Omar comin'. Omar here. Omar everywhere.

Well, not really. It just seems that way.

As aficionados of the landmark HBO series “The Wire” know, Omar Little was the lethal stickup man operating in the projects of Baltimore. Toting a shotgun and whistling “A-Hunting We Will Go,” Little was so feared that just walking down the block would prompt children to cry out a warning, “Omar comin'!” that would instantly clear the streets.

As played by Michael Kenneth Williams, Little became a signature figure of the drama, a gay antihero with a Robin Hood-like moral code. The role was a breakthrough for the 49-year-old Brooklyn-born actor, who could identify with much of Little's hard life: A long scar near his eye is a souvenir from a barroom fight in which he was slashed with a razor.

Williams' blend of dark-toned dynamics and simmering charisma has won him featured roles in several projects, including HBO's “Boardwalk Empire” and the Oscar-winning “12 Years A Slave.”

But lately, the actor has been in overdrive, landing in more than a dozen films and TV series. That trajectory includes biopics (HBO's “Bessie”), buddy comedy-drama (Sundance's “Hap & Leonard”), comedy (IFC's “The Spoils Before Dying”) and guerrilla journalism (Viceland's docuseries “Black Market With Michael K. Williams”). He even shows up in the new “Ghostbusters.”

Williams also appears in HBO's acclaimed new drama “The Night Of.” It chronicles the story of young Pakistani-American Nasir “Naz” Khan (Riz Ahmed), accused of killing the beautiful girl he had sex with after picking her up in his father's cab. Williams plays a power broker named Freddy who takes a liking to the imprisoned Naz and wants to protect him as he awaits trial.

“Black Market,” which he hosts and executive-produces and which airs on Viceland, zeros in on the practice of illicit trade.

Starring in two projects at the same time has given the actor a palpable uplift.

“I am blessed, I feel blessed today,” Williams declared.

Williams said he can identify with some participants in “Black Market.” Growing up, his family, including his mother, a first-generation Bahamian, struggled: “The things my parents had to do just to get by, to make ends meet. It wasn't sex, drugs, trafficking and creepy stuff. It was about people trying to survive.”

Survival, rather than building up his resume, is the main motivator for the deluge of projects Williams has undertaken. He's on a mission, a relentless quest for salvation after years of wrestling with low self-esteem and self-destructive choices, including recklessness and rampant drug use.

“When I got bitten by the bug of show business, I was so broken and so shattered,” he said. “I've been spared so many times in my life. Whatever you want to call the higher power — God, Buddha, Allah, whatever — I believe that higher power has spared my life because there's a bigger purpose for me.”

Before “The Wire,” Williams was a professional dancer, appearing in videos and on concert tours for such artists as Madonna and George Michael. He was discovered by Tupac Shakur and made his feature debut in the late rapper's 1996 film “Bullet.”

“The Wire,” which debuted in 2002, was a life changer for Williams, both professionally and personally. He felt he understood the outlaw life.

“He was an alter ego for me in a sense,” Williams said. “Omar was everything I couldn't be in my hood — me coming up with low self-esteem and a deep need to be accepted.”

The role brought him fame and stature, but it also plunged him into a tailspin.

“That job was the most money I made in my life,” Williams said. “But the darkness of the character weighed on my psyche so much that when the show ended, I was completely unequipped (to cope with that darkness). I was hurting myself in every possible way you could imagine.

“And it wasn't always about doing drugs; it was negative company, negative places. I was dark-minded, bad decisions one after another. But someone was looking out for me because I never stopped working..”

Steven Zaillian, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Schindler's List” who co-wrote “The Night Of” and directed several episodes, was not familiar with Williams' work but was impressed.

“Michael has a very quiet intelligence,” Zaillian said. “There's a sense of gravitas about him.”

Matt Piedmont, the co-creator of “The Spoils Before Dying,” IFC's noir-ish spoof featuring Williams as a pianist-turned-detective investigating a murder in the 1950s, said he had a gut feeling that he could hold his own against seasoned comics like Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell.

“It was out of his comfort zone, but he was right in there,” Piedmont said.

Of the characters Williams has portrayed, none has touched him more deeply than gay activist Ken Jones in “When We Rise.” Jones, a Vietnam vet, joined the gay liberation movement in San Francisco, only to discover and confront racism within the gay community. Jones, who is HIV positive, organized services for homeless youth as he faced the devastation of the AIDS epidemic.

“?‘When We Rise' is the first thing I've done where I don't know if I'll be able to watch it,” Williams said. “I went so dark. I pulled things out of myself I didn't know were in me. This will be a milestone of my life.”

He worked closely with Jones in creating the character, who praised Williams for his dedication.

“He is a man of integrity and compassion. He lost about 35 pounds to portray me when I was very, very sick,” said Jones, who has regained his health.

Williams said he is learning how to take better care of himself, becoming more involved with religion and taking advice from mentors such as Louis Gossett Jr. and Wendell Pierce. He is optimistic about his future.

“I'm in the process of transformation. As far as me being at peace with myself, it's coming. I'm less concerned about what people think about Michael. I'm aiming for a better Michael, a more secure and comfortable Michael. It's within reach.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com