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 ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'', ''

Little Bill ''Little Bill'' is an American animated educational television series created by Bill Cosby. It is based on the ''Little Bill'' book series, written by Cosby with illustrations by Varnette P. Honeywood. Cosby also composed some of the theme mu ...

'', and ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

''. Williams later rose to prominence for playing the role of

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

on the UPN/ CW

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television semi-autobiographical sitcom that is inspired by the memories of the teenage years of comedian Chris Rock. The show is set from 1982 to 1987, although Rock himself was actually a teenager from ...

'' (200509). Following this, he starred as songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

original movie '' Let It Shine'' (2012), and Noah on AMC horror television series '' The Walking Dead'' (201415)''.'' He currently stars as Gregory Eddie on the ABC sitcom ''

Abbott Elementary ''Abbott Elementary'' is an American mockumentary sitcom television series created by Quinta Brunson for ABC. It stars Brunson as a second-grade teacher at Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. The ensembl ...

'', for which he has received critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. Additionally, Williams has also appeared in films such as ''Detroit'' (2017) and ''

The United States vs. Billie Holiday ''The United States vs. Billie Holiday'' is a 2021 American biographical drama film about singer Billie Holiday, based on the book '' Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs'' by Johann Hari. Directed by Lee Daniels, the f ...

'' (2021).

Early life

Williams was born in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, and grew up in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

. His mother, Angela Williams, is a counselor, and his father, Le’Roy Williams, is a teacher and retired police sergeant.Tyler James Williams
filmreference.com 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 Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...

series '' Lab Rats'' as Leo Dooley and Tylen starred on the

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...

sitcom ''

Instant Mom ''Instant Mom'' is an American sitcom produced for the NickMom block on the Nick Jr. channel. It was developed by Howard Michael Gould and stars Tia Mowry as a stepmother of three children alongside her husband. The series first aired on Sept ...

'' 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.

Career

Williams began his acting career at age 4. He later starred in ''

'' as the voice of Bobby, briefly replacing Devon Malik Beckford in 2000, and played himself (or an eponymous character, "Tyler") on the PBS series ''

'' from 2000 to 2005. He rose to fame in September 2005 by playing the title character in the hit series ''

'', which finished in May 2009. He won a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

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 ''Hi-Jinks'' is a hidden camera show that aired on Nick at Nite from August 2, 2005 to October 31, 2006. In the show, hosted by Leila Sbitani, parents are given a chance to play practical jokes on their children, in a similar fashion to ''Candid C ...

''. 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." In 2012, Williams got the role of Owen in the series ''Go On''. He also played the lead role of Cyrus DeBarge in the

original movie '' Let It Shine'' 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 Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programmi ...

. The videos were also played frequently on the

. Williams also guest starred in the

series '' Lab Rats'' as a future version of the character played by his younger brother Tyrel Jackson Williams. In 2014, Williams starred in

Justin Simien Justin Simien (born May 7, 1983) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. His first feature film, ''Dear White People'', won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film was later ...

's independent film '' Dear White People'' as Lionel Higgins, and was cast as the recurring character Noah on the television series '' The Walking Dead''. In 2016, Williams played Russ "Monty" Montgomery in the ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...

'' spin-off '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders''. In 2017, Williams was diagnosed with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distensi ...

after experiencing symptoms for three years. Since his diagnosis, he has undergone treatment, including multiple surgeries. In 2019, Williams was cast as Jake in the movie ''

The Wedding Year ''The Wedding Year'' is a 2019 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Sarah Hyland, Tyler James Williams, Jenna Dewan, Matt Shively and Anna Camp. It was released on September 20, 2019, by Entertainment Studios Mot ...

'', teen

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by

Robert Luketic Robert Luketic (born 1 November 1973) is an Australian film director. His films include ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), '' Monster-in-Law'' (2005), '' 21'' (2008), '' Killers'' (2010), and '' Paranoia'' (2013). Early life Robert Luketic was born in ...

and starring

Sarah Hyland Sarah Jane Hyland (born November 24, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Born in Manhattan, she attended the Professional Performing Arts School before having small roles in the films '' Private Parts'' (1997), '' Annie'' (1999) and '' Bl ...

Jenna Dewan Jenna Lee Dewan (; born December 3, 1980) is an American actress and dancer. She started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson, and later worked with artists including Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Missy Elliott. She is known for her r ...

Matt Shively Matthew James Shively Jr. (born September 15, 1990)
PopTower.com. No date. Acces ...

, and Anna Camp. In 2020, Williams played the role of Paul in ''

The Argument ''The Argument'' is the sixth and most recent studio album from the post-hardcore band Fugazi released on October 16, 2001, through Dischord Records. It was recorded at Don Zientara's Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA and the Dischord House bet ...

''. In 2021, began playing the role of Gregory Eddie in the ABC

Mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

sitcom

. At the

74th Primetime Emmy Awards The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). The awards ceremony was held live on September 1 ...

, Williams earned a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

Young Artist Awards The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

Discography

* '' Let It Shine'' Soundtrack (2012) * ''Me, My Brother, And A Mic'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tyler James 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 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)