Jesse Wesley Williams, professionally known as Jesse Williams is an American actor, director, and producer. He is famous for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on ABC's television series "Grey's Anatomy". He was chosen to participate in the New York Actors Showcase presented by ABC Television in 2005 whereas he wrote an opinion piece for CNN which analyzed the film "Django Unchained" in 2013. His theater work includes an off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie". He made his film debut in the supporting role of Leo in the sequel to the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" in 2008. Furthermore, as a producer, he was executive producer of the documentary film "Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement" in May 2016 as he has also produced an American short film titled "Two Distant Strangers" in 2021 which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2021.
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Besides acting and producing, Jesse is the youngest member of the board of directors at The Advancement Project. He has written articles for CNN and "The Huffington Post", and has been a guest on Wolf Blitzer's "The Situation Room". He also previously taught high school in the Philadelphia public school system for six years: teaching American Studies, African Studies, and English. As well, Williams occasionally worked as a model during college but never considered pursuing it as a career.
Early Life
With the real name of Jesse Wesley Williams, Jesse opened his eyes for the very first time on 5th August 1980 in Chicago, Illinois, the U.S. He grabs American nationality and belongs to a mixed ethnic background as his mother is Swedish and his father is African American from Georgia. By religion, he is Christian whereas his Zodiac sign is Leo as per his birth date. His race is white and his present age is 40 which he celebrated last August of 2020.
Williams was born to his mother, Johanna Chase, and his father, Reginald Williams. His father is a teacher whereas his mother is a professional ceramic art, high school art teacher. He has two younger brothers, Coire Williams and Matt Williams who specialize in visual arts.
Moving towards Jesse's academic qualification, he graduated from Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1998. Later, he graduated from Temple University with a double major in African American Studies and Film and Media Arts.
Career
- Jesse Williams narrated the audio version of the book "The Bane Chronicles: What Really Happened In Peru" in 2013 whereas BuddyTV ranked him No. 6 on its "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2010" list and No. 11 in 2011. He was also named the TV Actor of the Year at the 2011 Young Hollywood Awards.
- He 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.
- Until the 2019 coronavirus pandemic hit, he was set to star as Darren Lemming in the Second Stage Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg's "Take Me Out" at the Hayes Theater.
- He signed on for his first leading role, as Holden McCrea in the MGM/United Artists horror film "The Cabin in the Woods" in 2008.
- As well, he was executive producer of the documentary film "Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement".
- In addition, 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 also modeled for Kenneth Cole Productions, Levi's, and Tommy Hilfiger Corporation as he starred in the video for "Tell Me You Love Me" By Demi Lovato in 2018.
- Jesse did the voice acting and performance capture for Duke in the video game "NBA 2K21", which released worldwide on 4th September 2020 for multiple consoles.
Personal Life
Jesse Williams is in a romantic relationship with his current girlfriend Taylor Paige. Jesse made his relationship with Taylor official in May 2019 by posting a photo of them on the red carpet together, looking really cute and cozy. Concerning his sexual orientation, he is straight.
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Moreover, Williams was a married guy as he was married to his beautiful wife, Aryn Drake-Lee in 2012. Together the couple has 2 children - a daughter named Sadie (b. December 2013) and a son named Maceo (b. August 2015). Sadly, they got divorced in 2020.
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Net Worth
The net worth of versatile man, Jesse Williams is $12 million as of 2021 whereas his salary per year is estimated to be around $435,000. His major source of income is from his acting, directing, and producing career. Jesse has also done endorsement work for several brands from where he earns a fine amount of money.
Filmography
- 2008 - "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"
- 2009 - "Brooklyn's Finest"
- 2010 - "Dirty Dancing 3: Capoeira Nights"
- 2012 - "The Cabin in the Woods"
- 2012 - "Question Bridge: Black Males"
- 2013 - "The Butler"
- 2013 - "Snake and Mongoose"
- 2013 - "They Die by Dawn"
- 2016 - "Money"
- 2017 - "Band Aid"
- 2019 - "Selah and the Spades"
- 2019 - "Jacob's Ladder"
- 2019 - "Random Acts of Violence"
Television Shows / Series
- 2006 - "Law & Order"
- 2008 - "Greek"
- 2009 - "The Washingtonienne"
- 2009 to 2021 - "Grey's Anatomy"
Source: @instagram.com/jessewilliamsdaily
- 2010 - "Seattle Grace: Message of Hope"
- 2016 - "The Eric Andre Show"
- 2018 - "Most Expensivest"
- 2019 - "Power"
- 2020 - "Station 19"
- 2020 - "Little Fires Everywhere"
- 2021 - "Rebel"
Music Videos
- 2006 - "When Your Heart Stops Beating"
- 2009 - "Russian Roulette"
- 2010 - "Fall in Love"
- 2017 - "Tell Me You Love Me"
- 2017 - "Legacy"
Video Games
- 2018 - "Detroit: Become Human"
- 2020 - "NBA 2K21"
