Former high school History teacher Jesse Williams earned fame for his role as Dr. Jackson Aver yon the television show Grey’s Anatomy. Photo Credit: The Things
You may be familiar with the actor Jesse Williams, who portrayed Dr. Jackson Avery on the television show Grey’s Anatomy. But did you know that before his success as an actor, he was a public school teacher in Pennsylvania?
Jesse was born on August 5, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a professional ceramics artist and a factory worker. By the time he graduated from high school, both of his parents were employed as public school teachers.
As a young man, Jesse attended Temple University, where he completed the requirements for a double major in African American Studies and Film & Media Arts. He then worked for six years as a high school teacher in Philadelphia public schools, instructing courses in History, American Studies, African Studies, and English. Although he spent most of his teaching career at the secondary level, Jesse also worked with kindergartners and seventh graders.
“High school is my favorite just because of my ability to connect with the students,” Jesse once confessed. “I think it stems from the fact that high school was a real shift, a real fork in the road for me as a student, and it helped me get on the right track. It was a real hinge point in my life, so I think that’s what drew me to it,” he revealed. “But kindergarten was a lot of fun. Always an adventure, it certainly helped me prepare more for parenthood than anything else. I totally felt like Kindergarten Cop,” he concluded.
In addition to Grey’s Anatomy, Jesse has appeared in numerous other television shows, including Law and Order in 2006; Beyond the Break in 2006; Seattle Grace in 2010; and Station 19 in 2020. He also garnered roles in several films, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in 2008; Brooklyn’s Finest in 2010; and Jacob’s Ladder in 2019. The former teacher can also be seen in several music videos, including Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” (2009), Jay-Z’s “Legacy” (2017); and Demi Lovato’s “Tell Me You Love Me” (2017).
Even though Jesse no longer works as a professional educator, he still supports educational programs. He has coordinated with the platform Scholly to create scholarship opportunities for low-income students. He also supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and Amnesty International. For his philanthropic efforts, Jesse earned a BET Humanitarian Award in 2016.
