Samm-Art Williams

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Samm-Art Williams
Tony Award nomination and Drama Desk Award
nomination for Home

Samuel Arthur Williams (January 20, 1946 – May 13, 2024) was an American playwright and screenwriter, television producer, and an actor on stage, television and film. Much of his work concerns the African-American experience.

Williams was nominated for a

St. Louis, Missouri
produced the premiere of his play The Montford Point Marine (2011).

Biography

Early life and career

Williams was born on January 20, 1946, in

Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied political science and psychology. At one point, he considered becoming a lawyer, but his dream of being a playwright won out.[1]

After college, Williams moved to Philadelphia, where he collaborated with the New Freedom Theatre as an actor, worked as a salesman to pay his bills, and wrote in his free time. Eventually he moved to New York City to focus on his writing, though he knew he would also have to continue acting for income.[1]

As Samm Williams, he entered New York City theater as an actor in 1973, performing in the play Black Jesus.[citation needed] With New York's Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), Williams appeared in such plays as Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide (St. Mark's Playhouse, 1974) and Liberty Calland (St. Mark's Playhouse, 1975), before taking on the name Samm-Art Williams for Argus and Klansman and Waiting for Mongo (St. Mark's Playhouse, 1975).[citation needed]

Williams, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) lefty,[

sparring partner of boxer Muhammad Ali.[2] Samm was recruited to work with Ali, who was afraid of lefties.[citation needed
]

Other early New York acting experience includes

regional theater includes Nevis Mountain Dew at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. (1979).[citation needed
]

He made his screen debut playing "Roger" in the Richard Price novel adaptation The Wanderers (1979), and played a subway police officer in director Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill (1980).[citation needed] An earlier film, the independent blaxploitation feature The Baron, a.k.a. Baron Wolfgang von Tripps and Black Cue, made circa 1977, was released direct-to-video by Paragon Video in 1996.[4]

As Samm Williams, he wrote the play Welcome to Black River, produced by the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) at St. Mark's Playhouse in 1975; and as Samm-Art Williams, The Coming and Do Unto Others, both at the Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn in 1976; A Love Play produced by the NEC that same year; The Last Caravan (1977); and Brass Birds Don't Sing, at New York City's Stage 73 in 1978.[citation needed]

Williams participated in the NEC Playwrights Workshop, under the guidance of playwright-in-residence Steve Carter, who strongly influenced his work. About Carter, Williams has said "that no single individual has influenced my writing to the degree that Steve Carter has."[5]

Home

Williams' comedy

Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award.[6]

1980s

Williams went on to play

dramedy for which he also served as a story editor. His film work during this time included a role in Blood Simple
(1984).

Williams wrote the PBS productions Kneeslappers (1980) and Experiment in Freedom (American Playhouse, 1985); episodes for the series

series pilot titled Lenny's Neighborhood.[citation needed
]

1990s–2020s

Williams wrote and directed the comedy The Dance on Widows' Row, produced by the New Federal Theatre at Manhattan's Harry De Jur Playhouse at Henry Street Settlement from June 25 to July 30, 2000.[7][8]

In 2006, Williams held auditions for his play The Waiting Room, to be performed that spring at the Raleigh Little Theatre's Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina.[9]

In 2011, The Black Rep of

Montford Point was where the first black Marines trained.[10]

Williams was Artist-in-Residence at North Carolina Central University, where he taught classes on equity theater and the art of playwriting. His producing for television also included story-editing and script-writing for the CBS television series Frank's Place in 1987–88, ABC-TV's Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, NBC-TV's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the short-lived UPN sitcom series Good News and the Fox TV sitcom series Martin.[11]

Williams died in Burgaw on May 13, 2024, at the age of 78.[12][13]

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Samm-Art Williams: A Biography". Roundabout Theatre (roundabouttheatre.org). April 29, 2021. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Reid, Kerry (8 June 2022). "Home is where the heart is". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b The Broadway League. "Internet Broadway Database: Samm-Art Williams". Ibdb.com. Archived from the original on 2005-05-20. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  4. ^ Box Office Prophets: "It Came from the Basement" (column): "The Baron", by John Seal (January 6, 2003) Archived October 4, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ISBN 0-88145-043-X
    .
  6. ^ a b c "Internet Broadway Database: Samm-Art Williams - Awards". Ibdb.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  7. ^ Gutman, Les. "Review, 'The Dance on Widows' Row'" Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Curtain Up, 29 June 2000
  8. ISBN 1-55783-579-9
    .
  9. ^ ""Auditions for "The Waiting Room" by Samm-Art Williams", Raleigh Little Theatre press releases". Raleighlittletheatre.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  10. ^ Kevin C. Johnson, "Review: 'The Montford Point Marine'" Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 27 May 2011, accessed 22 June 2011
  11. ^ "Samm-Art Williams 1946–". Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  12. ^ Cristi, A. A. (13 May 2024). "Tony-Nominated HOME Playwright Samm-Art Williams Dies At Age 78". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  13. ^ Phillips, Zoe G. "Samm-Art Williams, Tony-Nominated Playwright and 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Producer, Dies at 78". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  14. ^ ""ECU hosts fourth Literary Homecoming", 2007 East Carolina University press release". Ecu.edu. 2009-06-17. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  15. ^ [1][dead link]

External links

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