Biography
Dick Anthony Williams was an American actor. Born Richard Anthony Williams on 9 August 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, he died on 16 February 2012 in Van Nuys, California. He attended Hyde Park High School and Herzl Junior College, and began his career in the late 1960s.
Williams was best known for his Broadway performances in The Poison Tree, What the Wine-Sellers Buy and Black Picture Show. He received Tony Award nominations for the latter two plays and was a co-founder of the New Federal Theatre in New York. His film roles included the limo driver in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Taj in The Jerk (1979), Big Stop Williams in Mo' Better Blues (1990) and Officer Allen in Edward Scissorhands (1990). He also appeared in blaxploitation films such as The Mack (1973) and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973), and had television credits including The X-Files and The Shield.
