| Tonya Lee Williams | |
|---|---|
Tonya Lee Williams attends The Canadian Film Centre cocktail reception celebrating the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab held at Avalon Hotel on March 9, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. |
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| Born | Tonya Maxine Williams July 12, 1958 London, England |
| Years active | 1971-present |
| Spouse | Robert Simpson (1983-1991) |
Tonya Lee Williams (born Tonya Maxine Williams on July 12, 1958) is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless, from 1990 to 2005, and for a brief time in 2007. She returned to the series in the fall of 2008.
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Williams was born in London, England to Jamaican parents. She lived in London and Kingston, Jamaica as a young child. At age 5, she contracted rheumatic fever; she and her mother went to live in Birmingham. In 1969, she and her family settled in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. As a teenager, she modeled in Eaton's catalogues and danced on a television series called Boogie! which ran on Citytv. In 1977, Williams was crowned Miss Black Ontario.
Williams was married to Robert Simpson from 1983 to 1991. She has not remarried since.
Her television debut was as a host of the Canadian children's show Polka Dot Door after graduating from Ryerson University in 1979. Appearances on the television series Check it Out! and Generations followed. Her involvement on Generations snagged her a role on The Young and the Restless, and has become her most lucrative role. Williams won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2000 and 2002.
She also appeared on A Very Brady Christmas as Cindy's roommate.
In March 2004, she hosted the special event programming Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee, on CBC Television. She is an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.
Williams is also the founder and president of the ReelWorld Film Festival, an annual film festival in Toronto that features talent from diverse visible communities.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Polka Dot Door | Host | unknown episodes |
| 1983 | Skullduggery | unknown | uncredited |
| 1985 | Check it Out! | Jennifer Woods | Ep."No Cause for Alarm" |
| 1986 | As Is | TV Commentator | TV |
| 1987 | What's Happening Now!! | Michelle | Ep."The New Employee" |
| The Liberators | Jenny | TV | |
| Street Legal | Belinda / Reporter | 2 episodes | |
| Gimme a Break! | Judy Mitchell | Ep."Parents' Week: Part 1" | |
| Hill Street Blues | Shirley | Ep."It Ain't Over Till It's Over" | |
| Falcon Crest | Chase's Secretary / Lois | 3 episodes | |
| Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future | Chelsea Chandler | Ep." | |
| 1988 | A Very Brady Christmas | Belinda | TV |
| 1989-1990 | ''Generations | Linda Dukes | unknown episodes |
| 1989 | Matlock | Dana Williams | Ep."The Starlet" |
| Nasty Boys | unknown | Nasty Boys (Original Pilot) | |
| A Peaceable Kingdom | Colleen | 3 episodes | |
| 1990–2005,2007,2008–present | The Young and the Restless | Dr. Olivia Barber Winters | Role Since:May 1990-September 7, 2005 April 12–13, 2007 October 23, 2008–present recurring role |
| 1990 | Spaced Invaders | Ernestine | TV |
| Piece of Cake | Tanya | TV | |
| 1991 | The Borrower | Desk Nurse | |
| 1993 | Counterstrike | Denise | Ep."The Contender" |
| Getting By | Janet | Ep."Shop till You Drop" | |
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings | Loretta Cole | Ep."The Last Campaign" |
| 1998 | PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Carole Sanderson | Ep."Bad Dreams" |
| 2000 | Seventeen Again | Monique Donovan | Disney Channel Movie |
| 2004 | Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee | Host | |
| 2005 | A Perfect Note | Jasmine | TV |
| 2007 | Poor Boy's Game | Ruth Carvery | |
| Finding Father's Toe | Carole | - | |
| 2009–2010 | The Border | Octavia Jones | TV |
| 2010 | My Name is Khan | News Anchor | Film |
| 2011 | She's the Mayor | Maxine Williams | TV[1] |
| Year | Title | Credit | Note(s) |
| 2001 | Maple | executive producer | |
| 2004 | Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee | TV | |
| Da Kink in My Hair | TV |
| Year | Title | Credit | Note(s) |
| 2004 | Da Kink in My Hair | Director | TV |
| Year | Title | Credit | Note(s) |
| 2004 | Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee | contributing writer | TV |