Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He voiced the character of

Uncle Ruckus Uncle Ruckus (born July 4, 1939) is a fictional character on the American animated sitcom ''The Boondocks''. Voiced by Gary Anthony Williams, he first appeared on television in the show's pilot, "The Garden Party", on November 6, 2005. Created and ...

on ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (band), an Estonian rock band * ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** ''The Boondocks'' (2005 TV series), the television ser ...

'', and a number of video game characters. He also appeared on the television series '' Weeds'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 200 ...

'', ''

Blue Collar TV ''Blue Collar TV'' is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on The WB from July 29, 2004 to July 26, 2006 starring Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary Ame ...

'' and ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunction ...

''. Williams co-founded and is Artistic Director of the L.A. Comedy Shorts film festival in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, California. He starred alongside Cedric the Entertainer on the

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

sitcom ''

The Soul Man ''The Soul Man'' is an American sitcom created by Suzanne Martin and Cedric the Entertainer. The series is a spin-off from ''Hot in Cleveland'', in which Cedric guest starred in the 2011 episode "Bridezelka", the backdoor pilot for ''The Soul Ma ...

''. Since 2013, he became a recurring cast member on the improv comedy TV series ''

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...

'', and is a regular member of the live improv comedy show ''The Black Version''.

Early life and career

Born in

Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta. In 201 ...

,Eldridge, Richard L.
Atlantic Station's set for taste of Hollywood
. ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. October 20, 2005. Williams was involved in theater, comedy and television in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, where his credits include acting with the

Georgia Shakespeare Festival Georgia Shakespeare (formerly ''Georgia Shakespeare Festival'') was a professional, not-for-profit theatre company located in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States on the campus of Oglethorpe University from 1985-2014. Georgia Shakespeare prod ...

, performing and writing for Agatha's: A Taste of Mystery and being a longtime member of Atlanta's longest running improv troupe, Laughing Matters. Williams had recurring roles in the television series ''

I'll Fly Away "I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled ''Wonderful Message''.Richard Matteson, Jr.''The Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book'' Mel Bay Publications, 2006 ...

'' and '' In the Heat of the Night'', both filmed in the Atlanta area. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1998.

Television

Williams' past roles include Abe Kenarban (Stevie's dad) in the Fox TV sitcom ''

'' and as Judge Trudy's Bailiff on

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

's ''

The Amanda Show ''The Amanda Show'' is an American live action sketch comedy and variety show television series created by Dan Schneider that aired on Nickelodeon from October 16, 1999 to September 21, 2002. It starred Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and Nancy ...

''. Williams was a series regular on the

WB Television Network The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...

series, ''

''. In 2003, Williams had a small role in an episode of ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

'', "Invisible Evidence." During season three and four of ''

'', Williams appeared as part-time lawyer Clarence Bell, a pathologically shy man who expresses himself through characters, including

crossdressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

as women (including a nun and celebrities such as

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

).Ho, Rodney
No bitterness about losing role on show
. ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. June 20, 2008. The role of Clarence/Clarice was originally to appear in one episode, but was expanded into a recurring role and then a regular role. Williams plays parts in five different shows on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

's late night programming block,

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

, one being a STRATA technician on '' Saul of the Molemen'', another as the self-hating African American,

on ''

'', Coroner Rick, a recurring character on '' Stroker and Hoop'', he also played the role of

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to a ...

on the television special, '' The Young Person's Guide to History'', and served as the voice-over announcer for '' The Eric Andre Show'' until 2013. He also voiced Riff Tamson in the opening three episodes of season four of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars''. He is also the voice of Mr. Dos on ''

Special Agent Oso ''Special Agent Oso '' () was an American computer-animated children's television series. The series was created by Ford Riley. It premiered on April 4, 2009 with 2 episodes airing that day as part of Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney block," a ...

''. He appeared on an episode of ''

Hot in Cleveland ''Hot in Cleveland'' is an American television sitcom on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White. The series, which was TV Land's first original series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was TV Land's hig ...

'' as a drama teacher and soccer coach. In 2009 and 2010, Williams provided the voice of the supervillain

Mongul Mongul () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin created the first version of the character, who debuted in ''DC Comics Presents'' #27 (November 1980). Jerry Ordway created the sec ...

for several episodes of the animated series, '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold''. On one occasion, he voiced the character's sister,

Mongal Josephine MacDonald Josephine MacDonald, also known as Josie Mac, is a police officer of GCPD, first appearing in ''Detective Comics'' #763 (December 2001), created by Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang. Josie Mac had a promising career ahead of her, ...

. He also voiced the supervillain Thunderball in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes''. Williams is currently working on a new

Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director and musician. He is the creator of the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present), and the co-cre ...

animated series. He was part of a segment in the show '' Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction'', and guest-starred on ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main c ...

'' and ''

Two and a Half Men ''Two and a Half Men'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS for twelve seasons from September 22, 2003, to February 19, 2015. Originally starring Charlie Sheen in the lead role alongside Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones, t ...

''. Williams also guest stars as the halfway house director in the 7th season of the TV show '' Weeds''. In 2011, he joined the cast of the animated series ''

China, IL ''China, IL'' (meaning ''China, Illinois'') is an American adult animated sitcom created by Brad Neely for the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network. The series was originally conceived as a web series on Adult Swim's defunct comedy w ...

'' as the voice of Doctor Falgot. Williams was also in an episode of the show ''

Workaholics ''Workaholics'' is an American sitcom created and predominantly written by Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm, and Kyle Newacheck, all of whom star in the series. ''Workaholics'' originally ran on Comedy Central from April 6, 2011, to Ma ...

''. He was a series regular for the

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

series '' Mad'' and is currently voicing Mr. McStuffins for the animated

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven ...

series, ''

Doc McStuffins ''Doc McStuffins'' is an American educational computer-animated children's television series created and executive produced by Chris Nee (an Irish-American who was an associate producer for international versions of Sesame Street) and produced ...

'' and Dirty Dan and Dusty for the animated Disney Junior series ''

Sheriff Callie's Wild West ''Sheriff Callie's Wild West'' is an American animated children's television series created by the combined efforts of George Evelyn, Holly Huckins and Denis Morella, the creators of Higglytown Heroes, and produced by WildBrain Entertainment. It ...

''. He is also the narrator for the TV One series '' UNSUNG''. From 2012 to 2016, Williams appeared as the recurring character Lester on the

original sitcom ''

''. Since 2013, Williams has been a replacement performer on the CW revival of the television show ''

'', where he improvises scenes and songs. He also provides the voice for Mufasa in '' The Lion Guard'' replacing

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

, and has provided voices for ''

Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' and progressing ...

''. In 2017, he voiced Bark Knight and Baboo from the animated Disney Junior series ''

Puppy Dog Pals ''Puppy Dog Pals'' is an American computer-animated children's television series created by Harland Williams. The series debuted on Disney Junior in the United States on April 14, 2017. Plot ''Puppy Dog Pals'' is about Bingo and Rolly, two pu ...

''. In November 2021, it was announced that Williams would be voicing the character, Beta, in the animated comedy-adventure series, ''Hailey’s On It!'', which is slated to premiere in 2023.

Film

Williams has appeared in films such as '' Undercover Brother'', appearing as Smart Brother (having previously voiced the Undercover Brother character in the original internet animated series),Thomas, Don.
Gary Anthony Williams: A Theatrically Trained Performer
. ''New York Beacon''. May 1, 2002. p. 31. ''

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (released in some international markets as ''Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies'') is a 2004 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and starr ...

'', and '' Soul Plane''. On the ''Boondocks'' second-season premiere, " ...Or Die Trying",

Riley Freeman Riley Freeman is a character from the syndicated comic strip ''The Boondocks'' written by Aaron McGruder and its TV series adaptation. He often refers to himself as "Riley Escobar," and in season two of the TV series, he also refers to himself a ...

and Robert Freeman are seen watching the ''Soul Plane 2'' trailer, when they distinctly hear Williams and voice of grandad,

John Witherspoon John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense real ...

(who also had an acting role in ''Soul Plane''), having a conversation on the plane. He also voiced Sweet in '' The Trumpet of the Swan''. Williams also appeared in the film ''

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

'', starring

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

(with whom he also appeared in ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. Subtitled ''A Savannah S ...

'' (1997)). In 2011, Williams narrated the feature-length documentary ''Ayn Rand and the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged''. Perhaps his most well known role is as Melvin (a father) in '' House Party: Tonight's the Night''. Williams played Anton Zeck/Bebop in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows'' (2016). He voiced the demon in the horror film ''

Truth or Dare Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, ...

'' (2018).

Improvisational comedy

Williams is a regular performer with the Flying Fannoli Brothers, an improv comedy band. He performs in the improvisational shows ''Cookin' With Gas'' and ''The Black Version'' at

The Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniq ...

Theatre in Los Angeles. Williams also returns to Atlanta to perform with Laughing Matters once or twice a year. Since 2013 he has been a recurring performer on The CW's revival of ''

''.

Video games

Williams provided the voice for the character of Yancy Westridge in the video game ''

Alpha Protocol ''Alpha Protocol'' is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Sega. The player assumes control of agent Michael Thorton, a new recruit at a clandestine United States agency called Alpha Protocol, whic ...

'', Elanos Haliat in Mass Effect 1, and Horace Warfield in '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and '' StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm''.

Personal life

Williams is married to Leslie. Together they have a son, Ethan.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Production credits

References

External links

*
Ex-Fayetteville Resident Goes Legal
by Rodney Ho for

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

, January 16, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007
Comic Makes Time for a Pal in Need
by Richard L. Eldredge for

, May 3, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007
Gary Anthony Williams Causes a 'Ruckus'
by Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn for the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

, November 11, 2007. Retrieved on November 11, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gary Anthony 1966 births Living people African-American male actors American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American television directors American writers Male actors from Atlanta People from Fayetteville, Georgia 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people Television producers from Georgia (U.S. state)