Anwan Glover stabbed: The Wire and 12 Years A Slave actor assaulted in Washington nightclub

'My flesh may be stabbed but my spirit is unbreakable', the anti-violence campaigner said

Anwan Glover at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival (Getty Images)

Anwan Glover, an actor who starred in US television show The Wire, is recovering from being stabbed in a Washington nightclub.

Glover was also kicked and beaten during the incident in Café Asia in the early hours on Sunday morning and was treated for his injuries at George Washington University Hospital.

Known for playing gangster Slim Charles in The Wire and appearing in 12 Years a Slave, he had been playing a gig with his group, the Backyard Band, before the attack.

The 41-year-old took to Instagram on Sunday evening to reassure friends and fans that he was recovering.

Describing the incident, he said he was involved in “an altercation with some unknown people” and was stabbed in his right side while defending himself from an attacker.

He has since been discharged from hospital and said he was recovering and “will be back soon”.

“I am not a stranger to adversity and when shown hate, I'm going to spread love,” he wrote.

“My flesh may be stabbed but my spirit is unbreakable.”

Glover grew up in Columbia Heights, a district of the US capital that once had a reputation for gang violence, and was reportedly shot 13 times in his youth.

His brother died in a shooting there in 2007 and his son was injured when he was shot at a party in 2011.

The experience drove the actor to support several anti-violence campaigns and speak about his former life.

Despite the latest round of violence, Glover wrote on Instagram that he is “always going to love” Washington and thanked fans and friends for their well wishes.

Additional reporting by AP