Samm-Art Williams, a Tony-nominated playwright and executive producer of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," has passed away at the age of 78. His death occurred on Monday in Burgaw, North Carolina, as confirmed by his cousin, Carol Brown, to The Hollywood Reporter. No official cause of death has been disclosed.
Williams' significant contributions include his Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominated play "Home," produced by the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's Playhouse in Manhattan from 1979 to 1980, before transferring to Broadway. "Home" is a coming-of-age story about a young Black man from rural North Carolina confronted with life's challenges.
Apart from his theatre work, Williams also starred in several PBS American Playhouse dramas, notably playing the title role in "Denmark Vesey" (1985) and Jim in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (1986). Additionally, he portrayed Matthew Henson in the CBS historical drama TV movie "Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole" in 1983.
Throughout his career, Williams made significant contributions to both American theater and television, leaving a lasting legacy.