Tyler James Williams
Tyler James Williams | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1999–present |
Relatives | Tyrel Jackson Williams (brother) Tylen Jacob Williams (brother) |
Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, making several appearances on Saturday Night Live, Little Bill, and Sesame Street.[2] Williams later rose to prominence for playing the role of Chris Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005–09). Following this, he starred as songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel original movie Let It Shine (2012), and Noah on AMC horror television series The Walking Dead (2014–15).
He currently stars as Gregory Eddie on the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which he received critical acclaim for as well as a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Additionally, Williams has also appeared in films such as Detroit (2017) and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021).
Early life
Williams was born in Westchester County, New York, and grew up in Yonkers, New York.[3] His mother, Angela Williams, is a counselor, and his father, Le’Roy Williams, is a teacher and retired police sergeant.[3][4] Williams has two younger brothers; Tyrel Jackson Williams (b. 1997) and Tylen Jacob Williams (b. 2001). Both his younger brothers are also actors; Tyrel starred on the Disney XD series Lab Rats as Leo Dooley and Tylen starred on the Nick at Nite sitcom Instant Mom as James Phillips. Williams also appeared on Lab Rats, portraying his brother's character's future self and Instant Mom as his younger brother's family cousin Jamal.[5]
Career
Williams began his acting career at age 4.[6] He later starred in Little Bill as the voice of Bobby, briefly replacing Devon Malik Beckford in 2000, and played himself (or an eponymous character, "Tyler") on the PBS series Sesame Street from 2000 to 2005. He rose to fame in September 2005 by playing the title character in the hit series Everybody Hates Chris,[7] which finished in May 2009. He won a Young Artist Award in 2007 for his work on the show. He was also a guest star in Two for the Money, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the show Hi-Jinks.[citation needed] In late 2009, Williams appeared in the second season of True Jackson, VP as True's love interest Justin "Lil' Shakespeare" Weber in the two-part episode "Flirting with Fame."[8]
In 2012, Williams got the role of Owen in the series Go On.[9] He also played the lead role of Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel original movie Let It Shine[10] alongside Coco Jones, Trevor Jackson, and Brandon Mychal Smith. Williams was also featured on nine songs on the film's soundtrack, showing off his rapping skills. The movie premiered on June 15, 2012, and his songs "Don't Run Away," "Me and You," "Guardian Angel," "Let It Shine" and "Moment of Truth" all received airplay on Radio Disney.[11] The videos were also played frequently on the Disney Channel. Williams also guest starred in the Disney XD series Lab Rats as a future version of the character played by his younger brother Tyrel Jackson Williams.[12]
In 2014, Williams starred in Justin Simien's independent film Dear White People as Lionel Higgins,[13] and was cast as the recurring character Noah on the television series The Walking Dead.[14][15] In 2016, Williams played Russ "Monty" Montgomery in the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.[16][17] In 2017, Williams was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after experiencing symptoms for three years. Since his diagnosis, he has undergone treatment, including multiple surgeries.[18] In 2019, Williams was cast as Jake in the movie The Wedding Year, a teen romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Sarah Hyland, Jenna Dewan, Matt Shively, and Anna Camp.[19]
In 2020, Williams played the role of Paul in The Argument.[20] In 2021, began playing the role of Gregory Eddie in the ABC Mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary.[21] At the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, Williams earned a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.[22]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Two for the Money | Guest at Party | Uncredited |
2006 | The Ant Bully | Blue Teammate #1 | Voice |
Unaccompanied Minors | Charlie Goldfinch | ||
2013 | Tyler Perry Presents Peeples | Simon Peeples | |
2014 | Dear White People | Lionel Higgins | |
2017 | Detroit | Leon | |
2019 | The Wedding Year | Jake Riddick | |
2020 | The Argument | Paul | |
2021 | The United States vs. Billie Holiday | Lester 'Prez' Young |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999–2003 | Saturday Night Live | Jack Black's adopted son / Young Boy / Entari Shakunte | 3 episodes |
2000 | Sesame Street | Tyler | 10 episodes |
2000–2002 | Little Bill | Bobby | Voice, 6 episodes |
2004 | Judge Mooney | Melvin | |
2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Kyle McGovern | Episode: "Parts" |
2005–2009 | Everybody Hates Chris | Chris | Lead role; 88 episodes[23] |
2009 | The Cleaner | Kenji Simon | Episode: "Last American Casualty" |
True Jackson, VP | Justin | 2 episodes | |
2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Jason Rusch / Firestorm | Voice, 3 episodes |
Our Show | Television film | ||
2011 | House | Landon | Episode: "Carrot or Stick" |
2012 | Lab Rats | Future Leo | Episode: "Back from the Future" |
Let It Shine | Cyrus DeBarge / Truth | Television film | |
2012–2013 | Go On | Owen Lewis | Series regular |
2014 | Key & Peele | Jaleel White | Episode: "Family Matters" |
2014–2015 | The Walking Dead | Noah | Recurring role; season 5 |
2015 | Criminal Minds | Russ "Monty" Montgomery | Episode: "Beyond Borders" |
Ballers | Water boy | Episode: "Raise Up" | |
Instant Mom | Jamal | Episode: "Jamal in the Family" | |
Comedy Bang! Bang! | Temptation | Episode: "Brie Larson Wears a Billowy Long-Sleeve Shirt and White Saddle Shoes" | |
2016 | RePlay | Nate | Main role, web series |
2016–2017 | Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Russ "Monty" Montgomery | Main role |
2018 | Dear White People | Carson Rhodes | 2 episodes |
2019 | Whiskey Cavalier | Edgar Standish | Main role |
A Black Lady Sketch Show | Rome | Episode: "Where Are My Background Singers?" | |
2021–present | Abbott Elementary | Gregory Eddie | Main role |
Awards and nominations
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Best Breakthrough Performance | Dear White People | Won |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Best Supporting Actor - Television Series | Abbott Elementary | Won |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy | Abbott Elementary | Nominated |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
2007 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Won[24] | |
2008 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2009 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2010 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2018 | Outstanding Independent Motion Picture | Detroit | Won |
2023 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Abbott Elementary | Pending |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Abbott Elementary | Nominated |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Choice Actor: Comedy | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Leading Young Actor (Comedy or Drama) | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
2008 | Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actor | Won |
Discography
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2020) |
- Let It Shine Soundtrack (2012)
- Me, My Brother, And A Mic (2015)
References
- ^ "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- ^ "Tyler James Williams: From Child Actor to Hollywood Hunk + Nina Parker on 'Tamron Hall' | WATCH". EURweb. 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ a b Tyler James Williams filmreference.com
- ^ Tyler James Williams Biography. Tvguide.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-18.
- ^ "Tyler James Williams Bio". Kidz World. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ "Tyler James Williams: star of Everybody Hates Chris". Ebony. January 1, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ "Everybody Hates Chris". teacher.scholastic.com. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ J-14 Magazine (May 6, 2013). "Natasha Bedingfield and Tyler James Williams Guest Star in New True Jackson, VP Movie!". J-14. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tyler James Williams Cast in 'Criminal Minds' Spinoff". 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Tyler James Williams Reveals His Musical Talents In Disney's 'Let It Shine'". HuffPost. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Walt Disney Records (May 22, 2012). "Walt Disney Records' Let It Shine Soundtrack Boasts Songs By Coco Jones, Tyler James Williams And Other Stars From The Disney Channel Original Movie". PR News Wire. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ jaej (September 6, 2017). "6 Fantastic Facts About Actor and Hip Hop Recording Artist, Tyler Williams". On the Black List. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ ""Dear White People" Actor Tyler James Williams Talks To BOSSIP About Race & Sexuality". bossip.com. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Lesley Goldberg (24 September 2014). "'Walking Dead' Adds 'Go On' Alum in New Mystery Role". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "'Walking Dead's' Latest Fatality: Savage Death Will "Rock" Glenn". www.hollywoodreporter.com. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ "'Criminal Minds' Episode 10.19 Photos: Meet the FBI's International Unit". www.buddytv.com. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (28 January 2015). "Tyler James Williams Cast In 'Criminal Minds' Spinoff". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ^ Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (1 December 2018). "#myIBD: Tyler James Williams' Story". Facebook. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "The Wedding Year". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "'The Argument': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 September 2020.
- ^ "'Abbott Elementary': Tyler James Williams Explains Moment He Knew Show Was a Hit". IndieWire. 2022-02-16. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ Schneider, Jordan Moreau,Michael; Moreau, Jordan; Schneider, Michael (2022-07-12). "Emmys 2022: The Complete Nominations List". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Everybody Hates Chris". IMDB. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "It's All About Image - Image 9 from Everybody Loves Tyler James Williams". BET (Black Entertainment Television). Retrieved 20 January 2022.
External links
- 1992 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American rappers
- African-American male actors
- African-American male child actors
- African-American male rappers
- American male child actors
- American male film actors
- American male rappers
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- East Coast hip hop musicians
- Male actors from New York (state)
- People from Westchester County, New York
- People from Yonkers, New York
- People with Crohn's disease
- Rappers from New York (state)