Gregory Alan Williams (born June 12, 1956) sometimes credited as Gregalan Williams, is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. He is best known for portraying LAPD Officer Garner Ellerbee in ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

''. From 2011 until 2013, Williams portrayed the role of Coach Pat Purnell in the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

series '' Necessary Roughness.'' Williams also appeared on the 2015 ABC series '' Secrets and Lies'' and then on '' Greenleaf'', and later on 2017's '' Manhunt: Unabomber,'' and beginning in 2019 ''

The Righteous Gemstones ''The Righteous Gemstones'' is an American television series created by Danny McBride that premiered on August 18, 2019, on HBO. The series follows a famous and dysfunctional family of televangelists. It stars McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterso ...

.''

Life and acting career

Born in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, Williams graduated from East High School, and attended

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associatio ...

and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

before pursuing a career in acting. He made his acting debut opposite

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

in the 1988 film '' Above the Law''. The following year, Williams won the role of Garner Ellerbee in ''Baywatch''. He reprised the role in the 1995 spin-off series ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American police and science-fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the television series, '' ...

'' before returning to ''Baywatch'' in 1996. After leaving the series in 1998, Williams has had recurring guest roles on ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. Pr ...

'', '' The Game'', '' Army Wives'', and ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...

''. Additionally, he has guest starred in episodes of '' NYPD Blue'', '' Boston Legal'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', and '' Meet the Browns'' and has also lent his voice to the animated series ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also known by various alternative titles), sometimes abbreviated as ''ATHF'' or ''Aqua Teen'', is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late ni ...

''. From 2009 to 2013, Williams appeared as Judge Warren Libby in the comedy series ''

''. Since 2011, Williams has portrayed the role of Coach Pat Purnell in the

drama series '' Necessary Roughness.'' Williams has also had roles in several films, including ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denze ...

'' (2000), '' Old School'' (2003), ''

Be Cool ''Be Cool'' is a 2005 American crime- comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel ''Get Shorty'' (itself adapted into a 1995 film of the same name) about mobster Chili Palmer's entra ...

'' (2005), ''

Dog Days of Summer The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sud ...

'' (2007), Oliver Stone's biopic '' W.'' (2008), ''

The Collector ''The Collector'' is a 1963 thriller novel by English author John Fowles, in his literary debut. Its plot follows a lonely, psychotic young man who kidnaps a female art student in London and holds her captive in the cellar of his rural farmhous ...

'' (2009), and ''

MacGruber ''MacGruber'' was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live'', first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch is a parody of the 1985–1992 adventure series ''MacGyver''. The sketch stars Will Forte as spec ...

'' (2010). Williams also serves as the host of the syndicated series ''Know Your Heritage'' and ''Know Your Heritage: Black College Quiz''.

Writing

In addition to acting, Williams has authored four books including ''A Gathering of Heroes: Reflections on Rage and Responsibility: A Memoir of the Los Angeles Riots''. The book chronicles Williams' life and experiences with racism, along with an incident during the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in So ...

in which Williams saved the life of a Japanese American man who was being beaten by rioters.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Bibliography

* * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gregory 1956 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors African-American novelists African-American television personalities American male film actors American male novelists American male television actors American male voice actors Coe College alumni Living people Male actors from Des Moines, Iowa United States Marines Writers from Des Moines, Iowa 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Iowa 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers African-American male writers