William Jackson Harper

William Jackson Harper
Harper in 2018
Born
William Fitzgerald Harper

(1980-02-08) February 8, 1980 (age 44)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma materCollege of Santa Fe
Occupation(s)Actor, playwright
Years active2007–present

William Fitzgerald Harper (born February 8, 1980), known professionally as William Jackson Harper, is an American actor and playwright. He gained acclaim for his role as Chidi Anagonye in the NBC comedy series The Good Place (2016–2020), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.[1][2]

Harper started his career as a main cast member of the PBS Kids Go! series The Electric Company (2009–2011). As a playwright, he wrote We Live Here (2010)[3] and Travisville (2018).[4] He made his Broadway acting debut portraying civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael in the play All the Way (2013). Harper's other notable roles on stage include Romeo & Juliet (2012), After the Blast (2017), and Primary Trust (2023). For his role as Astrov in the Lincoln Center Theatre revival of Uncle Vanya (2024) he earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

He has starred in the Amazon limited series The Underground Railroad (2020), the second season of the HBO Max comedy series Love Life (2021) and in the Peacock comedy mystery series The Resort (2022). Harper has taken supporting roles in films such as Paterson (2016), Midsommar (2019), and Dark Waters (2019). He portrayed Quaz in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).

  1. ^ Saclao, Christian (September 26, 2016). "'The Good Place' Actor William Jackson Harper on Playing Kristen Bell's Onscreen Soulmate in the NBC Series". International Business Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  2. ^ Charles, Marissa (September 19, 2016). "William Jackson Harper on Starring in NBC's 'The Good Place'". Ebony. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  3. ^ "We Live Here". Abouttheartist. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "Travisville". Abouttheartist. Retrieved March 7, 2024.