Tonya Williams (born July 12, 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

actress, producer, and activist. Sometimes credited as Tonya Lee Williams, she is best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American daytime drama ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' from 1990 to 2005 and 2007 to 2012. She is the founder and executive director of

Reelworld Film Festival Reelworld Film Festival, founded in 2001 by Tonya Williams, is held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival screens film and provides professional development for Canadian racially diverse and indigenous filmmakers and media artists. ...

Early life

Williams was born in London, England to Jamaican parents. She lived in London and

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

as a young child. At age five, she contracted

rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...

; she and her mother then moved to

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. In 1969 she and her family settled in

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. As a teenager she modeled in

Eaton's The T. Eaton Company Limited, later known as Eaton's, was a Canadian department store chain that was once the largest in the country. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an immigrant from what is now Northern Ireland. Eaton's g ...

catalogues and danced on a television series called ''Boogie!'' which ran on

Citytv Citytv (sometimes shortened to City, which was the network's official branding from 2012 to 2018) is a Television in Canada, Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consis ...

. In 1977 Williams was crowned Miss Black Ontario. Williams was married to Robert Simpson from 1983 to 1991, but she has never remarried.

Career

Williams' television debut was as a host of the Canadian children's show '' Polka Dot Door'', from 1980 to 1983, after graduating from

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

in 1979. Appearances on the television series '' Check it Out!'' and '' Generations'' followed. Her involvement on ''Generations'' snagged her a role on ''The Young and the Restless'', and has become her most lucrative role. Williams won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2000 and 2002. Williams appeared on '' A Very Brady Christmas'' as Cindy's roommate. In March 2004, Williams hosted the special event program ''Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee'' on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

. She is a member of

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on November 12, 1922. The organization was formed as a sorority in 1922, by seven African American women in Indianapolis, Indiana. At its i ...

sorority. Williams is the founder, executive and artistic director of the

, an annual film festival in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

that features talent from ethnically diverse communities. In 2024, she was named as the recipient of the

Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is a Canadian non-profit organization created in 1979 to recognize the achievements of the over 4,000 Canadian cinema of Canada, film industry and television in Canada, television industry professionals ...

's Changemaker Award at the

12th Canadian Screen Awards The 12th Canadian Screen Awards were presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television to honour achievements in Canadian film, television and digital media production in 2023. They were held at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto ...

, for her work with Reelworld.Connie Thiessen
"Marilyn Denis, John Brunton among Canadian Academy 'Special Award' recipients"
''Broadcast Dialogue'', March 19, 2024. In January 2025, Williams was named as the recipient of the

Toronto Film Critics Association The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI. History The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toro ...

's Company 3 TFCA Luminary Award, in honour of her work with Reelworld and her other efforts to advocate on behalf of people of colour in the Canadian film industry. She selected film and television producer Leena Minifie as the recipient of the award's "pay it forward" grant.

Filmography

Film and television appearances

Executive producer

Director

Writer

Awards and nominations

* 1996:

Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given to honor an ...

– Nomination * 1996: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 1997: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 1998: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 1999: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2000: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – Nomination * 2000: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Win * 2001: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2002: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Win * 2003: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2004: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2005: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2005: ACTRA National Award of Excellence * 2006: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2009: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2010: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2011: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2012: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series – Nomination * 2012: Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award for her film and television artistic contributions. *2012: Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award Winner *2024: Changemaker Award,

- Winner

References

External links

Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee, from cbc.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Tonya Lee 1958 births Black Canadian actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian soap opera actresses Canadian television actresses English emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian expatriates in England Living people Actresses from London Actresses from Oshawa Toronto Metropolitan University alumni Film festival founders