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The Montel Williams Show
Background:
Former Marine and intelligence officer Montel Williams entered the
realm of television in the early '90s and made his dramatic TV debut
as a star on the CBS series "Matt Waters" (1996). He soon
became popular among TV audiences as the host and co-executive
producer of the syndicated daytime talk show "The Montel
Williams Show," which ran for 17 years (1991-2008), and won a
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
Montel has also appeared in the films "The Peacekeeper"
(1997), "Noon Blue Apples" (2002) and "War, Inc."
(2008). He had a recurring role on the CBS military drama series
"JAG" and the ABC daytime serial "All My Children"
and appeared as a guest in such shows as "Touched by an Angel,"
"American Dreams," and "My Name Is Earl."
Williams is also an author and has written numerous books,
including "Mountain, Get Out of My Way: Life Lessons and Learned
Truths" (1996), "Practical Parenting: Giving Your Kids the
Tools to Navigate Life's Rough Waters" (2000), "Climbing
Higher" (2004), and "Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your
Life, Supercharge Your Health and Feel Spectacular" (2008).
Williams, who was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) in 1999,
founded the Montel Williams MS Foundation, which 100% of the public
donations go directly to the cause. He is also a national spokesman
of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA).
On a more personal front, the 6' 2" bald-shaven, mustached
African-American daytime TV talk show host has been married three
times and has four children.
"If you have faith you can move mountains. If you have faith
in something bigger than yourself, in God, community, family,
whatever, then anything is possible. Faith alone will give you the
strength to clear any obstacles in your way. I don't believe that
things happen by mistake. If you ask me, things happen because you
make them happen." Montel Williams
Monty
Childhood and Family:
On July 3, 1956, Montel Brian Hank Williams, nicknamed “Monty,”
was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where he graduated from Andover High
School. He has one brother named Herman Williams. Their father,
Herman Williams Jr., served for over 40 years with the Baltimore Fire
Department.
After graduating high school, Williams served with the United
States Marine Corps. He was promoted twice after six months of
service and within a year's time, became the first African-American
Marine selected to the prestigious Naval Academy Prep School. A year
later, he was accepted to attend the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland, where he received a Bachelor Degree in General
Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the
United States Navy.
Williams, who served on board the USS Sampson during the U.S.
invasion of Grenada, has received a number of awards, including the
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Navy Expeditionary Medals, two
Humanitarian Service Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, two Navy
Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals. After 12
years of military service, he departed as a Lieutenant Commander in
the Navy.
"This disease is not going to stop me. We don't know how long
I've had it for, but I've been misdiagnosed for 10 years."
Montel Williams (on announcing that he had multiple sclerosis)
Montel was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) in August 1999
and founded the Montel Williams MS Foundation. He is also a national
spokesman of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA). In
1999, Montel received the Tipper Gore Remember the Children Volunteer
Award from the National Mental Health Association.
Williams met his first wife, Rochele See, while both were
stationed in Guam. They were married from 1982 to 1989 and have two
daughters, Ashley (born 1984) and Maressa (born 1988). On June 6,
1992, Williams married his second wife, Grace Morley (born in 1963),
a burlesque dancer who had previously danced topless in Las Vegas
under the name "Bambi Jr." They have a son named Montel
Brian Hank Williams II (born on September 17, 1993) and a daughter
named Wynter-Grace Williams (born on January 21, 1994). Williams and
Morley divorced on April 12, 2000.
On July 12, 2006, Williams proposed to Tara Fowler, an American
Airlines flight attendant. The pair married in Bermuda on October 6,
2007.
Mountain, Get Out of My Way
Career:
After completing 15 years with the United States Marine Corps in
the late 1980s, Montel Williams entered the realm of television. He
hosted and co-executive produced the syndicated daytime talk show,
"The Montel Williams Show," which ran from September 30,
1991, to May 16, 2008, and will continue in reruns for the 2008-09
seasons. The long-running show earned Williams four Daytime Emmy
nominations, two for Outstanding Talk Show and another two for
Outstanding Talk Show Host, which he won one in 1996.
During his lengthy stint on "The Montel Williams Show,"
Williams co-executive produced and starred in CBS’ drama series
"Matt Waters" (1996). A midseason replacement, the show
failed to garner a significant audience and was canceled after just
six episodes. He also made his feature directorial debut with "Little
Pieces" (2000), co-starring his wife Grace Morley.
Williams, who acted on stage for the first time in an off Broadway
play called “The Exonerated,” also appeared in the films
"The Peacekeeper" (1997), directed by Frédéric
Forestier, and "Noon Blue Apples" (2002), a thriller
written and directed by Jay Lee starring Lauren Fox.
Besides "The Montel Williams Show," TV viewers could
also catch him guest starring in such TV shows as CBS’ sitcom
"Dave's World," TNT’s live action series "The
New Adventures of Robin Hood," CBS’ drama "Touched by
an Angel," NBC’s "American Dreams," UPN’s
short-lived drama "Second Time Around," and Fox’s
Emmy Award-winning sitcom "My Name Is Earl." He also had a
recurring role, as Lt. Curtis Rivers (1997-2000), on the CBS military
drama series "JAG," and joined the cast of the ABC’s
daytime soap opera "All My Children" in 2002.
In 2003, Williams appeared as a cameo in the music video "Miss
You," which was recorded by Jay-Z as a tribute to Aaliyah, and
appeared in the TV commercial for the Philadelphia Soul arena
football team. The following year, he hosted the political reality
television show "American Candidate," which aired on
Showtime for one season.
Williams has written numerous books, including "Mountain, Get
Out of My Way: Life Lessons and Learned Truths" (1996),
"Practical Parenting: Giving Your Kids the Tools to Navigate
Life's Rough Waters" (2000), "Climbing Higher" (2004;
with Lawrence Grobel), and "Living Well: 21 Days to Transform
Your Life, Supercharge Your Health and Feel Spectacular" (2008;
with William Doyle).
After "The Montel Williams Show" ended in 2008, Williams
returned to the wide screen and will co-star with John Cusack, Hilary
Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, and Ben Kingsley in
Joshua Seftel's dark political satire film, "War, Inc."
(2008). He currently serves as the co-executive producer of the
upcoming film "4Chosen," the David Anspaugh-directed drama
starring Billy Zane, Laurence Fishburne, Cybill Shepherd, and Danny
Aiello.
“I believe in God. I believe in family. I believe in
education, hard work, and dedication. I believe in restraint,
responsibility, and respect. I believe in love and romance, and I
believe in setting goals and reaching them. There is nothing that you
can't do, if you set your mind to it.” Montel Williams
Awards:
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