Jesse Williams Parents: Meet Johanna Chase, Reginald Williams

Jesse Williams is an American actor, director, producer and activist. He is the son of Johanna Chase and Reginald Williams

His mother Johanna Chase is a professional potter. According to Jesse Williams, his mother is Swedish American and his father is an African American from Georgia.

Jesse Williams has two younger brothers who are both artists who work in the visual arts. In 1998, Williams graduated from Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.

His father began teaching history in northern Maine when he finished from high school, while his mother continued to work in pottery. Williams earned a double major in African American Studies and Film & Media Arts from Temple University.

Following in his parents’ footsteps, he taught high school for six years in the Philadelphia public school system, teaching American Studies, African Studies, and English.

Williams made his movie debut in 2008 as Leo in the sequel to the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2. He played Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy (2009–22

He appears in films such as The Cabin in the Woods (2012) and The Butler (2013).