Biography
Kenneth Williams, better known by his stage name Eric Monte, grew up in Chicago's Cabrini-Green Housing project, an area plagued by gangs, unemployment, and drugs. At five years old, while playing cowboys and Indians, a white man told him he couldn't be the Lone Ranger because the character was white. This moment inspired Monte to vow to create black heroes when he grew up—and he did just that.
A high school dropout, Monte dreamed of becoming a writer in Hollywood. His mother doubted his chances, saying, "They’ve never had a black writer in Hollywood. If they ever get one, he’ll be some light-skinned black with a Harvard degree, not a high school dropout from Cabrini." Undeterred, Monte left Cabrini with $5, hitchhiked Route 66, and headed to Hollywood.
In 1971, actor Mike Evans befriended Monte. Evans, cast on Norman Lear’s sitcom All in the Family, was impressed by Monte and asked for help expanding his role. Monte wrote a script, which Lear liked, leading to Monte’s hiring as a writer.
Monte pitched the idea of George Jefferson, an entrepreneurial African American man, to Lear for All in the Family. The characters George and Louise Jefferson soon debuted as neighbors to Archie Bunker. In 1974, Monte and Evans created Good Times, produced by Lear, which addressed issues like income inequality, drugs, gang violence, and discrimination, highlighting African American struggles. However, Lear insisted the father be written out, claiming a strong black father figure wouldn’t work on a sitcom. In 1976, Lear fired John Amos, who played the father, after Amos criticized the show's direction.
Monte left Lear’s company in 1974 after securing a contract to write Cooley High, a film about African American teens in Chicago. The following year, Lear launched The Jeffersons, a spin-off starring George and Louise Jefferson. Despite Monte creating these characters, Lear claimed credit for the show, which ran eleven seasons and became the most successful African American sitcom in history, paving the way for shows like The Cosby Show.
Following Cooley High’s success, the sitcom adaptation What's Happening! premiered in 1976, becoming the first African American teen sitcom to break Nielsen ratings.
In the early 1970s, Lear discussed remaking the British show Steptoe and Son (Sanford and Son) with Monte. Monte suggested casting African American comedian Redd Foxx, whom Lear initially didn’t know and wanted an all-white cast. Eventually, Foxx was cast, but Monte received no credit. After Cooley High’s success, Monte created What's Happening!, which ran for three seasons.
In 1977, Monte sued ABC, CBS, Lear, Bud Yorkin, and others for stealing his ideas for Good Times, The Jeffersons, and What's Happening!. He received a $1 million settlement, a small share of Good Times residuals, and one percent ownership of the show. However, due to limited business knowledge and legal support, Monte missed out on royalties from other shows he created. Lear and other producers, angered by the lawsuit, blacklisted Monte, labeling him difficult to work with. When NPR asked Lear about the settlement details exposing his misconduct, Lear declined to comment.
Monte claimed that after filing the lawsuit, job offers vanished. At his career peak, he owned a Mercedes-Benz and a home for his two daughters. Unable to find work, he became despondent, developed a crack cocaine addiction, and became homeless, eventually losing his settlement money to poor investments.
In 2006, Monte entered the Salvation Army in Bell, California, where regular drug tests helped him stay sober. In the late 2000s, he debuted as an author with BluePrints For Peace, outlining seven ways to achieve world peace.
Now back in Chicago, Monte continues writing television and film scripts, seeking to make a comeback. He remains a pioneering African American playwright who realized his vision of creating black heroes admired worldwide.
