Jesse Williams

American actor, director, producer (born 1981)

Jesse Wesley Williams is an American actor, director, producer and activist. He played Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. He has also appeared in films such as The Cabin in the Woods (2012) and The Butler (2013). He provided voice acting and motion capture for Markus in the video game Detroit: Become Human (2018).

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 Swedish American and his father is African American from Georgia.

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

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. He has two younger brothers, who both specialize and work in the field of visual arts.

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: 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 more than 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 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 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.

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.

On October 15, 2009, Williams began appearing as surgical resident Jackson Avery, in the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. On June 8, 2010, it was announced Williams would be a series regular, starting in season 7. He worked with the series for 12 seasons, and his departure was announced in May 2021. His final episode aired 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. In May and October 2022, he returned in guest appearances in seasons 18 and 19.

Williams was named the TV Actor of the Year at the 2011 Young Hollywood Awards. BuddyTV ranked him as No. 6 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list and No. 11 in 2011.

Williams made his film debut in the supporting role of Leo in the 2008 sequel to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. He subsequently appeared in Brooklyn's Finest (2009), starring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, and Ellen Barkin. 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.

On June 9, 2015, Variety announced Williams was among actors who had joined the cast of the thriller film Money, who included Jamie Bamber, Kellan Lutz, Jesse Williams, and Jess Weixler. The film was 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, part of BET's 'The Truth Series'. 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 starred in the lead role of Darren Lemming. He was 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. Together with the rest of the cast, Williams was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2024.