Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (commonly known as Larry Gilliard Jr.) is an American actor who is best known for his appearance as D'Angelo Barksdale in The Wire. Gilliard studied classical music at Baltimore School for the Arts and Juilliard School but decided to pursue acting instead. He made his film debut as the lead in the independent film Straight Out of Brooklyn. He studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, The Acting Studio, Inc., and the Stella Adler Conservatory. It was announced on April 26th, 2013, that he was cast as Bob Stookey in AMC's The Walking Dead.