Jesse Williams (actor)

Jesse Wesley Williams  (born August 5, 1981) is an American actor, director, producer and activist, best known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC Television series Grey's Anatomy. He also appeared in the 2013 film The Butler as civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson. His other roles have included Holden in The Cabin in the Woods (2012); Officer Eddie Quinlan in Brooklyn's Finest (2009); and Leo in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008). He provided voice acting and motion capture for the character Markus in the video game Detroit: Become Human (2018).

Early life
Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Johanna Chase, a professional potter, and Reginald Williams. Of mixed race, Williams has said his mother is Swedish and his father is African American, with some Seminole ancestry, from Georgia. His two younger brothers specialize in visual arts. Williams graduated from Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1998. After he graduated from high school, his parents each began teaching in the public school system, while his mother maintained her 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.

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 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.

Television
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. He had a recurring role in eight episodes of the TV series Beyond the Break as Officer Eric Medina.

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. BuddyTV ranked him No. 6 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list and No. 11 in 2011.

Theater
Williams appeared in revival joint-productions of The American Dream (1961) and The Sandbox (1959) at Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village in New York City. This production was directed by their playwright Edward Albee.

Williams has also 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. His theater work includes an off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie.

Film
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. Two years later, he appeared in Brooklyn's Finest (2010), starring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes and Ellen Barkin. In 2008, Williams signed on for his first leading role, as Holden McCrea in the MGM/United Artists horror film The Cabin in the Woods. Produced by Joss Whedon and directed by Drew Goddard, it was released April 13, 2012.

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.

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 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.

Modeling
Williams occasionally worked as a model during college, but never considered pursuing it as a career. He modeled for Kenneth Cole Productions, L. L. Bean, 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 2012, Williams modeled briefly for Lane Bryant and recently in the video for "Tell Me You Love Me" By Demi Lovato.

Video game
Williams did the voice acting and motion capture for Markus in PlayStation 4 exclusive game Detroit: Become Human, which was released on May 25, 2018.

Personal life
In September 2012, Williams married longtime girlfriend Aryn Drake-Lee. They have two children, Sadie and Maceo. In April 2017, it was reported that Williams had filed for divorce. He then was in a relationship with actress Minka Kelly; they broke up in January 2018. In May 2018, he was spotted dating sports reporter Taylor Rooks.