen from inside. “The game is the game.”
- Westside / Eastside
- Baltimore's two territories. Barksdale, then Stanfield, are west; Proposition Joe is east.
- Re-up
- A fresh delivery of product to a corner.
- Hopper
- A kid on the corner, running lookout or hand-to-hand.
- “Police” (the word)
- A cop. “Natural police”: someone with the instinct for the job. The show's highest praise.
- Clearance rate
- Share of murders closed. Rawls' favorite number.