[2] He cited the experience of growing up as the son of a vaudeville show producer as leading him to pursue his acting career as early as college.

From 1936 until 1941, Jay Williams worked as a press agent for Dwight Deere Winman, Jed Harris and the Hollywood Theatre Alliance.

[2] Williams even played a feature role in the Cannes prize winning film, Little Fugitive, produced in 1953.

One of his series of mysteries features the American rare book and manuscript collector Dave Cannon, and takes place in Britain.

Jay Williams also wrote a number of successful historical novels for adults, including The Witches, a look at the eradication of the healing women in Scotland; Solomon and Sheba; The Siege, a tale of the 13th-century wars initiated by the [Pope] against the Albigensian heresy; Tomorrow's Fire (1964), set during the Third Crusade;[2] and The Rogue from Padua, a novel that takes place in the Renaissance.

[3] Jay Williams died at age 64 from a heart attack while on a trip to London on July 12, 1978.