The actor was born in Harlem, New York and quickly gravitated towards the stage, earning a Tony nomination for his work in the three-person drama Slow Dance on the Killing Ground. Later, he would gain even larger fame in Black Hollywood with his portrayal of Prince’s father in 1984’s Purple Rain, the comedic leader of the People’s Revolutionary Army in 1988’s I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and the drug lord Sampson in Dave Chappelle’s 1998 comedy, Half-Baked.
In honor of his life and iconic onscreen characters, today we highlight a few of Williams’ most memorable roles.