‘Abbott Elementary’ Star William Stanford Davis Looks Back on His Career (VIDEO)
Don’t Be Tardy for Class
For exclusive news and updates, subscribe to our Abbott Elementary Newsletter:
Abbott Elementary‘s janitor Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) on the ABC hit comedy may have been a surprising scene stealer for some, but the actor behind him has had quite the career leading up to the recognizable role.
Davis sat down with TV Insider to look back on his enduring entertainment career, which began in music and radio before his impressive 100 (and counting) acting credits on the big and small screen. Kicking off the retrospective, the performer recalls his time opening for the O’Jays when he was 19.
“My band [the Fabulous Paramount Review] opened for the O’Jays. I was 19 years old at Club Highlander in St. Louis and we turned it out,” he shares.
The gig that really kickstarted his career however was a role on daytime soap The Bold and the Beautiful. “That’s where it all started,” the actor recalls of his part of “a young janitor mopping floors.”
“People like to say it’s gone full-circle because [I] started out as a janitor and now [I’m] a janitor on Abbott Elementary. And thank god for janitors.”
Among the other experiences he’s reflecting on in the video interview above are roles on shows like Sister, Sister, Angel, NYPD Blue, Lincoln Heights (with a young Chadwick Boseman!), and Ray Donovan, where Davis says, “I made a lifelong friend with Eddie Marsan,” who played Terry Donovan on the Liev Schrieber-starring Showtime drama.
It’s a series that’s still near and dear to the actor’s heart, and he admits he was “heartbroken when they moved [the filming location] from L.A. to New York. I thought it was a traditionally Los Angeles story.”
Hear what other stories he’s sharing in the full video above, and catch William Stanford Davis in Abbott Elementary when it returns for Season 3.
Abbott Elementary, Seasons 1-2, Streaming Now, Hulu and Max
