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Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on ''
The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American spy thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, and originating with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989, starring Edward Woodward. The concept was thereafte ...
'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on '' The X-Files'', Russell "Linc" Lincoln in ''
Linc's ''Linc's'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tim Reid and Susan Fales-Hill. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and was set in a bar in Washington, D.C. It aired on Showtime for two seasons fr ...
'', and Rufus Turner in ''
Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
''. Throughout his career, Williams has appeared in numerous films, including '' The Blues Brothers'' (1980), '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983), '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993), ''
22 Jump Street ''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American satirical buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing Tatum. ...
'' (2014), '' It'' (2017), and '' Birds of Prey'' (2020). He has been nominated for a
Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
and one
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 ...
.


Early life

Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and was predominantly reared in Chicago. His parents were divorced, and he was raised at separate times by his father in Michigan, his mother in Chicago and by his maternal grandparents in Millington, Tennessee. In Chicago, he attended
Wendell Phillips High School Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Phillips is part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is managed by the Acad ...
. After graduating, he matriculated at the
General Motors Institute Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers Bachelor of Science, bachelor of science and master's degree, master’s degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM (science, technology, engineeri ...
, an automaker's engineering school. Williams later worked as a postal carrier, salesman, and model. He was drafted into the United States Army, serving in the 2nd Armored Division, stationed in Gelnhausen, Germany and became Divisional Champion with the United States Army Boxing Team, Middleweight Division. Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge from the United States Army, Williams worked for the United States Postal Service as a mailman. After delivering the mail in subzero temperatures, he went to work in Chicago's garment district as an apparel salesman.


Career

Williams made his acting debut in the 1975 film '' Cooley High''. He appeared in musical comedy '' The Blues Brothers'' (1980) as Trooper Mount, and played Lt. Jefferson Burnett on the CBS drama series ''
The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American spy thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, and originating with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989, starring Edward Woodward. The concept was thereafte ...
'' in 1985. He portrayed renegade Capt. David Nester in the 1985 film '' Missing in Action 2: The Beginning'', He landed the role of Captain Adam Fuller, a senior police officer supervising younger cops, on Fox Network's TV series ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'' in 1987. Williams replaced Frederic Forrest, who played a similar character, early in the series. He continued playing the character until the series ended in 1991. While acting in the series, Williams played Lieutenant Gallagher in ''
Under the Gun Under the Gun may refer to: Film and television * ''Under the Gun'' (1951 film), an American film noir directed by Ted Tetzlaff * ''Under the Gun'' (1995 film), an Australian action film by Matthew George * ''Under the Gun'', an Australian fi ...
'' (1988), which featured Vanessa Williams in the cast. Following his stint on ''21 Jump Street'', Williams portrayed the title character in '' The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage''. He played the role of Det. August Brooks on the TNT series '' L.A. Heat'' in 1996. He recurred as X on the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...
hit science fiction series '' The X-Files''. He earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 1997 for his work as X. Williams appeared as main character Russell "Linc" Lincoln, a bartender, in comedy ''
Linc's ''Linc's'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tim Reid and Susan Fales-Hill. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and was set in a bar in Washington, D.C. It aired on Showtime for two seasons fr ...
''. In 2000, he received an
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 ...
nomination, in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Concurrently, Williams portrayed Isaac in short-lived UPN series ''
Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
''. He portrayed Rufus Turner in fantasy series ''
Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'' (2008−16), and was Quentin in drama '' The Chi'' (2018−present). Williams' work on the latter has been well received, with reviewers finding him "strong" and "powerful" as Quentin. Williams garnered several recurring roles in the 2010s and 2020s, including attorney Stephen Carlisle in '' Ambitions'' (2019) and teacher Joe Ridgeway in '' Locke & Key'' (2020), both dramas. Williams has appeared extensively in guest roles on television. He portrayed an Army friend of the protagonist in '' MacGyver'', and was Robin Dumars' father on '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper''. Other guest appearances include '' The Dukes of Hazzard'', '' The A-Team'', '' Booker'', '' Stargate SG-1'', '' Martin'', '' Veronica Mars'', '' The Bernie Mac Show'', '' Criminal Minds'' and ''
iZombie ''iZombie'', originally titled ''I, Zombie'', is a comic book series created by writer Chris Roberson and artist Michael Allred, published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint beginning in 2010. The series deals with Gwen Dylan ( née Gwendolyn Price ...
''. Other film roles include a bar patron in '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'' (1983), bounty hunter Creighton Duke in
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
'' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993) and Carlos in '' Adventures of Power'' (2009). In TV movies, Williams was a Panamanian boat captain named Mo in '' Dreams of Gold: The Mel Fisher Story'' (1986) and portrayed pitcher Satchel Paige in '' The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson'' (1990).


Personal life

His wife is talent agent Ann Geddes, and the couple have two daughters.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Steven 1949 births Living people Male actors from Tennessee African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors People from Memphis, Tennessee 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people