American actor and comedian Gary Anthony Williams was born on March 14, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia. He got into acting by accident, when his high school’s erratic computer program placed him on the drama program. Too lazy to get out, he eventually realized his love for acting, and pursued such a career. He was heavily involved in the Atlanta scene, acting with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, and performing with the city’s longest-running improv group, Laughing Matters. His initial television roles were for series—In the Heat of the Night and I’ll Fly Away, both in the early 1990s—shot in Atlanta.
Williams eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1998 to pursue further opportunities. He joined the cast of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle in 2000; he took the recurring role of Abe Kenarban, the father of Malcolm’s (Frankie Muniz) best friend Stevie (Craig lamar Taylor), and also the best friend to Hal (Bryan Cranston). He also had a role in the Nickelodeon comedy show The Amanda Show, playing the bailiff in Judge Trudy’s (Amanda Bynes) court. He also was a regular on the sketch series Blue Collar TV.
In 2006, Williams joined the cast of the legal drama Boston Legal. He played Clarence Bell, a person whose social anxiety led him to express himself through characters, to the extent of crossdressing as a woman. Initially pegged for a one-episode appearance, positive feedback led Williams to get a recurring role in the series, and later a regular role. He also had roles in several programs on Adult Swim, including Saul of the Mole Men and the animated series The Boondocks.
Williams also appeared in several films, mostly comedies: Undercover Brother, Soul Plane and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle are among the more notable ones. He also continues to perform stand-up both in Los Angeles and Atlanta, sometimes as part of the Flying Fannoli Brothers, where he performs with Nick Jameson and Fuzzbee Morse.