Dr. Valentin Narcisse is a fictional character from the HBO TV series '' Boardwalk Empire'', portrayed by

Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Belize in the Broadway production of ''Angels in America'', for which he would win a Tony Award, and its HBO miniseries adaptation, for which he woul ...

. He is a prominent and highly educated underworld figure based in

Harlem, New York Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

and a

Black nationalist Black nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that black people are a race, and which seeks to develop and maintain a black racial and national identity. Black nationalist activism revolves aro ...

orator, active in

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

Universal Negro Improvement Association The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and Amy Ashwood Garvey. The Pan-Africa ...

Inspiration

Narcisse was based on Casper Holstein, a prominent New York

mobster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from '' mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

who came up from the Virgin Islands, and ultimately became the biggest and first massive numbers-runner in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

during the Harlem Renaissance.

Reception

Narcisse was the driving force behind the downfall of the few sympathetic characters on ''Boardwalk Empire'', particularly Albert "Chalky" White (

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pr ...

) and Daughter Maitland (Margot Bingham). His motivations often stem from the need to be right or the thrill of antagonizing people, and he is one of the few characters to never be shown in a good light. Although Wright joined the cast during the show's penultimate season, his character is often cited as one of the series' best villains.

References

External links

Dr. Valentin Narcisse Bio
at HBO.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Narcisse, Valentin Boardwalk Empire Television characters introduced in 2013 Fictional businesspeople Fictional characters based on real people Fictional crime bosses Fictional gangsters Drama television characters Fictional drug dealers Fictional African-American people Fictional murdered people American male characters in television Fictional money launderers