Gregory Alan Williams (born June 12, 1956) sometimes credited as Gregalan Williams, is an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

. He is best known for portraying

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

Officer Garner Ellerbee in ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...

''. From 2011 until 2013, Williams portrayed the role of Coach Pat Purnell in the

USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...

series '' Necessary Roughness.'' Williams also appeared on the 2015 ABC series '' Secrets and Lies'' and then on '' Greenleaf'', and later on 2017's '' Manhunt: Unabomber,'' and beginning in 2019 '' The Righteous Gemstones.''

Life and acting career

Born in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, Williams graduated from East High School, and attended

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associati ...

and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

before pursuing a career in acting. He made his acting debut opposite

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

in the 1988 film '' Above the Law''. The following year, Williams won the role of Garner Ellerbee in ''Baywatch''. He reprised the role in the 1995 spin-off series ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American science-fiction mystery drama television series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the telev ...

'' before returning to ''Baywatch'' in 1996. After leaving the series in 1998, Williams has had recurring guest roles on ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'', ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series that aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. P ...

'', '' The Game'', ''

Army Wives ''Army Wives'' is an American drama television series that followed the lives of four army wives, one army husband, and their families. The series premiered on Lifetime on June 3, 2007, and ran for seven seasons, ending on June 9, 2013. The sh ...

'', ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliot ...

'', and ''

Chicago Med ''Chicago Med'' is an American medical drama series broadcast by NBC and created by Dick Wolf as the third installment of the ''Chicago'' franchise. It stars Nick Gehlfuss, Yaya DaCosta, Torrey DeVitto, Rachel DiPillo, Colin Donnell, ...

''. Additionally, he has guest starred in episodes of ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal 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, 2004, to Decem ...

'', '' One Tree Hill'', and '' Meet the Browns'' and has also lent his voice to the animated series ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...

''. From 2009 to 2013, Williams appeared as Judge Warren Libby in the comedy series ''

''. Since 2011, Williams has portrayed the role of Coach Pat Purnell in the

drama series '' Necessary Roughness.'' Williams has also had roles in several films, including ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay by Gregory Allen Howard is loosely based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed b ...

'' (2000), '' Old School'' (2003), ''

Be Cool ''Be Cool'' is a 2005 American crime comedy film directed by F. Gary Gray and based on Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel, which was the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel '' Get Shorty''. The movie is the sequel to the 1995 film adaptation of ''Get Sh ...

'' (2005), '' Dog Days of Summer'' (2007),

Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born ) is an American filmmaker. Stone is an acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from the Vietnam War and American politics to musical film, musical Biographical film, biopics and Crime film, crime dramas. He has ...

's biopic '' W.'' (2008), ''

The Collector ''The Collector'' is a 1963 thriller novel by English author John Fowles, in his literary debut. Its plot follows a lonely young man who kidnaps a female art student in London and holds her captive in the cellar of his rural farmhouse. Divided ...

'' (2009), and '' MacGruber'' (2010). Williams also serves as the host of the syndicated series ''Know Your Heritage'' and ''Know Your Heritage: Black College Quiz''. In 1992, Williams became the first recipient of the Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice
through Voices Against Injustice
due to his heroic efforts during the 1992 Los Angeles race riots in which he rescued an individual who had been pulled out of his car and was being beaten.

Writing

In addition to acting, Williams has authored four books including ''A Gathering of Heroes: Reflections on Rage and Responsibility: A Memoir of the Los Angeles Riots''. The book chronicles Williams' life and experiences with racism, along with an incident during the

1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

in which he saved the life of a

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

man who was being beaten by rioters.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Bibliography

* * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gregory 1956 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American novelists African-American television personalities American male film actors American male novelists American male television actors American male voice actors Coe College alumni Living people Male actors from Des Moines, Iowa United States Marines Writers from Des Moines, Iowa 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Iowa 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers African-American male writers