Jesse Williams is an American actor who was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 6, 1981. He began his career in television appearing in episodes of ‘Greek’, ‘Beyond the Break’, and ‘Law & Order’. Williams is best-known for playing Dr. Jackson Avery on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ which is a medical drama series aired on ABC Television. He has also appeared in several films. These include ‘The Butler’, ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2′, Brooklyn’s Finest’, and ‘The Cabin in the Woods’. Here are five more things you might not know about Jesse Williams.
1. He Was a Teacher
Acting wasn’t Williams’ first choice of career as he followed in the footsteps of his parents and became a teacher. He attended Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island. When he graduated from high school he went on to study for a double major in Film and Media Arts and African American Studies at Temple University. He used his degree to work as a high school teacher in the Philadelphia public school system. The subjects he taught included English, American studies, and African studies.
2. He Didn’t Act Until He Was 25
While many actors dream of working in the entertainment industry form a young age, this was not the case for Jesse Williams. In fact, he didn’t pursue a career in this filed until he was 25. In 2005, he studied acting and was then one of the 14 actors chosen from 800 by ABC Television to appear in the New York Actors Showcase. This led to him getting his first job as a professional actor in 2006 which was playing the role of a character called Kwame in a single episode of ‘Law & Order’.
3. He Has Worked as a Model
Although he has never seriously pursued a career in modeling, Williams has worked as a model in the past. While he was at college, he modeled for Tommy Hilfiger Corporation, L.L. Bean, and Kenneth Cole Productions. In 2012, he briefly modeled for Lane Bryant.
4. He Has Appeared in Music Videos
Williams has appeared in three music videos. The first music video in which he appeared was Rihanna’s 2009 single ‘Russian Roulette’ which was on the ‘Rated R’ album. He then appeared on the music video for Estelle’s single ‘Fall in Love’ which is on the album ‘All of Me’. Jesse Williams is also on 2017 single ‘Tell Me You Love Me’ by Demi Lovato. In this video, Lovato and Williams get married.
5. He is an Activist
Jesse Williams is an activist. He is the executive producer of a media project called ‘Question Bridge: Black Males’. He is also the youngest member of the board of directors for civil rights think tank called ‘The Advancement Project’. In 2016, he won the humanitarian award at the BET Awards. On receiving his award, he made a speech relating to racial injustice, the invention of whiteness, and police brutality towards black males. As a result of this speech, there were two opposing petitions. One was to keep him appearing in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and the other was to have him fired.
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