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William Stanford Davis is an acclaimed, classically trained actor with nearly 100 stage and screen credits. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, he has earned widespread praise for his portrayal of the grumpy yet endearing janitor Mr. Johnson on ABC's hit series "Abbott Elementary." He also recurs as Coach Max on AppleTV+'s sports drama "Swagger," inspired by Kevin Durant's youth basketball experience with the AAU circuit. Davis has appeared on numerous popular and award-winning TV shows, including Showtime's long-running, Golden Globe-winning series "Ray Donovan," where he played Potato Pie from Donovan's Gym, and Tyler Perry's successful OWN series "If Loving You Is Wrong." His critical recurring roles extend to TNT's "Snowpiercer," Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip," and "Lincoln Heights." Additionally, he has guest-starred on well-known programs such as "Perry Mason," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Chicago Med," "Criminal Minds," "The Big Bang Theory," "Ally McBeal," "Touched By An Angel," and many others. Among his career highlights, Davis earned an Emmy Award in 2002 as part of the cast of Rasheen Crawley's "The Movement."
In film, Davis recently starred alongside Nafessa Williams and Sharon Neal in "A Holiday Chance," which premiered in November 2021 on AppleTV+ and Hulu, as well as in "Please Stand By," featuring Dakota Fanning and Toni Collette, and "So B It," with Cloris Leachman and Alfre Woodard. On stage, he received an Ovation Nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the 2006 Actors Studio production of August Wilson's "Fences" and performed in the musical "North on South Central," which won five NAACP Theatre Awards in 2004. His stage credits also include Leonard Manzella's "Cages," directed by Jon Rivera at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles; "The Anteroom" for the Actors Studio; John Bishop's "Legacies" at The Matrix Theatre; and the world premiere of "Two Ships Passing" at the Pan Andreas Theater in Hollywood.
Beyond acting, Davis has directed several productions, including Lawrence Fishburne's play "Riff Raff," a staging of "Shame" at the Elephant Asylum Theatre, and "The Old Settler" at the Pico Playhouse. He has dedicated over 15 years to mentoring emerging talent through his own William Stanford Davis Acting Class masterclass and at the Actors Studio, where he holds lifetime membership. He has coached rising stars such as Alisha Boe, Dylan Sprayberry, Laila Ali, and Mc Lyte. Davis currently resides in Los Angeles.
