Jessica Williams (actress)
Jessica Williams | |
---|---|
![]() Williams in 2016 | |
Born | Jessica Renee Williams July 31, 1989 |
Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach |
Occupation | Actress, comedian |
Years active | 2006–present |
Jessica Renee Williams (born July 31, 1989) is an American actress and comedienne best known for her work as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show and as co-host of the podcast 2 Dope Queens.
Early life[]
Jessica Renee Williams was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended Nathaniel Narbonne High School where she flourished in the school's drama department. She made her television debut as a series regular on the Nickelodeon series Just for Kicks in 2006[2] and in 2012, she became The Daily Show's youngest correspondent ever.[3][4] She attended California State University, Long Beach.[5] Results of a DNA test traced Williams's maternal ancestry to the Bamileke people of Cameroon.[6]
Career[]
Williams made her Daily Show debut on January 11, 2012.[7] Williams is a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.[5] Williams also made appearances on Season 3 of HBO's Girls.[8] She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York[9] and Los Angeles, California.[10] She appears in the film People Places Things. She co-hosted the comedy podcast 2 Dope Queens with Phoebe Robinson. Williams appears in an HBO special spun off from the podcast in February, 2018.[11] She appeared on her last Daily Show episode on June 30, 2016.[12] She is the star of the 2017 Netflix comedy movie The Incredible Jessica James, in which she portrays a character whom the Guardian described as "a struggling Brooklyn-based playwright navigating the murky waters of modern romance while waiting impatiently for her big break."[13] She appeared in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, as Professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks, a teacher from the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[14]
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Crying in Public | Coffee Shop Crier | Short film |
2013 | Delivery Man | Tanya | |
2015 | People Places Things | Kat | |
2015 | Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | Herself | |
2015 | Tap Shoes & Violins | Charlie | Short film |
2017 | The Incredible Jessica James | Jessica James | Also executive producer |
2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks | |
2019 | Corporate Animals | Jess | |
2019 | Booksmart | Miss Fine | |
2020 | Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia | TBA | |
2022 | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore | Professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks | Filming |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Just for Kicks | Vida Atwood | 13 episodes |
2012–2016 | The Daily Show | Herself (correspondent) | 141 episodes |
2014 | Girls | Karen | 4 episodes |
2018 | Herself | Episode: All | |
2019 | The Twilight Zone | Rei Tanaka | Episode: "Six Degrees of Freedom" |
2021 | I Heart Arlo | Elena | Voice role |
2021 | Love Life | Mia Hines | Main role |
Podcast[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016–2018 | 2 Dope Queens | Herself (co-host) | Also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
References[]
- ^ "The Birth of Jessica Williams". California Birth Index. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
- ^ Gilbert, Matthew (April 7, 2006). "'Just for Kicks' shows girls how to get along". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Del Signore, John (January 19, 2012). "Jon Stewart: SOPA Will Drive Us To Libraries "Like A Common Masturbator"". Gothamist. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012.
- ^ Czajkowski, Elise (February 27, 2014). "Talking to 'Daily Show' Correspondent Jessica Williams". Splitsider. Archived from the original on December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Jessica Williams". Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
- ^ The Daily Show Correspondents Discover Their African Ancestry
- ^ "Indecision 2012 - In the South of Madness". The Daily Show. January 11, 2012.
- ^ Williams, Lauren (January–February 2014). "The Daily Show's Jessica Williams on Race, Comedy, and Her Role in "Girls."". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
- ^ "FACES: THE DAILY SHOW'S JESSICA WILLIAMS INTERVIEW". Nixon. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
- ^ 2 Dope Queens Podcast, Episode 28, A Sex Toy in Every Port
- ^ "'2 Dope Queens' Jessica Williams, Phoebe Robinson on Taking HBO by Storm". Rolling Stone. February 2, 2018.
- ^ Rahman, Ray (June 29, 2016). "Jessica Williams is leaving The Daily Show — exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ Nevins, Jake (July 26, 2017). "The incredible Jessica Williams: 'Great comedy comes from feeling like you've gotten punched up'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ "Jessica Williams Joins J.K. Rowling to Announce Her Fantastic Beasts Character". Vulture. April 22, 2018.
External links[]
- 1989 births
- Living people
- Actresses from Los Angeles County, California
- African-American actresses
- American child actresses
- American film actresses
- American people of Cameroonian descent
- American television actresses
- American women comedians
- California State University, Long Beach alumni
- 21st-century American actresses
- Comedians from California
- American women podcasters
- American podcasters
- Upright Citizens Brigade Theater performers
- 21st-century American comedians
- African-American female comedians
- 21st-century African-American women
- 21st-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American women