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Jesse Wesley Williams is an American actor, director, producer and activist. He played Jackson Avery on the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'' (2009–22) and has appeared in the films '' The Cabin in the Woods'' (2012), ''
The Butler ''The Butler'' (full title ''Lee Daniels' The Butler'') is a 2013 American historical drama film directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels and with a screenplay by Danny Strong. It is inspired by Wil Haygood's '' Washington Post'' article "A B ...
'' (2013) and '' Band Aid'' (2017). He has provided voice acting and
motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
for Markus in '' Detroit: Become Human'' (2018). He has also served as an executive producer of the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning short, ''
Two Distant Strangers ''Two Distant Strangers'' is a 2020 American short film written by Travon Free and directed by Free and Martin Desmond Roe. The film examines the deaths of Black Americans during encounters with police through the eyes of a character trapped in ...
'' (2020) and the Tony Award-winning revival of '' Take Me Out'' (2022), the latter of which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.


Early life

Williams was born in Chicago to Johanna Chase, a professional potter, and Reginald Williams. Jesse Williams has said his mother is a
Swedish American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...
and his father is an
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
from
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. His two younger brothers specialize and work in the field of
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts a ...
. Williams graduated from
Moses Brown School Moses Brown School is an independent Quaker school located in Providence, Rhode Island, offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. It was founded in 1784 by Moses Brown, a Quaker abolitionist, and is one of the oldest prepara ...
in Providence, Rhode Island in 1998. After he graduated from high school his father began teaching history in northern Maine, while his mother continued to work in pottery. Williams graduated from
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called ...
with a double major in African American Studies and Film and Media Arts. Following in the footsteps of his parents, he taught high school in the Philadelphia public school system for six years teaching
American Studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Scho ...
,
African Studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demograph ...
, and English.


Acting career

In 2005, Williams began to study acting and was chosen to participate in the New York Actors Showcase presented by ABC Television, one of 14 actors chosen from among over 800 individuals who auditioned. Since 2006, he has appeared in a number of television series, films and theatre productions. In 2012, he established a production company, farWord Inc. In May 2012, a fan campaign was organized to try to influence film executives to cast him in the role of
Finnick Odair The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these ...
in '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire''. This news resulted in some ''Hunger Games'' fans protesting casting decisions made by the film executives. In 2013, Williams wrote an opinion piece for
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
which analyzed the film ''
Django Unchained ''Django Unchained'' () is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, with Walton Goggins, Dennis C ...
''. Later that year he narrated the audio version of the book ''The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened In Peru'', by
Cassandra Clare Judith Lewis (née Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series ''The Mortal Instruments''.'' Personal life Clare was born Judith ...
and
Sarah Rees Brennan Sarah Rees Brennan (born 21 September 1983) is an Irish writer best known for young adult fantasy fiction. Her first novel, '' The Demon's Lexicon'', was released June 2009 by Simon & Schuster. Rees Brennan's books are bestsellers in the UK. ...
. In 2006, Williams appeared in an episode of ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'', portraying the character Kwame. He also appeared in the role of Drew Collins, in two episodes of the
ABC Family The American cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and six different name changes) during its h ...
series '' Greek''. On October 15, 2009, Williams began appearing as surgical resident Jackson Avery, in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
television series '' Grey's Anatomy''. On June 8, 2010, it was announced Williams would be a series regular, starting in season 7. It was announced on May 6, 2021, that he would be exiting the show, his final episode airing May 20 on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in May 2021, Williams said the decision to leave the show was "a collective thing" and part of a discussion the actor had with showrunner Krista Vernoff about Jackson's trajectory that ultimately helped solidify 11 seasons of storyline.
BuddyTV BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profi ...
ranked him No. 6 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list and No. 11 in 2011. Jesse was named the TV Actor of the Year at the 2011
Young Hollywood Awards The Young Hollywood Awards was awards presented annually which honored the year's biggest achievements in pop music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, as voted on by teenagers aged 13–19 and young adults. The award ceremonies also ho ...
. In 2008, Williams made his film debut in the supporting role of Leo in the sequel to the 2005 film ''
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'' is a series of five bestselling young adult novels by Ann Brashares: '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001),'' ''The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (2003),'' '' Girls in Pants'' (2005), '' Forev ...
''. Two years later, he appeared in ''
Brooklyn's Finest ''Brooklyn's Finest'' is a 2009 American crime film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Michael C. Martin. The film stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes. ''Brooklyn's Finest'' had its world premiere at the 2009 S ...
'' (2010), starring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere,
Ethan Hawke Ethan Green Hawke (born November 6, 1970) is an American actor and film director. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. Hawke has directed three feature films, three off-Broadway plays, and a doc ...
,
Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), ''New Jack City'' (1991), '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), ''Passenger 57'' (1992), '' ...
, and
Ellen Barkin Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress and a producer. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film ''Diner'', and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as ''Tender Mercies'' (1983), ''Eddie and the ...
. In 2008, Williams signed on for his first leading role, as Holden McCrea in the
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
/ United Artists horror film '' The Cabin in the Woods''. Produced by Joss Whedon and directed by
Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American filmmaker. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ''Angel'', '' Alias'', and '' Lost''. After moving into screenwriting in ...
, it was released April 13, 2012. On June 9, 2015, '' Variety'' announced
Jamie Bamber Jamie Saint John Bamber Griffith (born 3 April 1973), known professionally as Jamie Bamber, is a British actor, known for his roles as Lee Adama in ''Battlestar Galactica'' and Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin in the ITV series '' Law & Order: ...
,
Kellan Lutz Kellan Christopher Lutz (born March 15, 1985) is an American actor and model. He made his film debut in ''Stick It'' (2006), and is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in ''The Twilight Saga'' film series (2008–2012). He has since played Pose ...
, Jesse Williams, and
Jess Weixler Jess Weixler (born ) is an American actress. She played Dawn O'Keefe in the comedy-horror film ''Teeth'' and Jordan in the comedy ''The Big Bad Swim''. Early life Weixler graduated in 1999 from Atherton High School in Louisville, Kentucky, wh ...
had joined the cast of the
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
film ''Money'', directed by
Martin Rosete Juan Pablo Martín Rosete is a Spanish film and commercial director. In 2016, Rosete released his feature film directorial debut, ''Money'', an American thriller that starred Jamie Bamber and Jesse Williams. Rosete was born in Madrid in 1980. H ...
and produced by Atit Shah. In May 2016, Williams was executive producer of the documentary film '' Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement''. In 2021, Williams produced an American short-film titled ''
Two Distant Strangers ''Two Distant Strangers'' is a 2020 American short film written by Travon Free and directed by Free and Martin Desmond Roe. The film examines the deaths of Black Americans during encounters with police through the eyes of a character trapped in ...
'', written by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe. This short film won an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...
in 2021. Williams has served as a guest director for student productions at the Urban Arts Partnership 24 Hour Plays Off-Broadway, at the request of Rosie Perez and Anna Strout. In March 2022, Williams made his Broadway debut in the revival of Richard Greenberg’s '' Take Me Out''. Williams stars in the lead role of Darren Lemming. He's been nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.


Activism

Williams is the youngest member of the board of directors at The Advancement Project, a civil rights think tank and advocacy group. He is also the executive producer of Question Bridge: Black Males, a multifaceted media project, art exhibition, student and teacher curriculum and website, focused on the black male identity and the diversity within the demographic. He has written articles for
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
and '' The Huffington Post'', and has been a guest on
Wolf Blitzer Wolf Isaac Blitzer (born March 22, 1948) is an American journalist, television news anchor, and author who has been a CNN reporter since 1990, and who currently serves as one of the principal anchors at the network. He is the host of '' The Situ ...
's '' The Situation Room. '' In June 2016, Williams won the humanitarian award at the 2016 BET Awards, delivering a speech highlighting racial injustice, police brutality, and the invention of whiteness. As a result of his speech, dueling petitions were circulated: one to have Williams fired from ''Grey's Anatomy'' and one to keep him on the series.


Other work

Williams occasionally worked as a model during college, but never considered pursuing it as a career. He modeled for
Kenneth Cole Productions Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is an American fashion house that was founded in 1982 by Kenneth Cole and Sam Edelman. History and operations Cole originally named the company Kenneth Cole Incorporated in September 1982 and planned to showcas ...
, Levi's, and
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation Tommy Hilfiger B.V. (), formerly known as Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and Tommy Hilfiger Inc., is an American clothing brand, manufacturing apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrances and home furnishings. The company was founded in 1985, and the b ...
. He can be seen as the love interest of R&B singer Rihanna in the music video for her single " Russian Roulette" from her 2009 album '' Rated R''. He also appears in the music video for Estelle's song "Fall In Love", from the album ''All of Me''. In 2018, Williams appeared in the video for " Tell Me You Love Me" By
Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series '' Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for p ...
. Williams also modeled for Lane Bryant in 2012. Williams did the voice acting and performance capture for Markus in the video game '' Detroit: Become Human'', which first released on May 25, 2018, for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
. He also did the voice acting and performance capture for Duke in the video game ''
NBA 2K21 ''NBA 2K21'' is a 2021 basketball simulation video game that was developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. The game is based on the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is the 22nd installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise, t ...
'', which released worldwide on September 4, 2020, for multiple consoles.


Personal life

Williams dated Aryn Drake-Lee for five years before the two married on September 1, 2012. The couple have two children together, a daughter Sadie Williams (b. December 2013) and a son Maceo Williams (b. October 2015). The couple filed for divorce in April 2017. The divorce was finalized in October 2020.


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Video games


Stage


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jesse 21st-century American male actors Male actors from Chicago American male film actors Television producers from Illinois American people of Seminole descent American people of Swedish descent Living people Temple University alumni Audiobook narrators American male television actors American male stage actors American podcasters Moses Brown School alumni American male video game actors Film producers from Illinois Educators from Illinois Year of birth missing (living people) African-American male actors 20th-century births