Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Williams graduated from East High School, and attended Coe College and served in the United States Marine Corps before pursuing a career in acting.

After leaving the series in 1998, Williams has had recurring guest roles on The Sopranos, The West Wing, The District, The Game, Army Wives, Drop Dead Diva, and Chicago Med.

Additionally, he has guest starred in episodes of NYPD Blue, Boston Legal, One Tree Hill, and Meet the Browns and has also lent his voice to the animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Williams has also had roles in several films, including Remember the Titans (2000), Old School (2003), Be Cool (2005), Dog Days of Summer (2007), Oliver Stone's biopic W. (2008), The Collector (2009), and MacGruber (2010).

[2] In 1992, Williams became the first recipient of the Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice (through Voices Against Injustice) due to his heroic efforts during the 1992 Los Angeles race riots in which he rescued an individual who had been pulled out of his car and was being beaten.