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IMDbPro

Jesse Williams(I)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00047
Jesse Williams
Young Charlie Kincaid, who discovers a secret headquarters under his home that seems to belong to a superhero. He shares it with his friends, and they start to believe that his estranged father might have a secret double life.
 
Play trailer2:35
Secret Headquarters (2022)
31 Videos
99+ Photos
Jesse Wesley Williams born August 5, 1981 is a former high school teacher and activist turned actor/director. He's best known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC Television series Grey's Anatomy and his advocacy for the disenfranchised, highlighted by his internationally resonant acceptance speech for his 2016 BET Humanitarian Award. He also appears in the hit 2013 film Lee Daniels' The Butler as real life civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson. Previous roles include Holden in The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Officer Eddie Quinlan in Brooklyn's Finest (2009), as Leo, Lena's boyfriend, in the film sequel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) and as Isaac "Ike" Singer in Jacob's Ladder (2019).
BornAugust 5, 1981
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornAugust 5, 1981
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00047
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations total

    Photos366

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    + 360
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    Known for

    The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
    The Cabin in the Woods
    7.0
    • Holden
    • 2011
    James Pickens Jr., Ellen Pompeo, and Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy (2005)
    Grey's Anatomy
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Dr. Jackson Avery
    Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively, Amber Tamblyn, and America Ferrera in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
    The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
    6.2
    • Leo
    • 2008
    Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, and Wesley Snipes in Brooklyn's Finest (2009)
    Brooklyn's Finest
    6.7
    • Eddie Quinlan
    • 2009

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor

    • Costiera
      • Daniel De Luca
      • Completed
      • TV Series
      • 2025
    • Team Joy
      • Ted
      • Pre-production
    • Olga Dies Dreaming
      • Matteo
      • Completed
      • TV Series
    • Marked Man
      • Pre-production
    • Jesse Williams, Jojo Regina, and Mckenna Grace in What We Hide (2025)
      What We Hide
      9.2
      • Sheriff Ben Jeffries
      • 2025
    • James Pickens Jr., Ellen Pompeo, and Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy (2005)
      Grey's Anatomy
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Dr. Jackson Avery
      • 2009–2024
    • The Great Lillian Hall (2024)
      The Great Lillian Hall
      7.3
      • David Flemming
      • 2024
    • Steve Martin, Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy, Molly Shannon, Selena Gomez, and Kumail Nanjiani in Only Murders in the Building (2021)
      Only Murders in the Building
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Tobert
      • 2023
    • Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher in Your Place or Mine (2023)
      Your Place or Mine
      5.7
      • Theo Martin
      • 2023
    • Amy Schumer in Inside Amy Schumer (2013)
      Inside Amy Schumer
      6.1
      TV Series
      • Josh
      • 2022
    • Owen Wilson, Momona Tamada, Walker Scobell, Keith L. Williams, and Kezii Curtis in Secret Headquarters (2022)
      Secret Headquarters
      5.2
      • Capt. Sean Irons
      • 2022
    • Saturday Night Live (1975)
      Saturday Night Live
      8.0
      TV Series
      • Jesse W. (uncredited)
      • 2021
    • DaMya Gurley, Tamara Jade, Robin Thede, Gabrielle Dennis, Angel Laketa Moore, and Skye Townsend in A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019)
      A Black Lady Sketch Show
      7.5
      TV Series
      • Isaac
      • 2021
    • NBA 2K21 (2020)
      NBA 2K21
      5.1
      Video Game
      • Duke (voice)
      • 2020
    • Station 19 (2018)
      Station 19
      7.1
      TV Series
      • Dr. Jackson Avery
      • 2020
    • Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
      Little Fires Everywhere
      7.7
      TV Mini Series
      • Joe Ryan
      • 2020
    • Omari Hardwick in Power (2014)
      Power
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Kadeem
      • 2019
    • Random Acts of Violence (2019)
      Random Acts of Violence
      5.2
      • Todd
      • 2019
    • Michael Ealy in Jacob's Ladder (2019)
      Jacob's Ladder
      3.6
      • Isaac
      • 2019

    Producer

    • Costiera
      • producer
      • Completed
      • TV Series
      • 2025
    • Team Joy
      • producer
      • Pre-production
    • Jesse Williams, Jojo Regina, and Mckenna Grace in What We Hide (2025)
      What We Hide
      9.2
      • executive producer
      • 2025
    • Hoops, Hopes & Dreams (2025)
      Hoops, Hopes & Dreams
      7.5
      Short
      • producer
      • 2025
    • Andrew Howard and Joey Bada$$ in Two Distant Strangers (2020)
      Two Distant Strangers
      6.9
      Short
      • producer
      • 2020
    • With Drawn Arms (2020)
      With Drawn Arms
      7.6
      • executive producer
      • 2020
    • Random Acts of Violence (2019)
      Random Acts of Violence
      5.2
      • executive producer
      • 2019
    • The Burial of Kojo (2018)
      The Burial of Kojo
      6.5
      • executive producer
      • 2018
    • Survivors Guide To Prison (2018)
      Survivors Guide To Prison
      7.1
      • executive producer
      • 2018
    • Norman Lear, Rosario Dawson, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Peter Sarsgaard, Jesse Williams, Common, and America Ferrera in America Divided (2016)
      America Divided
      5.0
      TV Series
      • producer
      • 2016
    • Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement (2016)
      Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement
      4.1
      • executive producer
      • 2016
    • Richard Blake, Jesse Williams, Kim Shaw, and Ashley Hinshaw in Snake & Mongoose (2013)
      Snake & Mongoose
      5.7
      • executive producer
      • 2013
    • J.A.W. (2011)
      J.A.W.
      5.1
      Short
      • co-producer
      • 2011

    Director

    • James Pickens Jr., Ellen Pompeo, and Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy (2005)
      Grey's Anatomy
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2018–2025
    • Katey Sagal in Rebel (2021)
      Rebel
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2021
    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos31

    "You're Done" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 1:03
    "You're Done" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "Let's Just Take a Ride" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 0:53
    "Let's Just Take a Ride" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "Let's Just Take a Ride" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 0:53
    "Let's Just Take a Ride" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "It's Not What You Expect" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 0:40
    "It's Not What You Expect" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "You Need a New House" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 1:20
    "You Need a New House" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "Think You're a Tough Guy?" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 1:04
    "Think You're a Tough Guy?" from Brooklyn's Finest
    "I'm Not a Role Model" from Brooklyn's Finest
    Clip 0:57
    "I'm Not a Role Model" from Brooklyn's Finest

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Official site
      • X
    • Alternative name
      • J. Wesley Williams
    • Height
      • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
    • Born
      • August 5, 1981
      • Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Spouse
      • Aryn Drake-LeeSeptember 1, 2012 - October 15, 2020 (divorced, 2 children)
    • Children
        Sadie Williams
    • Parents
        Johanna Chase Williams
    • Other works
      TV commercial for Target
    • Publicity listings
      • 5 Interviews
      • 6 Articles
      • 2 Pictorials

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A former high school teacher.
    • Quotes
      Coming from New York, you're kind of indoctrinated with anti-L.A. sentiment, but California is just a really dope state.

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