Tonya Williams
Tonya Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams at the 2013 Zanzibar Film Festival | |
| Born | Tonya Maxine Williams July 12, 1958 |
| Nationality | British, Canadian, American |
| Other names | Tonya Lee Williams |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, producer, director, activist |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse |
Robert Simpson
(m. 1983; div. 1991) |
| Awards | |
| Honours | Order of Canada |
Tonya Williams OC (born July 12, 1958) is a Canadian actress, producer, and activist. Sometimes credited as Tonya Lee Williams, she is best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American daytime drama The Young and the Restless from 1990 to 2005 and 2007 to 2012. She is the founder and executive director of Reelworld Film Festival.
Early life
Williams was born in London, England to Jamaican parents. She lived in London and Kingston, Jamaica as a young child. At age five, she contracted rheumatic fever; she and her mother then moved to 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.[1] She was a student in 1977 and wanted to be a lawyer.[1]
Williams was married to Robert Simpson from 1983 to 1991,.
Career
Williams' television debut was as a host of the Canadian children's show Polka Dot Door, from 1980 to 1983, after graduating from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute 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.
Williams appeared on A Very Brady Christmas as Cindy's roommate.
In March 2004, Williams hosted the special event program Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee on CBC Television. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.
Williams is the founder, executive and artistic director of the Reelworld Film Festival, an annual film festival in Toronto that features talent from ethnically diverse communities.[2] In 2024, she was named as the recipient of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Changemaker Award at the 12th Canadian Screen Awards, for her work with Reelworld.[3]
In January 2025, Williams was named as the recipient of the Toronto Film Critics Association's Company 3 TFCA Luminary Award, in honour of her work with Reelworld and her other efforts to advocate on behalf of people of colour in the Canadian film industry.[4] She selected film and television producer Leena Minifie as the recipient of the award's "pay it forward" grant.[5]
Filmography
Actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1983 | Polka Dot Door | Host | |
| 1984 | Seeing Things | Episode: "Second Sight" | |
| 1985 | Check it Out! | Jennifer Woods | 22 episodes |
| 1986 | As Is | TV Commentator | TV movie |
| 1987 | What's Happening Now!! | Michelle | Episode: "The New Employee" |
| The Liberators | Jenny | On Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | |
| Street Legal | Belinda / Reporter | 2 episodes | |
| Gimme a Break! | Judy Mitchell | Episode: "Parents' Week: Part 1" | |
| Hill Street Blues | Shirley | Episode: "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 | Episode: "And Study War No More" | |
| 1988 | A Very Brady Christmas | Belinda | TV movie |
| 1989–1990 | Generations | Linda Dukes | unknown episodes |
| 1989 | Matlock | Dana Williams | Episode: "The Starlet" |
| Nasty Boys | unknown | Nasty Boys (pilot) | |
| A Peaceable Kingdom | Colleen | 3 episodes | |
| 1990–2005 | The Young and the Restless | Olivia Winters | May 1990–September 7, 2005 |
| 1990 | Spaced Invaders | Ernestine | |
| Piece of Cake | Tanya | TV movie | |
| 1991 | The Borrower | Desk Nurse | |
| 1993 | Counterstrike | Denise | Episode: "The Contender" |
| Getting By | Janet | Episode: "Shop till You Drop" | |
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings | Loretta Cole | Episode: "The Last Campaign" |
| 1998 | PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Carole Sanderson | Episode: "Bad Dreams" |
| 2000 | Seventeen Again | Monique Donovan | |
| 2004 | Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee | Host | TV special |
| 2005 | A Perfect Note | Jasmine | TV movie |
| 2007 | Poor Boy's Game | Ruth Carvery | |
| Finding Father's Toe | Carole | Short film | |
| 2007–2012 | The Young and the Restless | Olivia Winters | April 12–13, 2007, and October 23, 2008 – February 15, 2012 |
| 2009–2010 | The Border | Octavia Jones | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | My Name is Khan | News Anchor | |
| 2011 | She's the Mayor | Maxine Williams | 13 episodes[6] |
| The Bold and the Beautiful | Olivia Winters | Guest: 2 episodes (February 1-2, 2011) | |
| 2012 | Cybergeddon | Donna Berg | 2 episodes |
Producer, writer and director
| Year | Title | Executive Producer | Writer | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Maple | Yes | No | No | TV movie | |
| 2004 | Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee | Yes | Yes | No | TV special (Contributing writer) | |
| 2004 | Da Kink in My Hair | Yes | No | Yes | TV movie |
Honours, awards and nominations
In 2025, Williams was conferred the honour of an Officer of the Order of Canada.[7]
In addition, she has had the following awards and nominations.
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 1996 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 1997 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 1998 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 1999 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Daytime Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2000 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Won | |
| 2001 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2002 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Won | |
| 2003 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2004 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2005 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2005 | ACTRA | National Award of Excellence | Won | |
| 2006 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2009 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2010 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2011 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2012 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award | Film and television artistic contributions. | Won | |
| 2012 | Canadian Immigrant Award | Top 25 | Won | [8] |
| 2024 | 12th Canadian Screen Awards | Changemaker Award | Won | [3] |
References
- ^ a b "Miss Black Ontario, 1977, First, 18-year-old Tonya Maxine Williams was chosen Miss Oshawa and on Saturday she became Miss Black Ontario. The pageant w(...)". Toronto Public Library. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ Byron Armstrong, "Tonya Williams Marks 19 Years Celebrating Black Stories On Screen At ReelWorld Film Festival". ByBlacks, October 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Connie Thiessen, "Marilyn Denis, John Brunton among Canadian Academy 'Special Award' recipients". Broadcast Dialogue, March 19, 2024.
- ^ Nicholas Sokic, "TFCA to honour Tonya Williams, J Stevens at awards gala". Playback, January 28, 2025.
- ^ Alex Nino Gheciu, "‘Universal Language’ wins best Canadian film at TFCA Awards, while ‘Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story’ named best documentary". Toronto Star, February 24, 2025.
- ^ "She's the Mayor finds laughs in Hamilton". Hamilton Spectator, April 16, 2010.
- ^ "Order of Canada Appointees – June 30, 2025".
- ^ "Canada's Top 25 Immigrants 2012". Canadian Immigrant. Retrieved 2021-06-18.