Cress Williams
Williams atSan Diego Comic-Con in 2017
Born	(1970-07-26)July 26, 1970 (age 54) Heidelberg,Baden-Württemberg,West Germany
Education	Fullerton College University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouses	Simbi Khali ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2011)​ Kristen Torrianni ​ ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	4

Cress Williams (born July 26, 1970) is an American actor, known for his roles inPrison Break andClose to Home. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes onThe CW seriesHart of Dixie and thetitle character on The CW'sBlack Lightning. Williams is also known for his recurring role as Terrence "Scooter" Williams onFox'sLiving Single and as Inspector Antwon Babcock onNash Bridges.

Williams was born inHeidelberg,Baden-Württemberg,West Germany, toAmerican parents. He took courses atFullerton College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre fromUniversity of California, Los Angeles.^[1][2]

Williams acted in a 1990 Fullerton College production ofWilliam Shakespeare's tragedy,Othello, which was directed by Tom Blank. He also acted in another production in the same year at Fullerton College calledRed Noses, ablack comedy produced byPeter Barnes and directed byMichael Fields.^[3]

Williams has appeared on many TV series since 1994, includingStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Beverly Hills, 90210,NYPD Blue,Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,JAG,Living Single,Nash Bridges,Providence,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,Veronica Mars,The West Wing,Close to Home,ER, andGrey's Anatomy. He was the fifth cast member in the original pilot forWill & Grace, playing Will's law firm partner, but was dropped during rehearsals because director Jim Burrows said they didn't need his character.^[4] He portrayedTalak'talan, aJem'Hadar leader in the Star Trek series, in aStar Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Jem'Hadar".^[5] Williams joined thePrison Break cast by playingThe Company's assassin, Wyatt Mathewson.^[6] He appeared in the final season ofFriday Night Lights as Ornette Howard, father of East Dillon's star quarterback Vince Howard. He also starred alongsideRachel Bilson onThe CW seriesHart of Dixie as former football star turned mayor Lavon Hayes.

From 2018 to 2021, he has ventured back into adaptations ofDC Comics: As main characterJefferson Pierce / Black Lightning on The CW's superhero TV seriesBlack Lightning, which was integrated intoArrowverse's prime Earth duringCrisis on Infinite Earths, and asJohn Henry Irons in the animated filmThe Death of Superman and its 2019 sequel,Reign of the Supermen. After hisBlack Lightning series concluded, he reprised the role onThe Flash at the start of its eighth season as part of its "Armageddon" event.^[7]

On October 14, 2000, Williams married actressSimbi Khali inMalibu, California.^[8] The couple had two children and divorced in 2011. Williams married girlfriend Kristen Torrianni in June 2013.^[9] Williams and Torrianni also have two children together.

• Cress Williams atIMDb
• Cress Williams 2018 InterviewArchived 2018-03-23 at theWayback Machine

• 1970 births
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• Living people
• Male actors from Heidelberg
• Male actors from New York (state)
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century African-American male actors

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