James Williams

Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor and rapper. He began his career as a child actor, making several appearances on Saturday Night Live, Little Bill, and Sesame Street. Williams later rose to prominence for playing the role of Chris Rock on the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009). Following this, he starred as songwriter Cyrus DeBarge in the Disney Channel film Let It Shine (2012), and Noah on the AMC horror drama television series The Walking Dead (2014–15). Since 2021, he has starred as Gregory Eddie on the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, for which he received critical acclaim including a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In film, Williams has portrayed roles in Dear White People (2014), Detroit (2017) and The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021).