William Jackson Harper

William Jackson Harper, an American actor and playwright, was born in Dallas and raised in Garland, Texas, and built a career across television, film, and the stage. He began in New York theater in 2006 with Full Bloom and appeared in Lynn Nottage's Ruined in 2008. Between 2009 and 2011 he was Danny Rebus on PBS's The Electric Company. His Broadway debut came in All the Way as Stokely Carmichael. He became widely known for playing Chidi Anagonye on NBC's The Good Place, a role that brought him a 2020 Primetime Emmy nomination. On screen he has appeared in Paterson (2016), They Remain (2018), Midsommar (2019), Dark Waters (2019), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). His other television work includes The Underground Railroad, Love Life, and The Resort. His plays include We Live Here and Travisville, and he won a 2023 Obie Award for Primary Trust and earned a Tony nomination for Uncle Vanya.