Jesse Williams BIO
Best known for his work on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Williams is a former high school teacher turned director, producer, entrepreneur and activist who began his acting career Off-Broadway directed by Edward Albee at The Cherry Lane Theater. For his Broadway debut, portraying Darren Lemming (Second Stage) in 2022, Williams earned a Tony Nomination, a Drama League nomination and two Broadway.com Awards: Favorite Featured Actor and Favorite Breakthrough Performance.
Jesse Williams is an activist/actor/entrepreneur and former high school teacher. He plays 'Dr. Jackson Avery' on ABC's hit series "Grey's Anatomy" and has appeared in films including Lee Daniels' The Butler, The Cabin in the Woods, Band Aid, and the upcoming Jacob's Ladder and Selah and the Spades. He appears on Broadway in Take Me Out.
Jesse served as senior producer and correspondent alongside Norman Lear for their EPIX docuseries "America Divided." He executive produced the documentary "Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement," which premiered summer 2016 and is currently touring internationally.
Williams is a partner and board member of Scholly, a mobile app that has connected students directly to over 100 million dollars in unclaimed scholarships. He is the co-founder of BLeBRiTY, a very successful black culturally centered mobile game and the Ebroji Mobile App, a popular cultural language keyboard.
Williams is founder of the production company, farWord Inc. and the executive producer of "Question Bridge: Black Males," a series of transmedia art installations on display as part of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's permanent collection.
Williams gained international attention for his 2016 BET Humanitarian Award acceptance speech. He is also the youngest member to sit on the Board of Directors for both Advancement Project, a leading national civil rights advocacy organization, and Harry Belafonte's arts and social justice organization, Sankofa.org.