Anthony E. Williams: A Star on the Rise with Stories to Tell

In a sea of talented faces on screen, Anthony E. Williams certainly stands out—and not only through his performances in popular shows like Law & Order, New Amsterdam, Power: Raising Kanan, The Equalizer, and Tyler Perry’s latest Netflix thriller, Straw. His determination and passion drive every action he takes. For those newly discovering the Ohio-born actor, as well as for his longtime fans, Williams is more than just a guest star; he is a storyteller with heart and vision, possessing the tenacity to bring both his own narrative and those of others to life.

From Strongsville to the Screen

“I’m from Strongsville, Ohio,” Williams shares, reflecting on his suburban upbringing. “Grew up out in the suburbs, soccer player.” But it was his early exposure to films that lit the first creative spark. “As a reward, my mom would enter a code in the cable box and let me watch HBO or Showtime. I’d sit cross-legged, mesmerized by the magic of movies and storytelling.”

That enchantment with film never faded, even as Williams pursued a traditional path. He earned a bachelor’s and MBA from UNC Charlotte and the University of Houston, worked at GE in Virginia, and had all the markings of a solid professional career. But the desire to act kept pulling at him. “My wife said, ‘You can either go after it or stop talking about it—but you can’t not go after it and keep talking about it.’”

So, he made a pivot. At 32, Williams went to New York. Got a commercial agent, started doing independent films, and even created a TV pilot titled F.A.M. He didn’t wait for permission; he made his own path.

Betting on Himself

The courage to chase his dream came from a place of faith and personal reckoning. “I was struggling with religion and spirituality,” Williams shared. “I just felt like, if this higher being is real and I tell it what I want, it shouldn’t be denied. But my job is to work so hard at it that it has to happen.”

That grit paid off. He booked roles on shows he grew up watching. Law & Order, in particular, marked a turning point—not just for him, but for those closest to him. “My mom said she didn’t think I was really an actor until I got on Law & Order. She was like, ‘That’s a real show.’”

But it wasn’t, and still isn’t, always glamorous. Guest roles, as he explains, come with unique challenges. “They [the series regulars] are a family—you’re the outsider,” he says of stepping onto a long-running series set. “This might be your big shot, but to them, it’s just Tuesday.” Still, he finds a way to own his space: “When the camera comes on, especially when I’m playing an FBI agent or an Army captain, I have to turn off being a fan. In this scene, I 100% deserve to be here.”

The Power of Representation

Williams isn’t just passionate about performing—he’s equally committed to shaping narratives behind the camera. His pilot FAM, which he wrote, produced, and funded himself, centers around a positive, Black, blended family.

“I think sometimes the narrative in Black cinema and TV can skew negative,” he says. “We needed a new version of The Cosbys.” The show explores the complex relationships between a husband, his ex-wife, his current wife, and his daughter. Much of the story is drawn from his own life: “95% of it is personal,” Williams reveals. “It shows the growth in how me and my ex co-parent, and how we work together, and the intricacies and the nuances between her and my wife, and my daughter, and how we raise her together as a tribe. And I think that anytime we have blended families in African-American culture, there’s just negativity and drama that doesn’t necessarily have to be there.”

Despite initial festival rejections, FAM later earned accolades and ultimately helped launch Williams’ career. “The festivals that turned me down one year gave me awards the next. That’s faith and hard work,” he says. And now, with a solid IMDb and credits alongside industry legends, Williams is repackaging FAM for a new pitch. “Back then, I had no co-stars, no one-liners. Now I’ve been with Mariska [Hargitay] and I’ve been face-to-face with Queen Latifah and James Spader… Now when I go to present, I’m taking another approach at it.”

Working with Tyler Perry: From Sistas to Straw

Williams’ latest acting credit came with Netflix’s Straw, a fast-paced thriller from Tyler Perry Studios. “This was my third Tyler Perry project,” he says, with Sistas being the first, followed by Young Dylan. “I saw the casting notice on Actors Access, reached out, and booked it.” But getting to Georgia was another story.

While filming a separate horror film in New York, Williams realized the dates were overlapping. “I left set at 3 p.m., ran to Enterprise, and drove 15 hours to Atlanta overnight.” After getting pulled over by a cop in the middle of the night and explaining he was on his way to Tyler Perry Studios, the officer let him go with just a warning. “By 8 a.m., sleep-deprived, I was on set looking at Taraji P. Henson, Rockmond Dunbar, and Teyana Taylor. You can’t make this stuff up.”

Working with Tyler Perry, who is known for filming intensely and efficiently, was a crash course in readiness. “You can miss a scene, and they’ll just throw someone else in. So I was basically Tyler’s shadow,” he laughs. “There are at least three scenes I wasn’t supposed to be in, but I was just standing there like, ‘Mind if I jump in?”And he’s like, ‘Yeah.’”

A Vision for What’s Next

With his production company, WMZ Entertainment, Williams is developing two more pilots—a comedy and a procedural drama—but FAM remains his north star. “That’s the one that’s going to kick things off. I think that’s the one that can affect the culture.”

He’s also passionate about changing the scope of Black storytelling. “I want to see more Black characters living regular lives, not just being defined by race or trauma. There’s a whole section of our community that’s underrepresented. We’re not all one story.”

Whether he’s sharing scenes with Taraji or pitching his own series, Anthony E. Williams is a force moving with purpose. He’s someone who chased his dream, bet on himself, and never lost the fire.

“I might be 80 years old when we say ‘action’ on FAM,” he says. “But I’m still going to do it.”