| Stringer Bell | |
|---|---|
| The Wire character | |
 Idris Elba as Stringer Bell | |
| First appearance | "The Target" (2002) |
| Last appearance | "Mission Accomplished" (2004) |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Idris Elba |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Russell Bell |
| Alias |
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| Occupation |
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Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character in The Wire, played by Idris Elba. In the criminal world of early 2000s Baltimore, Bell serves as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second-in-command and assumes direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment. Bell is a terse and brooding leader, who shuns the flamboyance of the likes of Avon for ruthless pragmatism and legitimacy.
He attends macroeconomics classes at Baltimore City Community College and maintains a personal library, including a copy of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. He attempts to legitimize the Barksdale Organization and insulates himself from direct criminality through money laundering and investments in housing development, aided through his buying of influence from politicians.