Tyler James Williams

Williams was born in Westchester County, New York and grew up in Yonkers, New York.[2] His mother, Angela Williams, is a singer and 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; Tyrel starred on the Disney XD series, Lab Rats as Leo Dooley and Tylen starred on the Nick at Nite sitcom Instant Mom as James Phillips. Williams had also appeared on Lab Rats, portraying his brother's character's future self and Instant Mom as his younger brother's family cousin Jamal.[4]

Williams began his acting career at age four.[5] 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 September 2005 by playing the title character in the hit series Everybody Hates Chris,[6] which finished in May 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".[7]

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[8] 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.[9] The videos were also played frequently on the Disney Channel. Williams also guest starred in the Disney XD series, Lab Rats as a future version of the character his little brother Tyrel Jackson Williams played.[10]

In 2014, Williams starred in Justin Simien's 2014 independent film Dear White People as Lionel Higgins.[11]

In 2014, Williams was cast as the recurring character Noah on the television series The Walking Dead.[12][13]

In 2016, Williams played Russ "Monty" Montgomery in the Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.[14][15]

In 2017, Williams was diagnosed with Crohn's disease after experiencing symptoms for three years. Since his diagnosis, he has undergone treatment, including multiple surgeries.[16]

• Let It Shine Soundtrack (2012)
• Me, My Brother, And A Mic (2015)

• Tyler James Williams at IMDb