Cress Williams


Cress Williams is an American actor, known for his roles in Prison Break and Close to Home. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series Hart of Dixie and the title character on The CW's Black Lightning. Williams is also best known for his recurring role as Terrence "Scooter" Williams on Fox's Living Single.

Personal life

Williams was born in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany, to American parents. He attended Fullerton College and UCLA. On October 14, 2000, Williams married actress Simbi Khali in Malibu, California. The couple have two children together and divorced in 2011. Williams married girlfriend Kristen Torrianni in June 2013.

Career

Williams acted in a 1990 Fullerton College production of William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, which was directed by Tom Blank. He also acted in another production in the same year at Fullerton College called Red Noses, a black comedy produced by Peter Barnes and directed by Michael Fields.
Williams has appeared on many TV series since 1994, including ', Beverly Hills, 90210, NYPD Blue, ', 3rd Rock from the Sun, JAG, Living Single, Nash Bridges, Providence, ', Veronica Mars, The West Wing, Close to Home, ER, and Grey's Anatomy. He portrayed, a Jem'Hadar leader in the Star Trek series, in a ' episode "The Jem'Hadar". Williams joined the Prison Break cast by playing The Company's assassin, Wyatt Mathewson. He appeared in the final season of Friday Night Lights as Ornette Howard, father of East Dillon's star quarterback Vince Howard. He also starred alongside Rachel Bilson on The CW series Hart of Dixie as former football star turned mayor Lavon Hayes.
Since 2018, he has ventured into adaptations of DC Comics: As main character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning on The CW's superhero TV series Black Lightning, set in the Arrowverse, and as John Henry Irons in the animated film The Death of Superman and its 2019 sequel, Reign of the Supermen.

Filmography

Film

Television