In every movie, there are background players—extras and bit actors that breathe life and realism into a scene. They make it believable, and enjoyable. Not only was Albert J. Williams an actor on some of the most notable soap operas, TV series, and movies of all time (All My Children, One Life to Live, The Guiding Light, The Cosby Show, Law & Order, The Associate starring Whoppi Goldberg, Sweet and Lowdown starring Sean Penn, Coming to America starring Eddie Murphy, Lincoln starring Daniel Day-Lewis, and Heartburn starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson), but he was also a civil rights activist, an Army serviceman, a loving brother, son, uncle, friend, and more.

Having grown up below the poverty line in Woodbridge, Virginia, in the 1940s and 1950s, Albert was able to pull himself up from that hardship through his tenacity and hard work. In his biography he talks about making meals with his sister out of wild blackberries and flour paste, digging a well with his dad, Shack, so they could have clean water, and walking miles to attend segregated schools. He reveals crucial choices he made in his life to further his education and pursue his passion for acting.

Albert arrived in New York City in 1966 with a duffel bag and a dream. His first job was stuffing envelopes at a bank, then as a coin machine operator at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, later of which he would sue for racial discrimination. Along the way he completed his college degree, and was cast in several off-Broadway plays. Through his travels around the country, Albert witnessed the aftermath of the 1965 Watts Riots in Los Angeles. He even attended the August 28, 1963, March on Washington, where he rejoiced over the peaceful protest that brought people of all ethnic backgrounds together to hear Mahalia Jackson sing and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. present his famous address. And a chance encounter along an upstate New York highway had him smack dab in the center of one of the most iconic music festivals of all time: Woodstock.

With Albert’s memoir, you will discover that those who have small parts on the big screen may be making the biggest difference in the real world. “There are no small roles, only small actors,” his acting coaches would say. Through his incredible journey and storytelling, Albert helps us realize how much that rings true for all of us. by Albert J. Williams (Author)

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