Omar White

Omar White is a fictional character on the HBO drama Oz played by Michael Wright.

Character overview

Prisoner 01W711. Convicted January 4, 2001 - Murder in the first degree. Sentence: 75 years, up for parole in 20.

An African-American drug addict who murdered a key witness against his cousin in front of her daughter's eyes, White proves to be very troublesome throughout his stay at Oz, most of which ends up with him in solitary confinement. Unit Manager Tim McManus believes he can help White until he messes up for a last time in Season 5 where he ends up in solitary again. White is eventually killed by fellow inmate Lemuel Idzik. Omar is violent (sometimes against his own will) and has never lost a fight to anyone in Oz besides Said who attacked him after Omar swore at him.

Season 4 Part II

White is Em City's newest inmate and is very troublesome upon his arrival. A drug addict, he finds his first drugs from Ryan O'Reily who tells him that the black inmates are currently leaderless. He is also told that he may be able to get a few drugs from O'Reily if he can take care of some business later on. O'Reily then uses White to exact revenge on Jack Eldridge, a reporter who had mocked him and his brother Cyril, by telling him that Eldridge was going to call him a homosexual on television. White gets thrown in solitary and the newscasters must make alternate plans as a result. McManus then releases White, but puts him back in again after he starts a fight with Latino inmate Carmen Guerra. White has an uneasy time with the Latinos in Emerald City as he often gets into fights with members of "El Norte" trading racial epithets with them.

When White is released again (after giving up Busmalis for digging up another tunnel, which he saw the night before he was thrown back in solitary), he tries to become more involved with the other black inmates, who now have a leader named Burr Redding. White stabs McManus to get the respect of his fellow inmates, putting him back in solitary. Before going back, White attempts to murder Supreme Allah in the hospital ward at Redding's order after the latter promises him more power among the Homeboys. McManus once again releases White against Warden Glynn's wishes. In drug rehab, White is troublesome, starting fights with various inmates and even being found as unsalvageable to drug counselor Sister Peter Marie. McManus considers him a special project, however, and says that he thinks White will be cured once he is off drugs. White remains drug free for a little while, but then gets into another fight with the Latinos. While the inmates are watching "Up Your Ante," Guerra insults McManus and claims that White is his personal sex toy, which starts a fight that kills inmate Pedro Calderon. After a half-hearted argument with Glynn, McManus accepts Glyn's decision to throw him into solitary. When White learns what has happened, he kicks Officer Joseph Mineo in the genitals and beats McManus while handcuffed. McManus realizes that he didn't argue well enough on White's behalf to keep him in Em City, and fights even harder for him, as he feels curing White of his problems will be his greatest accomplishment yet. Glynn also realizes that McManus did not argue well enough on White's behalf as he calmly left the Warden's office when he lost the argument. White nevertheless remains in solitary.

Season 5

White is released from solitary when it is discovered that the air ducts need to be cleaned. Glynn then tells all the inmates in solitary that if they behave, they do not have to return. White is thrilled to be back in Em City but still gets into fights, mainly with the Latino inmates, and ends up spending time in the newly constructed cage. Looking to help Muslim inmate Kareem Said fight his issues with anger, McManus assigns him to sponsor White, claiming that he can save himself by saving someone else. White has been given a few conditions on this "fourth and long" situation, however, including being sent to mandatory drug rehab and testing sessions and threatened with permanent solitary confinement if he angers Said. Said is strict with White, forbidding him to use drugs or talk back. Said confronts White next to Arnold "Poet" Jackson, a known drug dealer in Em City, telling both of them to avoid each other. The other Muslims object to Said helping White, whom they despise. Said helps White better himself, he finds out that he likes to sing and sends him to Suzanne Fitzgerald, who teaches a performing arts program. McManus and Said, however, notice that White is annoying other inmates and they conclude that White practice in the janitorial closet for one hour a day. Getting the closet privileges gives Redding the idea to move drugs from Em City to Unit C through White and Homeboy Reggie Rawls. The operation is hard for White, who is insistent on staying clean and has trouble fighting his urges to do drugs. James Robson, an Aryan inmate, then calls White a slave of Said's when he picks up his mail. White grows angry, suddenly believing he is nothing more than Said's servant and protests his leadership among the Muslims. Said beats White to a pulp for slinging drugs. White pleads innocence to McManus, saying he was forced to sell drugs but is currently clean. McManus believes White, and lets him practice outside of the janitor's closet. Through all of this, no one gives up Redding, as White realizes he will die if it happens. After talking with McManus, the Muslims, led by Zahir Arif, threaten White for sending their Imam to the hole. They then call him "toxic" for turning the one person on his side against him. Without Said's protection, White is vulnerable to the long list of inmates in Em City who are ready to kill him.

Nervous about performing in front of a crowd, White goes to Poet for some drugs which he ends up not using. Said is then released and White comes through the singing program intact, gaining Said and McManus' confidence. All goes well for White until a new inmate, Wolfgang Cutler, vows to join the Aryans by killing White's mentor, Said. White attempts to talk Wolfgang out of killing Said but Wolfgang refuses to back off calling White an ethnic slur. The two come to blows, and Omar almost kills Wolfgang but revives him to prevent himself from getting a murder charge. Back in Em City, a furious McManus sends White back to solitary for good, against Said's objections.

Season 6

At the biannual solitary review, White is denied the chance to return into the general population. However, when the air-ducts in solitary become contaminated, the inmates in solitary get sick and nearly die. White then offers a deal with Warden Glynn that he won't sue if let back into Em City. Glynn not wanting a lawsuit against the prison accepts the deal warning White to never mention the conversation to anyone. Before this happens, however, a reporter named Lemuel Idzik kills Said in the visiting room. Upon reentering Emerald City, McManus furiously tells White that if any harm comes to Idzik, he will be held responsible. White becomes intrigued by Idzik, who, having killed the leader of a major gang, is practically asking to die by coming into Em City. Idzik offers White a chance to kill him, but White, after thinking it over, says no. This was because Omar was studying the universe and its functions, based on his previous conversations with Idzik. Idzik then slits White's throat in his sleep (McManus had made Omar Idzik's sponsor and cellmate throughout all of this) and gets the death penalty, which is something he wanted all along. However, due to his mental problems, Idzik's sentence is overturned. The last shot of Omar's body is seen by McManus, who somehow felt responsible for dismissing Omar's warning that Idzik wanted Omar to kill him in the first place.

References