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Kellie Shanygne Williams is an American-born actress, who is probably known for starring in the acclaimed sitcom “Family Matters.”
Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Kellie Shanygne Williams – also known as Kellie Shanygne Jackson – is a native of Washington, D.C., USA, born under the Aries zodiac sign on 22 March 1976, which makes her 47 years old as of 2023. She is the daughter of Ervin Williams, who worked as a manager in a telephone firm, and Patricia Williams, who was a “Jet” magazine journalist. Kellie was brought up alongside her younger brother and sister who are named Donte and Marti Williams respectively.
Kellie was a very shy child who rarely talked; in an attempt to help her come out of her shell, her father enrolled her in a theater program when she was four. She also began modeling at a very young age, and was posing for various companies selling children’s costumes by the time she was six. Kellie’s childhood career saw her tour numerous countries such as Ireland and the Bahamas, where she performed in outdoor shows for the plays “Birthday Celebration” and “Goin’ Home.”
Kellie continued appearing in theatrical productions after joining a local high school in Washington, DC. She majored in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), then in late 2006, the actress returned to her hometown, where she launched a fine arts program targeting teenagers and the youth at Howard University Children’s Theater, where she previously received her acting training.
Facts
Williams shares the same birthday as the American actress, Reese Whitherspoon.
She shared the same acting trainer with Jaleel White on the set of “Family Matters.” The duo were good friends who always had lunch together.
The “Family Matters” starlet launched the Kellie Williams Program, together with Jeff Rawluk, which is aimed at training teenagers aged between 14 and 20, on how to produce TV shows. She previously told the Washington Post, ‘I wanted to create a program similar to the one I grew up with (at Howard University Children’s Theatre). I wanted to bring it to the masses, not to just people who were familiar with the arts but to people who had never experienced any art.’
She is committed to speaking against domestic violence, and has served as a board member of The William Kellibrew Foundation, which was created to break the cycle of violence plaguing the community.
Career – TV Appearances
Kellie was 13 years old when she landed the role of the smart and know-it-all teenager, Laura Winslow, in the ABC/CBS TV sitcom “Family Matters” in 1989. The show revolves around the lives and misadventures of the Winslow family, most of which are caused by their troublesome next-door neighbor, Steve Urkel. It starred Jaleel White as Steve Urkel, Jo Marie Payton as Harriette Winslow, Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow, and Darius McCrary as Eddie Winslow. During her nine-year stint in the show, Kellie appeared in over 215 episodes which saw her make her career breakthrough. For her performance, she was nominated for three consecutive Young Artist Awards for Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series from 1991.
In 1993, Williams appeared in two episodes of “ABC TGIF”, and subsequently in various episodes of the UPN TV sitcom “Moesha” from 1996 to 1998. Her next major role came in 2000, when she was cast to play Alice Adams in the ABC sitcom “What About Joan?” She appeared in 21 episodes during her 12-month run in the show, which also starred the likes of Kyle Chandler, Joan Cusack and Wallace Langham. In 2002, Kellie appeared in an episode of the third season of the TV sitcom “Girlfriends”, and in the year that followed, in an episode of the fifth season of the TV sitcom “The Parkers.” Thereafter, Kellie appeared in several episodes of the sitcom “Eve” in 2006, and in 2009, served as the guest host in the interior design and home makeover TV show “Clean House.” Kellie has’ot appeared in any TV series since 2009.
Film Appearances
Kellie made her film debut as Cami in the 2005 Ron Underwood-directed romantic crime drama “In the Mix,” which starred Usher, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Chazz Palminteri. In 2009, she was offered the role of CeeCee in the musical comedy, “Steppin: The Movie”, and her following appearances were in the 2010 movie “Blessed & Cursed” and the 2011 short, “Christmas in Carolina.” In 2020, she starred as Charlotte Saxon in the romantic comedy “Christmas in Carolina” – some of her co-stars included Darius McCrary, Joslyn Hall and David L. Rowell. In 2022, she portrayed Kelis in “A Family Matters Christmas,” which is about a boy who uses Christmas magic to create an experiment, where he switches lives with his brother.
Other Works
Williams served as the executive producer of the 2010 drama film “Blessed and Cursed”, and “A Family Matters Christmas” in 2022. She performed three songs including “Stop! In the Name of Love” in three episodes of the series “Family Matters” from 1989 to 1997. Moreover, Williams sang two songs in two episodes of the TV series “What About Joan”, in 2000 and 2001.
Social Media Presence
Williams is active on Instagram (@kellieswilliams) with over 215,000 followers. She joined Twitter (@KellieSWilliams) in January 2013 and is currently followed by over 8,000 fans. Williams is fond of posting her husband’s and children’s pictures on her social media platforms.
Personal Life
Williams was introduced to her future husband, Hannibal Jackson, who serves as the CEO and President of the management and information technology company, Y-Tech, LLC., by a mutual friend in 2007. After dating for several months, the duo exchanged vows on 5 September 2009 at the Fort Washington, Maryland-based Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called AME or the AME Church. In 2010, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Hannah Belle Jackson, and two years later, they had a son, John Ervin Jackson.
Williams splits her time between Los Angeles, California, and Washington, D.C. She follows the Christianity religion.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Shanygne is of Black ethnicity, and has short black hair and dark brown eyes. She weighs approximately 165lbs (75kgs) and her height is 5ft 6ins (1.68m).
Net Worth
Kellie has accumulated her net worth primarily from her acting career. She’s worth approximately $2 million as of 2023, and seemingly leads a lavish lifestyle.
