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William Stanford Davis
William Stanford Davis
Born	August 7, 1951 (age 73); St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present

William Stanford Davis (born August 7, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as school custodian Mr. Johnson on the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary (2021–present), for which he earned a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 54th NAACP Image Awards and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. His career began with a minor role on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in 1995 and includes recurring roles on the Showtime television series Ray Donovan and the Apple TV+ television series Swagger.

Background

Davis was born and grew up in The Ville in northern St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended an all-Black elementary school before going to an integrated school in fifth grade.^[2]^[3]^[4] After graduating from Northwest High School, he went to Lincoln University, a historically Black university (HBCU) in Jefferson City, Missouri.^[4] He was inspired to become an actor during high school, when a teacher brought him to see the Negro Ensemble Company perform.^[5] From high school to college, he was the frontman for the pop and R&B band The Fabulous Paramount Revue, which opened for The O'Jays among other acts before disbanding during the Vietnam War. He worked as a radio personality at a country radio station in Texas before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting at age 33, inspired by seeing Sidney Poitier in the 1958 film The Defiant Ones.^[3]^[6] His car caught on fire which led to him staying in Los Angeles.^[7] His first role was as a custodian on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful in 1995.^[8]

Davis is a member of the Actors Studio. He had minor roles on the TNT series Snowpiercer, the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the ABC series The Practice, the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, Perry Mason, on the OWN series If Loving You Is Wrong, and in the films So B. It, Please Stand By, Holly Day, Dead Women Walking, Adopt a Highway, and A Holiday Chance.^[7]^[9]^[10]^[11] He had recurring roles as Coach Max on the Apple TV+ series Swagger and as Potato Pie on the Showtime series Ray Donovan.^[12]^[3]

Davis stars in the Quinta Brunson-helmed ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary as Mr. Johnson, the eccentric longtime janitor of the show's titular elementary school, in 2021. He auditioned over Zoom and was meant to be a guest star but was soon became a recurring character, appearing in all 12 episodes of the show's first season.^[5]^[9]^[13] He became a series regular in its second season, the first series regular role of his career.^[10] He partially based his portrayal of the character on his paternal grandmother, who he described as a "filter-less" "conspiracy theorist" and "the nosiest woman in the neighborhood".^[8]^[14]^[7] For his role on Abbott Elementary, he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 54th NAACP Image Awards in 2023.^[15] He was inducted into Phi Beta Sigma fraternity as an honorary brother at their 2023 conclave, held in Houston. Davis won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2022 and received a second nomination in 2024.^[16]

Filmography

Television

List of television series and roles
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	The Bold and the Beautiful	Janitor	2 episodes
1998	The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer	Lincoln Impersonator
1999	The Practice	Clarence Barnett	Episode: "A Day in the Life"
	Sister, Sister	Reverend Tatum	Episode: "Fly Away Home"
	Ally McBeal	Jim	3 episodes
	Time of Your Life	Pawn Shop Owner	2 episodes
2001	James Dean	Train Conductor	TV movie
2001	Bette	The Customer	Episode: "A Method to Her Madness"
2002	The Movement	Silas	TV movie
2002	Robbery Homicide Division	Security Guard Ellis	Episode: "City of Strivers"
2003	Touched by an Angel	Doug	Episode: "Private Eyes"
	The District	Mr. Gillis	Episode: "Untouchable"
	Strong Medicine	Doug	Episode: "Risk"
	Cold Case	DeAnte Rollins	Episode: "The Runner"
	American Dreams	Joe	Episode: "The Long Goodbye"
2004	Angel	Security Guard	Episode: "Damage"
	The Guardian	Brian	Episode: "Without Consent"
	The Shield	Deon	Episode: "Slipknot"
	LAX	Engineer Dietrich	Episode: "Finnegan Again, Begin Again"
	NYPD Blue	Howard Jackson	Episode: "The Vision Thing"
	Hollywood Division	Neighbor	TV movie
2006	Sons & Daughters	Cook	Episode: "Bowling Night"
	Desperate Housewives	William	Episode: "Could I Leave You?"
	My Name Is Earl	Neighbor	Episode: "Stole a Badge"
	The Closer	Homeless Man	Episode: "Head Over Heels"
2006–2007	Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip	Floor Manager	8 episodes
2007–2009	Lincoln Heights	Jake Wyatt	13 episodes
2007	Passions	Prison Doctor	2 episodes
2007	Marlowe	Bartender	TV movie
2008	Shark	Sonny Gore	Episode: "Partners in Crime"
	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Mechanic	Episode: "A Thousand Days on Earth"
	Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles	Pastor Jonas	Episode: "Earthlings Welcome Here"
2009	Saving Grace	Group Member at Party	Episode: "She's a Lump"
2010	America's Most Wanted	Dante	Episode: "America's Most Wanted's 1,000th Episode Special Edition"
2010	Bones	Floyd Barber	Episode: "The Witch in the Wardrobe"
2011	The Event	The Elder	Episode: "Inostranka"
	Harry's Law	Kareem Anderson	Episode: "In the Ghetto"
	Nick Swardson's Pretend Time	Bathroom Attendant	Episode: "Flying Stripper"
2012	Shameless	Conrad	Episode: "Just Like the Pilgrims Intended"
	The Finder	Earl	Episode: "The Inheritance"
	The Big Bang Theory	Dry Cleaner	Episode: "The Parking Spot Escalation"
	Prodigy Bully	Mr. Douglas	TV movie
2013–2017	Ray Donovan	Potato Pie	Recurring role; 20 episodes
2014–2017	If Loving You Is Wrong	Mr. Kym	6 episodes
2015	When Duty Calls	Clyde Pierce	TV movie
2015	Criminal Minds	Sam Pritchett	Episode: "Lockdown"
2016	Chicago Med	Ed Brennan	Episode: "Choices"
2016	The Middle	Projectionist	Episode: "Hecks at a Movie
2017	Code Black	Emmanuel	Episode: "Unfinished Business"
2019	Light as a Feather	Old Man	Episode: "...Hungry Like a Wolf"
2020	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Chulu Porter	Episode: "Artificial Fruit"
	Perry Mason	Daniel Madison	Episode: "Chapter Two"
	Snowpiercer	Mr. Riggs	5 episodes
2021	Swagger	Coach Max	3 episodes
2021–present	Abbott Elementary	Mr. Johnson	Recurring (Season 1), Main role (Season 2-); 33 episodes
2023	Truth Be Told	Agathia	Episode: "Her, Armed with Sorrow Sore"

Film

List of films and roles
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Running Time	Buzz	Credited as Stan Davis
1998	Primary Colors	Jack Mandela Washington
1998	City of Angels	Construction Foreman
1999	Ragdoll	Pere
2000	The Prophecy 3: The Ascent	Portly Coroner
2001	James Dean	Train Conductor
2005	A Lot like Love	Priest
	Self Medicated	Gabe
	The Big Empty	Doctor #6
2007	Hallowed Ground	Truck Driver
2009	Across the Hall	Custodian
2009	Accused at 17	Detective Gilson
2010	Barry Munday	Greens Keeper
2016	So B. It	Man at Cab Co.
2016	Cardboard Boxer	Jazzy
2017	Handsome	Lester
2017	Please Stand By	Creed	Uncredited
2018	Holly Day	Thaddeus
2019	Adopt a Highway	Hatty
2021	A Holiday Chance	Bernie

References

^ Victorian, Brande (January 11, 2023). "William Stanford Davis On How Abbott Elementary Changed His Life". Essence. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Carter, Gayle Jo (April 11, 2022). "William Stanford Davis of 'Abbott Elementary' Is a Class Act". AARP. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dahl, Amanda (March 9, 2022). "St. Louis Native William Stanford Davis Joins Cast of ABC's New Sitcom Hit, 'Abbott Elementary'". Ladue News. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Davis, William Stanford (2024-02-09). "'Abbott Elementary' Gave Me My Greatest Success, Four Decades Into My Career". TIME. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
^ ^a ^b Gao, Max (January 18, 2023). "William Stanford Davis On The Joy And Power Of 'Abbott Elementary'". Observer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Vaughn, Kenya (February 3, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary's class act shines at Golden Globes". The St. Louis American. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Riley, Jenelle (April 28, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary' Scene Stealer William Stanford Davis on Auditions and Enjoying His First Series Regular Job at 71". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Metz, Nina (September 20, 2022). "My worst moment: 'Abbott Elementary' star William Stanford Davis and his two worst enemies: His phone and his glasses". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Rosario, Alexandra Del (November 4, 2021). "'Abbott Elementary': William Stanford Davis Joins ABC Comedy As Recurring". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Andreeva, Nellie (July 20, 2022). "'Abbott Elementary': William Stanford Davis Upped To Series Regular On ABC Comedy Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Johnson, Brian Westley (December 20, 2022). "Passion-Driven: William Stanford Davis, "a.k.a. Mr. Johnson," of the hit ABC series "Abbott Elementary"". Soulivity. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Horner, Cynthia (April 5, 2022). "Abbott Elementary' Star William Stanford Davis Schools Us". Right On!. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Gelman, Vlada (July 20, 2022). "Abbott Elementary Season 2 Elevates William Stanford Davis to Regular". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Lee Lenker, Maureen (September 20, 2022). "Class dismissed! We drank three rounds with the cast of 'Abbott Elementary'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ Germain, Tabie (January 20, 2023). "2023 NAACP Image Awards: Get Familiar with The Hilarious Nominees for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series'". BET. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.

External links

William Stanford Davis at IMDb

[1] Victorian, Brande (January 11, 2023). "William Stanford Davis On How Abbott Elementary Changed His Life". Essence. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[aarp-2] Carter, Gayle Jo (April 11, 2022). "William Stanford Davis of 'Abbott Elementary' Is a Class Act". AARP. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[ladue-3] Dahl, Amanda (March 9, 2022). "St. Louis Native William Stanford Davis Joins Cast of ABC's New Sitcom Hit, 'Abbott Elementary'". Ladue News. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[:0-4] Davis, William Stanford (2024-02-09). "'Abbott Elementary' Gave Me My Greatest Success, Four Decades Into My Career". TIME. Archived from the original on 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.

[observer-5] Gao, Max (January 18, 2023). "William Stanford Davis On The Joy And Power Of 'Abbott Elementary'". Observer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[stlam-6] Vaughn, Kenya (February 3, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary's class act shines at Golden Globes". The St. Louis American. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[varietyabbott-7] Riley, Jenelle (April 28, 2023). "'Abbott Elementary' Scene Stealer William Stanford Davis on Auditions and Enjoying His First Series Regular Job at 71". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

[ct-8] Metz, Nina (September 20, 2022). "My worst moment: 'Abbott Elementary' star William Stanford Davis and his two worst enemies: His phone and his glasses". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[dlineadd-9] Rosario, Alexandra Del (November 4, 2021). "'Abbott Elementary': William Stanford Davis Joins ABC Comedy As Recurring". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[dlineupped-10] Andreeva, Nellie (July 20, 2022). "'Abbott Elementary': William Stanford Davis Upped To Series Regular On ABC Comedy Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[11] Johnson, Brian Westley (December 20, 2022). "Passion-Driven: William Stanford Davis, "a.k.a. Mr. Johnson," of the hit ABC series "Abbott Elementary"". Soulivity. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[12] Horner, Cynthia (April 5, 2022). "Abbott Elementary' Star William Stanford Davis Schools Us". Right On!. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[13] Gelman, Vlada (July 20, 2022). "Abbott Elementary Season 2 Elevates William Stanford Davis to Regular". TVLine. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[14] Lee Lenker, Maureen (September 20, 2022). "Class dismissed! We drank three rounds with the cast of 'Abbott Elementary'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[15] Germain, Tabie (January 20, 2023). "2023 NAACP Image Awards: Get Familiar with The Hilarious Nominees for 'Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series'". BET. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.

[16] "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.

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PROFILPELAJAR.COM

William Stanford Davis

Background

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

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