Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew up… in Elgin, Texas, the son of a carpenter. Chalky, who came of age at the dawn of the Jim Crow era, has suffered his fair share of discrimination. As a boy, he saw his own father lynched by a gang of white business rivals.
Living… in Atlantic City, N.J. Chalky started from the bottom in his adopted city. He went from playing dice games under the boardwalk to becoming one of the most influential businessmen in the city.
Profession… racketeer and unofficial leader of Atlantic City’s African-American community. Chalky controls the black vote in the city, making him a necessary friend for any politician. He’s also been known to do a violent favor every now and then for County Treasurer Nucky Thompson, who doubles as Atlantic City’s leading gangster.
Interests… his family. Chalky has made it to the top tier of Atlantic City business and politics, and he did it all for his wife and three children. Though he’s given them access to the finer things in life, Chalky doesn’t care too much for the details of luxury. “I don’t gotta spell it,” he says of new chandeliers for his club. “Just pay for it.”
Relationship Status… married with children. Chalky’s wife Lenore is an educated and sophisticated woman who smoothes over Chalky’s rough edges. To his pride, he sees his children adopting the refined manners of their mother rather than his sometimes violent, streetwise ways. He wants a better world for them.
Challenge… making sure he isn’t being taken advantage of. Even though he’s proved himself in the criminal underworld, he still faces discrimination as a black man. It’s sometimes difficult for Chalky to tell the difference between a friend and a foe, and he knows that he has to be very careful about whom he trusts. “Heard a lot of ‘we’ last year, when you was in trouble,” he once said to Nucky. “Now it’s just ‘you.’”
Personality… shrewd and tough. Chalky knows how the world works, and he wants to do anything he can to stay ahead of the curve. Atlantic City during Prohibition is a bit like the Wild West, and Chalky is interested in getting a major piece of the action.
Get to Know him in...
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Officially, Nucky Thompson is the beloved treasurer of Atlantic County, New Jersey. But most voters aren't aware of his other profession: bootlegging. Prohibition has made alcohol illegal in the U.S., which has created a huge opportunity for bold men willing to bend the law to become rich and powerful. For Nucky, the real challenge isn't getting the alcohol, it's keeping it out of the hands of other gangsters while also avoiding traps set by Agent Van Alden and the FBI.
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Through most of the 20th century, Atlantic City, New Jersey, was controlled by a powerful partnership of local politicians and racketeers. Funded by payoffs from gambling rooms, bars and brothels, this corrupt alliance reached full bloom during the reign of Enoch 'Nucky' Johnson - the second of the three bosses to head the Republican machine that dominated city politics and society. In Boardwalk Empire, Nucky Johnson, Louis 'the Commodore' Kuehnle, Frank 'Hap' Farley, and Atlantic City itself spring to life in all their garish splendour. Author Nelson Johnson traces 'AC' from its birth as a quiet seaside health resort, through the corruption, notorious backroom politics and power struggles, to the city's rebirth as an international entertainment and gambling mecca where anything goes. Boardwalk Empire is the true story that inspired the epic HBO series starring Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt and Kelly Macdonald. 'As good, if not better, than the television series' Independent
