Jesse Williams

Jesse Wesley Williams (born August 5, 1981) is an American actor, director, producer and activist.

Williams was born in Chicago on August 5, 1981, to Johanna Chase, a professional potter, and Reginald Williams.

Jesse Williams has said his mother is a Swedish American and his father is an African American from Georgia.

Finding Your Roots revealed that on his mother's side, Williams is a descendant of Joseph Herrick, the principal law enforcement officer during the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

His two younger brothers specialize and work in the field of visual arts.

Williams graduated from Moses Brown School 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 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, African Studies, and English.

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 2006, Williams appeared in an episode of Law & Order, portraying the character Kwame.

He also appeared in the role of Drew Collins, in two episodes of the ABC Family series Greek.

Williams made his film debut in the supporting role of Leo in the 2008 sequel to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

He played Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2009–22) and has appeared in films such as The Cabin in the Woods (2012) and The Butler (2013).

On October 15, 2009, Williams began appearing as surgical resident Jackson Avery, in the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy.

He subsequently appeared in Brooklyn's Finest (2009), starring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, and Ellen Barkin.

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.

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.

However in May and October 2022, he did return to make guest appearances in seasons 18 and 19.

BuddyTV 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.

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 in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

This news resulted in some Hunger Games fans protesting casting decisions made by the film executives.

Williams played Holden McCrea, the lead role in the MGM/United Artists horror film The Cabin in the Woods, produced by Joss Whedon and directed by Drew Goddard, released April 13, 2012.

In 2013, Williams wrote an opinion piece for CNN which analyzed the film Django Unchained.

Later that year he narrated the audio version of the book The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened In Peru, by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan.

On June 9, 2015, Variety announced Jamie Bamber, Kellan Lutz, Jesse Williams, and Jess Weixler had joined the cast of the thriller film Money, directed by Martin Rosete 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, written by Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe.

This short film won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film 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.

Williams had a recurring role on Hulu's Only Murders in the Building in fall 2023, playing Tobert.

He has provided voice acting and motion capture for Markus in the video game Detroit: Become Human (2018).

He served as an executive producer of the Academy Award-winning short, Two Distant Strangers (2020) and the Tony Award-winning revival of Take Me Out (2022), the latter of which he was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.