Jessica Williams (actress) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jessica Williams
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Williams in 2016
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Jessica Renee Williams
1989 (age 34–35) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | California State University, Long Beach |
| Occupation | Actress, comedian |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Jessica Renee Williams is an American actress and comedian. She has appeared as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show, as cohost of the podcast 2 ... Queens, as Lally Hicks in the Fantastic Beasts film series, as Gaby in Shrinking, and as Meadow in Entergalactic.
Early life
Jessica Renee Williams was born in Los Angeles County, California. She attended Nathaniel Narbonne High School where she flourished in the school's drama department. She made her television debut as a series regular on the Nickelodeon series Just for Kicks in 2006, and in 2012, she became The Daily Show's youngest correspondent ever. She attended California State University, Long Beach. Results of a DNA test traced Williams's maternal ancestry to the Bamileke people of Cameroon.
Career
Williams made her Daily Show debut on January 11, 2012. Williams is a frequent performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Williams also made appearances on Season 3 of HBO's Girls. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles, California. She appears in the film People Places Things. ..... Williams appears in an HBO special spun off from the podcast in February, 2018. She appeared on her last Daily Show episode on June 30, 2016. She is the star of the 2017 Netflix comedy movie The Incredible Jessica James, in which she portrays a character whom the Guardian described as "a struggling Brooklyn-based playwright navigating the murky waters of modern romance while waiting impatiently for her big break." She appeared in the sequels of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore as Lally Hicks, a teacher from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In 2023, Williams had a starring role in the Apple TV+ show Shrinking. For her performance, she earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Crying in Public | Coffee Shop Crier | Short film |
| 2013 | Delivery Man | Tanya | |
| 2015 | People Places Things | Kat | |
| Hot Tub Time Machine 2 | Herself | Cameo role | |
| Tap Shoes & Violins | Charlie | Short film | |
| 2017 | The Incredible Jessica James | Jessica James | Also executive producer |
| 2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Lally Hicks | |
| 2019 | Corporate Animals | Jess | |
| Booksmart | Miss Fine | ||
| 2020 | Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia | TBA | |
| 2022 | Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore | Lally Hicks | |
| 2025 | Road House | TBA | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Just for Kicks | Vida Atwood | 13 episodes |
| 2012–2016 | The Daily Show | Herself (correspondent) | 141 episodes |
| 2014 | Girls | Karen | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | 2 ... Queens | Herself | Episode: All |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | Rei Tanaka | Episode: "Six Degrees of Freedom" |
| 2021 | I Heart Arlo | Elena | Voice role |
| Love Life | Mia Hines | Main role | |
| 2022 | Entergalactic | Meadow Watson | Voice role, television film |
| 2023 | Shrinking | Gaby | Main role |
Podcast
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 | 2 ... Queens | Herself (cohost) | Also co-creator, writer, executive producer |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Shrinking | Pending |
See also
In Spanish: Jessica Williams (actriz) para niños
