Avon Barksdale

Avon Randolph Barksdale is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire portrayed by actor Wood Harris. Avon is the dominant drug dealer of Baltimore's West Side, running the Barksdale Organization. He runs the West Baltimore drug trade with total autonomy.

Avon was counseled in his drug business by attorney Maurice Levy and assisted by his sister Brianna Barksdale and childhood friend Stringer Bell, who was responsible for the economics of the drug business as Avon's second-in-command. Below Bell was a large organization of drug dealers and enforcers, including Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale, son of Brianna Barksdale. Accepting nothing less than absolute power, Avon is interested only in controlling the drug trade in West Baltimore, believing that the control of territory is key to such objective.

He is hot-tempered, very concerned with his image on the street, and quick to send violent warnings to other crews. He is also shrewd and intuitive, though not as cerebral as Stringer. Avon was partly based on real-life gang leader Nathan Barksdale who ran a drug selling operation in West Baltimore.