Jesse Williams is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC hit series “Grey’s Anatomy”.
So let’s find out some trivia and facts about his life and career.
- His full name is Jesse Wesley Williams
- He was born in August 5, 1981
- He is an American actor, director, producer, and activist
- He portrayed Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC series Grey’s Anatomy (2009–2022)
- He has appeared in the films The Cabin in the Woods (2012), The Butler (2013) and Band Aid (2017)
- He also provided voice acting and motion capture for Markus in Detroit: Become Human (2018)
- Williams was born in Chicago
- His parents are 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
- 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
- He was 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 in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- This news resulted in some Hunger Games fans protesting casting decisions made by the film executives
- 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
- The project is focused on the black male identity and the diversity within the demographic
- He has written articles for CNN and The Huffington Post
- And has been a guest on Wolf Blitzer’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
- Williams occasionally worked as a model during college, but never considered pursuing it as a career
- He modeled for Kenneth Cole Productions, Levi’s, and Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
- 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
- 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
- He also did the voice acting and performance capture for Duke in the video game NBA 2K21, which released worldwide on September 4, 2020, for multiple consoles
- Williams dated Aryn Drake-Lee for five years
- The two were married on September 1st, 2012
- The couple has two children together
- A daughter Sadie Williams and a son Maceo Williams
- The couple filed for divorce in April of 2017
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