Acting
Jesse Williams
Born 1981-08-05
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Department: Acting
Biography
Jesse Wesley Williams is an American actor, director, producer and activist. He played Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2009–22) and has appeared in films such as The Cabin in the Woods (2012) and The Butler (2013). He has provided voice acting and motion capture for Markus in the video game Detroit: Become Human (2018). He served as an executive producer of the Academy Award-winning short, Two Distant Strangers (2020) and the Tony Award-winning revival of Take Me Out (2022), the latter of which he was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Known For
Prominent works featuring Jesse Williams
TV
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Grey's Anatomy
2005
TMDB4.1
Movie
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The Cabin in the Woods
2012
TMDB3.4
TV
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Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
TMDB2.5
TV
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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
TMDB2.9
TV
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Law & Order
1990
TMDB3.6
Movie
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The Butler
2013
TMDB3.6
TV
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The Daily Show
1996
TMDB3.2
TV
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Only Murders in the Building
2021
TMDB4.2
TV
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
TMDB3.0
TV
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Station 19
2018
TMDB4.1
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (71 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Montmartre | Toussaint | Movie | 2026 |
| Montmartre | Executive Producer | Movie | 2026 |
 | Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story | Executive Producer | Movie | 2025 |
 | Hotel Costiera | Daniel De Luca | TV Series | 2025 |
| Hotel Costiera | Producer | TV Series | 2025 |
 | What We Hide | Sheriff Ben Jeffries | Movie | 2025 |
| What We Hide | Executive Producer | Movie | 2025 |
 | Hoops, Hopes & Dreams | Producer | Movie | 2025 |
 | Shifting Gears | Andy | TV Series | 2025 |
 | The Great Lillian Hall | David Flemming | Movie | 2024 |
 | Following Harry | Self | Movie | 2024 |
 | Your Place or Mine | Theo | Movie | 2023 |
 | Secret Headquarters | Irons | Movie | 2022 |
 | Only Murders in the Building | Tobert | TV Series | 2021 |
 | Two Distant Strangers | Producer | Movie | 2020 |
 | With Drawn Arms | Self | Movie | 2020 |
| With Drawn Arms | Executive Producer | Movie | 2020 |
 | Bottomless Brunch at Colman's | Self | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Little Fires Everywhere | Joe Ryan | TV Series | 2020 |
 | The Morning Show | Vernon | TV Series | 2019 |
 | Jacob's Ladder | Isaac 'Ike' Singer | Movie | 2019 |
 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Isaac | TV Series | 2019 |
 | Random Acts of Violence | Todd Walkley | Movie | 2019 |
| Random Acts of Violence | Executive Producer | Movie | 2019 |
 | Desus & Mero | Self - Illustrious Guest | TV Series | 2019 |
 | Selah and the Spades | Headmaster Banton | Movie | 2019 |
 | Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us' | Self | TV Series | 2018 |
 | United We Stand: The Ali Summit | narrator | Movie | 2018 |
 | Station 19 | Dr. Jackson Avery | TV Series | 2018 |
 | Survivor's Guide to Prison | Self | Movie | 2018 |
| Survivor's Guide to Prison | Executive Producer | Movie | 2018 |
 | The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale | Self - Special Guest | TV Series | 2018 |
 | Band Aid | Skyler | Movie | 2017 |
 | The Obama Years: The Power of Words | Self - Narrator (voice) | Movie | 2017 |
 | BET Presents Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration | Self | Movie | 2016 |
 | America Divided | Self | TV Series | 2016 |
 | To Tell the Truth | Self - Panelist | TV Series | 2016 |
 | Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement | Self | Movie | 2016 |
| Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement | Executive Producer | Movie | 2016 |
 | Money | Sean | Movie | 2016 |
 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Self | TV Series | 2015 |
 | The Spoils Before Dying | Parker | TV Series | 2015 |
 | Celebrity Name Game | Self | TV Series | 2014 |
 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2014 |
 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Self | TV Series | 2014 |
 | They Die by Dawn | John Taylor | Movie | 2013 |
 | Snake & Mongoose | Don "The Snake" Prudomme | Movie | 2013 |
 | The Butler | Rev. James Lawson | Movie | 2013 |
| Rich Girl Problems | Peter | Movie | 2013 | |
 | The Eric Andre Show | Self | TV Series | 2012 |
 | The Cabin in the Woods | Holden McCrea | Movie | 2012 |
 | Finding Your Roots | Self / Appearance | TV Series | 2012 |
 | J.A.W. | Enin | Movie | 2011 |
| J.A.W. | Co-Producer | Movie | 2011 |
 | Dirty Dancing 3: Capoeira Nights | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2010 |
 | Brooklyn's Finest | E. Quinlan | Movie | 2010 |
 | Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen | Self - Guest | TV Series | 2009 |
 | Washingtonienne | Keya | Movie | 2009 |
 | The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | Leo | Movie | 2008 |
 | Greek | Drew Collins | TV Series | 2007 |
 | Beyond the Break | Eric Medina | TV Series | 2006 |
 | Grey's Anatomy | Jackson Avery | TV Series | 2005 |
| Grey's Anatomy | Director | TV Series | 2005 |
 | The View | Self | TV Series | 1997 |
 | The Daily Show | Self | TV Series | 1996 |
 | Law & Order | Kwame | TV Series | 1990 |
 | LIVE with Kelly and Mark | Self - Guest | TV Series | 1988 |
 | Saturday Night Live | Self - Cameo (uncredited) | TV Series | 1975 |
 | The Emmy Awards | Self | TV Series | 1949 |
 | Legacy | Troy | Movie | — |
| The Decline of F*cking Western Civilization | Self / Appearance | Movie | — |