Tyler James Williams
| Tyler James Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams at the 2012 Hollywood Premiere of Disney Channel's Let It Shine. | |
| Born |
Tyler James Williams October 9, 1992 Westchester County, New York[1] United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names |
Tyler Williams Tyler J. Williams T.J. Williams |
| Occupation | Actor, rapper, martial artist, musician, music video director, film director, graphic designer |
| Years active | 1996-present |
Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor, rapper, martial artist and musician. He is most recognizable for having played the title character of the Chris Rock-inspired sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, and songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel movie Let It Shine. He has also had a supporting role as Noah on AMC's The Walking Dead. He now has a role on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
Early life
Williams was born in Westchester County, New York and was raised in Yonkers, New York .[2] His mother, Angela Williams, is a singer/songwriter, and his father, Le’Roy Williams, is a police sergeant.[2][3] Williams has two younger brothers; Tyrel Jackson Williams (b. 1997) and Tylen Jacob Williams (b. 2001). His younger brothers are both actors, with Tyrel starring on the Disney XD series, Lab Rats as Leo Dooley and Tylen starring on Instant Mom as James Phillips. Williams had also appeared on Lab Rats, portraying his brother's character's future self.
Career
Williams began his acting career at age four.[4] He later starred in Little Bill as the voice of Bobby, briefly replacing Devon Malik Beckford in 2000, and played himself (or an eponymous character, "Tyler") on the children's show Sesame Street from 2000 to 2005. He rose to fame in 2005 by playing the title character in the hit series Everybody Hates Chris, which finished in 2009. He won a Young Artist Award in 2007 for his work on the show. He has also been a guest star in Two for the Money, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and the show Hi-Jinks. 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 Disney Channel 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. The videos were also played frequently on the Disney Channel. Williams also stars in the Disney XD series, Lab Rats as a future version of the character his little brother Tyrel Jackson Williams played.
In 2014 Williams starred in Justin Simien's 2014 independent film Dear White People as Lionel Higgins.
In 2014, Williams was cast as the recurring character Noah on the television series The Walking Dead.[5]
Starting in 2016, Williams will be playing Russ "Monty" Montgomery in the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.[6][7]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Two for the Money | Guest at Party | Uncredited |
| 2006 | The Ant Bully | Blue Teammate #1 | Voice Only |
| 2006 | Unaccompanied Minors | Charlie Goldfinch | |
| 2013 | Tyler Perry Presents Peeples | Simon Peeples | |
| 2014 | Dear White People | Lionel Higgins | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2005 | Sesame Street | Himself | Various episodes |
| 2000–2002 | Little Bill | Bobby | 6 episodes |
| 2003 | Saturday Night Live | Jack Black's adopted son / Young Boy / Entari Shakunte |
|
| 2004 | Judge Mooney | Melvin | |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Kyle McGovern | "Parts" (Season 6, Episode 22) |
| 2005–2009 | Everybody Hates Chris | Chris | Lead role (88 episodes) |
| 2009 | The Cleaner | Kenji Simon | "Last American Casualty" (Season 2, Episode 2) |
| 2009 | True Jackson, VP | Justin | "Flirting with Fame" (Season 2, Episode 2) |
| 2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Firestorm / Jason Rusch | Voice only
|
| 2010 | Our Show | Television film | |
| 2011 | House | Landon | "Carrot or Stick" (Season 7, Episode 10) |
| 2012 | Lab Rats | Future Leo | "Back from the Future" (Season 1, Episode 11) |
| 2012 | Let It Shine | Cyrus DeBarge | Television film |
| 2012–2013 | Go On | Owen | Series regular; 19 episodes |
| 2014 | Key & Peele | Jaleel White | "Slap-Ass: In Recovery" (Season 4, Episode 4) |
| 2014–2015 | The Walking Dead | Noah | Season 5 (Recurring role; 10 episodes) |
| 2015 | Criminal Minds | Russ "Monty" Montgomery | "Beyond Borders" (Season 10, Episode 19) |
| 2015 | Ballers | Towel boy | "Raise Up" (Season 1, Episode 2) |
| 2015 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Temptation | Episode: "Brie Larson Wears a Billowy Long-Sleeve Shirt and White Saddle Shoes" (Season 4, Episode 23) |
| 2016 | Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | Russ "Monty" Montgomery | Main Role |
Awards and nominations
Black Reel Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Best Breakthrough Performance | Dear White People | Won |
NAACP Image Award
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
| 2007 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | |
| 2008 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
Teen Choice Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Choice Actor: Comedy | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
Young Artist Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Leading Young Actor (Comedy or Drama) | Everybody Hates Chris | Nominated |
| 2008 | Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actor | Nominated | |
Discography
- Let It Shine Soundtrack (2012)
Mixtapes
- Me, My Brother, & A Mic (2015)
References
- ↑ "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
- 1 2 Tyler James Williams filmreference.com
- ↑ Tyler James Williams Biography. Tvguide.com. Retrieved on 2012-06-18.
- ↑ "Tyler James Williams: star of Everybody Hates Chris.". Ebony. January 1, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2012. – via HighBeam Research (subscription required)
- ↑ Lesley Goldberg. "'Walking Dead' Adds 'Go On' Alum in New Mystery Role". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "'Criminal Minds' Episode 10.19 Photos: Meet the FBI's International Unit". www.buddytv.com. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "Tyler James Williams Cast In 'Criminal Minds' Spinoff". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
External links
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