Jesse Wesley Williams was born on 5 August 1981, in Chicago, Illinois USA of Seminole, African-American and Swedish ancestry, and is an actor, perhaps best known for being a part of the television series “Grey’s Anatomy”, playing Dr. Jackson Avery. He’s also appeared in film roles such as in “The Cabin in the Woods”. He’s been active in the industry since 2006, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Jesse Williams? As of early-2018, sources estimate a net worth that is at $8 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting, but he’s also done modelling work, and is active in several advocacy groups. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Jesse Williams (actor) Net Worth $8 million
Jesse was educated at Moses Brown School, and matriculated in 1998. He then attended Temple University, studying a double major in African-American Studies as well as Film and Media Arts.
After graduating, he first worked as a high school teacher, then in 2005 decided to study acting, and participated in the New York Actors Showcase. He was among one of the 14 actors chosen, and began appearing in several projects.
Williams made one of his first notable appearances in the television show “Law & Order”, playing the character Kwame. He also appeared in several episodes of “Greek” and “Beyond the Break”, and performed in various stage productions, such as in “The American Dream”, “The Sandbox” and “The Glass Menagerie”. In 2008 he made his film debut in the sequel of “The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants”, and the following year was cast as surgical resident Jackson Avery in the television show “Grey’s Anatomy”, which would start to increase his net worth significantly.
Concurrently he was involved in several film projects, including “Brooklyn’s Finest” which starred Don Cheadle and Richard Gere. He also had his first leading role, in the horror film “The Cabin in the Woods”. In 2015, he was then cast as a part of the film “Money” before trying his hand at executive production, for the documentary “Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement”.
He also does sporadic modelling projects, for such as “Tommy Hilfiger”, “Kenneth Cole Productions”, and “L. L. Bean”, but never considered pursuing it as a full-time career.
For his personal life, it is known that Jesse married Aryn Drake-Lee, his longtime girlfriend in 2012, and they have two children together, however, in 2017 Jesse filed for divorce. He is also of on the board of directors of the advocacy group called “The Advancement Project”, actually the youngest member. He is also the executive producer of the media project “Question Bridge: Black Males”. He has written articles on “The Huffington Post” and “CNN”. In 2016, he also won a BET Humanitarian Award, and when receiving it delivered a speech on racial injustice and police brutality. The speech caused petitions to try and remove him from “Grey’s Anatomy”, while others battled – successfully – to keep him on.
