Gary Anthony Williams

Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966)[1] is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, director, producer and writer. He provided the voice of Uncle Ruckus on The Boondocks, Yancy Westridge in the video game Alpha Protocol, and Horace Warfield in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. He appeared on the television series Weeds, Boston Legal, Blue Collar TV and as Abe Kenarban in Malcolm in the Middle. Williams co-founded and is Artistic Director of the L.A. Comedy Shorts film festival in Hollywood, California. He starred alongside Cedric the Entertainer on the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man. He has been a recurring guest on the improv comedy TV series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and is a regular member of the live improv comedy show The Black Version.

Gary Anthony Williams
Williams performing with Laughing Matters at Manuel's in May 2007
Born	(1966-03-14) March 14, 1966 Fayetteville, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor voice actor comedian director producer writer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Leslie Williams
Children	1

Early life and career

Born in Fayetteville, Georgia,[2] Williams was involved in theater, comedy and television in Atlanta, where his credits include acting with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, performing and writing for Agatha's: A Taste of Mystery and being a longtime member of Atlanta's longest running improv troupe, Laughing Matters.[3][4][5] Williams had recurring roles in the television series I'll Fly Away and In the Heat of the Night, both filmed in the Atlanta area. He moved to Los Angeles in 1998.[6]

Television

Williams' past roles include Abraham Kenarban (Stevie's dad) in the Fox TV sitcom Malcolm in the Middle[7] and as Judge Trudy's Bailiff on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show.[8] Williams was a series regular on the WB Television Network sketch comedy series, Blue Collar TV.[9]

In 2003, Williams had a small role in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, "Invisible Evidence." During season three and four of Boston Legal, Williams appeared as part-time lawyer Clarence Bell, a pathologically shy man who expresses himself through characters, including crossdressing as women (including a nun and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey).[10] The role of Clarence/Clarice was originally to appear in one episode, but was expanded into a recurring role and then a regular role.[10]

Williams plays parts in five different shows on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim, one being a STRATA technician on Saul of the Molemen, another as the self-hating African American, Uncle Ruckus on The Boondocks,[2] Coroner Rick, a recurring character on Stroker and Hoop, he also played the role of Paul Revere on the television special, The Young Person's Guide to History, and served as the voice-over announcer for The Eric Andre Show until 2013. He also voiced Riff Tamson in the opening three episodes of season four of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He is also the voice of Mr. Dos on Special Agent Oso. He appeared on an episode of Hot in Cleveland as a drama teacher and soccer coach.

In 2009 and 2010, Williams provided the voice of the supervillain Mongul for several episodes of the animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold. On one occasion, he voiced the character's sister, Mongal. He also voiced the supervillain Thunderball in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Williams is currently working on a new Mike Judge animated series. He was part of a segment in the show Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Williams also guest stars as the halfway house director in the 7th season of the TV show Weeds. In 2011, he joined the cast of the animated series China, IL as the voice of Doctor Falgot. Williams was also in an episode of the show Workaholics. He was a series regular for the animated sketch comedy series Mad and is currently voicing Mr. McStuffins for the animated Disney Junior series, Doc McStuffins[11] and Dirty Dan and Dusty for the animated Disney Junior series Sheriff Callie's Wild West. He is also the narrator for the TV One series UNSUNG.[12] From 2012 to 2016, Williams appeared as the recurring character Lester on the TV Land original sitcom The Soul Man.

Since 2013, Williams has been a replacement performer on the CW revival of the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, where he improvises scenes and songs. He also provides the voice for Mufasa in The Lion Guard replacing James Earl Jones, and has provided voices for Star Wars Rebels. In 2017, he voiced Bark Knight and Baboo from the animated Disney Junior series Puppy Dog Pals.

Film

Williams has appeared in films such as Undercover Brother, appearing as Smart Brother (having previously voiced the Undercover Brother character in the original internet animated series),[8] Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,[13] and Soul Plane. On the Boondocks second-season premiere, "...Or Die Trying", Riley Freeman and Robert Freeman are seen watching the Soul Plane 2 trailer, when they distinctly hear Williams and voice of grandad, John Witherspoon (who also had an acting role in Soul Plane), having a conversation on the plane. He also voiced Sweet in The Trumpet of the Swan. Williams also appeared in the film The Factory, starring John Cusack. In 2011, Williams narrated the feature-length documentary Ayn Rand and the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged. Perhaps his most well known role is as Melvin (a father) in House Party: Tonight's the Night. Williams played Anton Zeck/Bebop in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).[14] He voiced the demon in the horror film Truth or Dare (2018).

Improvisational comedy

Williams is a regular performer with the Flying Fannoli Brothers, an improv comedy band.[15] He performs in the improvisational shows Cookin' With Gas and The Black Version at The Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. Williams also returns to Atlanta to perform with Laughing Matters once or twice a year. Since 2013 he has been a recurring performer on The CW's revival of Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

Personal life

Williams is married to his wife Leslie.[16] Together they have a son, Ethan.[17]

Filmography

Live-action

List of acting performances in films and television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	In the Heat of the Night	Ramsey Morgan	Episode: "Heart of Gold"
1991	I'll Fly Away	Dayton	Episode: "Coming Home"
1994	Radioland Murders	Dr. Ashton-Reeves
1995	The Client	Sonny	Episode: "Pilot"
1996	Chasing the Dragon		Television film
1997	First Time Felon	Wallace
	Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil	Bus Driver
1998	Ride	Tiny
	Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction	Playground Bully	2 episodes
	Brimstone	Fanaro's Neighbor	Episode: "Executioner"
1999	Any Day Now		Episode: "I Wish You Could Understand"
	When Actors Attack	Amok Actor
	End of Days	Utility Worker #2
1999–2000	The Amanda Show	Bailiff ("Judge Trudy" skit)	4 episodes
2000	City of Angels	Nurse Elliot	Episode: "Oscar de la Boya"
2000–2006	Malcolm in the Middle	Abraham "Abe" Kenarban	18 episodes
2001	All You Need	Brian
	NYPD Blue	Charles	Episode: "Dying to Testify"
	Unreal TV	The Insecurity Guard, Clarence the Christian Pimp	Television film
	Off Limits	Cast
2002	Undercover Brother	Smart Brother
	The Parkers	Randall	Episode: "And the Winner Is..."
2003	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Auto Detail Guy	Episode: "Invisible Evidence"
2004	Soul Plane	Flame
	Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle	Tarik Jackson
	Jiminy Glick in Lalawood	Randall Bookerton
2006–2008	Boston Legal	Clarence / Clarice Bell	36 episodes
2007	Andy Barker, P.I.	Ron	Episode: "Pilot"
2008	Young Person's Guide to History	Paul Revere	Television special
2009	Desperate Housewives	Reggie	2 episodes
2009–present	Unsung	Narrator / Himself	138 episodes
2010	Hot in Cleveland	Coach Taylor	Episode: "The Play's the Thing"
	How I Met Your Mother	Inspector	Episode: "Home Wreckers"
	Fred: The Movie	Laundromat Manager	Television film
2011	Weeds	Ed Watson	3 episodes
2012	The Factory	Darryl
	The Eric Andre Show	Announcer	Season 1, 10 episodes
2012–2016	The Soul Man	Lester	12 episodes
2013	House Party: Tonight's the Night	Melvin Johnson	Direct-to-video
	I Know That Voice	Himself	Documentary film
2013–2019	Whose Line Is It Anyway?	Himself	22 episodes
2014	Mike & Molly	Emcee	Episode: "Open Mike Night"
	Muffin Top: A Love Story	Gregory David Gregory
	Benched	Geoffrey	3 episodes
2015	Two and a Half Men	Leo	Episode: "For Whom the Booty Calls"
2016	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows	Anton Zeck / Bebop
2016–2018	Spontaneanation	Himself	13 episodes
2017	Cook Off!
	I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore	William Bendix
	Superior Donuts	Howard	Episode: "Flour Power"
	Man with a Plan	Bob	Episode: "What About Bob?"
2017–present	I'm Sorry	Brian	Recurring Unknown episodes
2018–20	The Neighborhood	Ernie	3 episodes
2018	An Accidental Zombie (Named Ted)	Bradley
2019	Mom	Warren	Episode: "A Dark Closet and Therapy with Horses"
	Epic Rap Battles of History	Bill Cosby	Web series Episode: "George Carlin vs. Richard Pryor"
	Just Roll with It	Smiley Waterman	Episode: "Family Squabbles"

Film

List of voice performances in films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source
2001	The Trumpet of the Swan	Sweets		[18]
2006	The Adventures of Brer Rabbit	Brer Bear	Direct-to-video	[18]
2011	Firebreather	Principal Dave / Troy's Dad	Television film	[18]
2012	Batman: The Dark Knight Returns	Mutant Leader/Anchor Bill	Direct-to-video	[18]
2013	Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow	Mayor Husk	Direct-to-DVD	[18]
2014	Achmed Saves America	Mayor McKuen
2017	Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown	Cook	Direct-to-video	[18]
2018	Truth or Dare	Demon

Animation

List of voice performances in television series

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Source
2000	Men in Black: The Series		Episode: "The Back to School Syndrome"
2001	The Wild Thornberrys	Forest Hog / Bushbuck	Episode: "The Trouble with Darwin"	[18]
2005	Stroker and Hoop	Coroner Rick / Jermane Washington / Ghost of Christmas Present / Various voices	6 episodes	[18]
2005–2014	The Boondocks	Uncle Ruckus	55 episodes
2007–2009	Curious George	The Coach / Businessman	2 episodes
2008	Chowder	Tofu / Rat #2 / Egg #2	Episode: "Shnitzel Quits"
	The Xtacles		2 episodes
2008–2009	Batman: The Brave and the Bold	Mongul / Mongal / Fun Haus	3 episodes	[18]
2009	The Goode Family	Ray Johnson / DMV Person / Ted / Various voices	13 episodes
	It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia	Snowman / Raisin #2	Episode: "A Very Sunny Christmas"
2009–2012	Special Agent Oso	Mr. Dos	23 episodes	[18]
2010	The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes	Thunderball	Episode: "Thor the Mighty"	[18]
2010–2013	Mad	Optimus Prime / Lex Luthor / War Machine / Donkey Kong / Flutterguy Cyborg / Martian Manhunter / Kilowog / Black Lightning / Count Dooku	29 episodes
2011	Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated	Dr. Cavanaugh	Episode: "The Siren's Song"
	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Riff Tamson	3 episodes
2011–2015	China, IL	Dr. Jack Falgot / Golden Bowl / Others	16 episodes
2012	Motorcity	Mr. Gordy	Episode: "Reunion"	[18]
2012–2014	Black Dynamite	Halloween Party Radio DJ / George Washington Carver III / News Reporter	3 episodes
2012–2016	Doc McStuffins	Marcus McStuffins / Doc's Dad	17 episodes	[18]
2013	Beware the Batman	Michael Holt	Episode: "Hunted"	[18]
2013–2015	Rick and Morty	Various roles	4 episodes
2014	Sofia the First	Hobwing	Episode: "The Curse of Princess Ivy"	[18]
2014–2016	TripTank	Wizard / Reneger / Dream Wizard / Others	10 episodes	[18]
2014–2017	Sheriff Callie's Wild West	Dirty Dan / Dusty / Sidekick Rustler	31 episodes
2015	The Awesomes		3 episodes
2016	Star Wars Rebels	Gron / Stormtrooper #2 / Stormtrooper Commander #1	Episode "Legends of lasat"
	Transformers: Robots in Disguise	Slicedice	2 episodes	[18]
	The Loud House	Super Mart Manager	Episode: "Cereal Offender"	[18]
2016–2019	The Lion Guard	Mufasa	10 episodes	[18]
2017	Bob's Burgers	Judge Conklin	Episode: "A Few 'Gurt Men"
	Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!	Agent Conductor	Episode: "Mysteries on the Disorient Express"
2018	Miles from Tomorrowland	Fortis / Hemeran	Episode: "Grendel's Moving Castle/The Great Gadfly"
	Hanazuki: Full of Treasures	Axo	Episode: "Dance on the Dark Side"
	Star Wars Resistance	Kragan Gorr	Episode: "The Triple Dark"
2019	Love, Death & Robots	XBOT 4000	Episode: "Three Robots"
	SpongeBob SquarePants	Goofy Manager and Customer	Episode: "The Goofy Newbie"
	Robot Chicken	Thanos/Scruffy/Chef	Episode: "Boogie Bardstown in: No Need, I Have Coupons"
2019–present	Bless the Harts	Leonard	Recurring role
2020–present	Central Park	Various

Video games

List of voice performances in video games

Year	Title	Role
2002	Star Trek: Starfleet Command III	Additional Voices
2003	Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick	Additional Voices
2007	Mass Effect	Charles Saracino, Elanos Haliat, Citadel Control, Turian Diplomat
2009	Halo Wars	Additional Voices
2009	Infamous	Male Pedestrian
2010	Alpha Protocol	Yancy Westridge
2010	StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty	General Warfield, Tal'darim Executor
2010	Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame	Mongul
2013	StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm	General Warfield
2016	XCOM 2	Tygan
2017	XCOM 2: War of the Chosen	Tygan
2017	Horizon Zero Dawn	Burgrend

Production staff

Year	Title	Position	Notes
2007	Snips & Snails	Executive producer and writer	Short film
2008	I Own You	Director, producer and writer
2010	Bun in the Oven	Director and writer
2011	Sometimes Pretty Girls	Director and writer
2012	Small Hand	Producer and writer
2013	Just Kidding	Director, producer	TV series
2014	Bun in the Oven 2: The Rebirth	Director, executive producer	Short film
	Life Hacks for Kids	Director and writer	TV series 46 episodes (writer)
2014–2015	Bye Felicia	Consaulting producer	TV series 8 episodes
2015	$100 Pet Challange	Director, executive producer and writer	TV Mini-series 1 episode
	Oh My Gosh	Director	TV Mini-series
2015–present	Food Hack for Kids	Director, producer	TV series
2016	It's a Snackdown!	Director	TV Mini-series 8 episodes
	Hollywood or Hollywouldn't	Writer	Short film
2018	Life Hack for Kids: On the Road	Director, executive producer and writer	TV Mini-series 10 episodes

References

1. "Today in History". Philadelphia Tribune. March 14, 2010.
2. Eldridge, Richard L. "Atlantic Station's set for taste of Hollywood". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. October 20, 2005.
3. Garretson, Shari. "Cat on a Hot Tin Streetcar". '"The Atlanta Journal. May 25, 1994.
4. Gincel, Richard. "Instant comedy requires quick wits". The Atlanta Journal. July 22, 1993.
5. Downey, Maureen; Shurling, Bo. "No secret: TV role `Smart' move". The Atlanta Journal. October 18, 1994.
6. Ho, Rodney. "Dad's Garage goes big at Fox with new fundraiser The Fabulous Fox Theatre plays host to this year's event". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 10, 2015.
7. Simon, Mashaun D. "Georgian Stars With Eddie Griffin In New Action-Comedy". Atlanta Daily World. May 2, 2002. p. 6.
8. Thomas, Don. "Gary Anthony Williams: A Theatrically Trained Performer". New York Beacon. May 1, 2002. p. 31.
9. Ho, Rodney. "Random Bits". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 27, 2005.
10. Ho, Rodney."No bitterness about losing role on show". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. June 20, 2008.
11. "Disney Junior Celebrates Black History Month with "We Are Doc Mcstuffins"". Chicago Citizen. February 13, 2013. p. 15.
12. "EUR Hollywood Gossip Scoop". The Jacksonville Free Press (Jacksonville, Florida). May 21, 2009. p. 9.
13. Cahillane, Kevin. "Homegrown: A Stoner Comedy Straight Out of Randolph". '"The New York Times. August 16, 2004. p. 7.
14. Foran, Chris. "TMNT return to spotlight". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 3, 2016.
15. Littlejohn, Janice (November 19, 2007). "'Boondocks': Raising a ruckus". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Mass.: New England Newspapers Inc. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
16. https://www.people.com/archive/mister-big-vol-57-no-23/%3famp=true
17. https://people.com/parents/gary-anthony-wi/?amp=true
18. https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Gary-Anthony-Williams/

External links

• Gary Anthony Williams on IMDb
• Ex-Fayetteville Resident Goes Legal by Rodney Ho for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 16, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007
• Comic Makes Time for a Pal in Need by Richard L. Eldredge for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 3, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2007
• Gary Anthony Williams Causes a 'Ruckus' by Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn for the Associated Press, November 11, 2007. Retrieved on November 11, 2007.