Melanie Kay "Meadow" Williams (born February 10, 1966) is an American actress and producer. She began her career appearing in small roles in films including Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Mask (1994) and Apollo 13 (1995). In the 2000s, Williams began working as film producer; her credits include The Harvest (2013), Den of Thieves (2018), After (2019), and Boss Level (2020). She played Mildred Gillars in the 2021 drama film American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally, which she also financed.
Meadow Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melanie Kay Williams[1] February 10, 1966 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse |
Gerald Kessler
(m. 2010; died 2015) |
Williams' acting talent and professional conduct as a film producer were criticized by her American Traitor co-star, Al Pacino.[2]
Life and career
editMelanie Kay Williams was born in Miami, Florida and grew up in Tennessee.[3] She began performing in high school and later moved to New York City for work as a model. In New York, Williams studied acting at Larry Moss Studio[3] and later moved to Los Angeles when she began appearing in episodes of television series include Murder, She Wrote, Dream On and Married... with Children. Williams also had secondary roles in films Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), The Mask (1994) and Apollo 13 (1995).
In 2008, Williams began producing and starring in the independent films, include the leading roles in Skeletons in the Desert (2008), Raven (2010), and Mysteria (2011). She produced and co-starred opposite Samantha Morton in the 2013 horror film The Harvest, and well as action film Den of Thieves (2018) and romantic drama After (2019).[4] In 2017, she won Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series as a producer of web-series The Bay.[5] She starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in the 2018 action film Backtrace,[6][7] and alongside Bruce Willis in the 2019 thriller 10 Minutes Gone.[8] She next played the role of Mildred Gillars in the drama film American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally opposite Al Pacino.[9] Williams' American Traitor co-star Al Pacino criticized her acting performance in the film, as well as her professionalism as a producer on the project.[10]
In a 2019 email to producer Randall Emmett, Pacino suggested adding another shooting day to the film "to help [Williams] give a better performance".[10] "Let's do this Randall. I'm not going for the A's or the B's. I’m going for something between C and B. I don't like Ds," wrote Pacino, "And, as long as you put the effort in with what you know about filmmaking and Michael too I'm sure we'll get to a B−. And that's good enough for me, if it's good enough for you."[2] Pacino also complained that Williams was interfering with director Michael Polish's editing process. "My thought Randall is very simple. She is not a professional. ... Someone has to say 'back off a second dear, we're completing the film still, take a look when it's ready'," Pacino wrote to Emmett.[2]
Personal life
editShe was married to her first husband until 2010.[1] In 2010, she married Gerald Kessler, a vitamin tycoon multi-millionaire. Kessler died in 2015 and she inherited almost all of his $800 million estate, which was the subject of legal action by Kessler's children from his previous marriage.[1][11]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Nutzoids at Cannibal Cove | Bitsy | |
| 1994 | Turn of the Blade | Calendar Girl | |
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | Spider Rider | |
| 1994 | The Mask | Pebbles | |
| 1995 | Apollo 13 | Kim | |
| 1995 | Virtual Seduction | Hostess | Television film |
| 1999 | NewsRadio | Julie | |
| 2000 | The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave | Girl Driver | |
| 2001 | Soulkeeper | Buxom Babe | |
| 2003 | The Box | Dancer | |
| 2004 | Uh Oh! | Tara | |
| 2004 | Miss Cast Away | Flight Attendant | Television film |
| 2008 | Jack Rio | Andrea Shane | Also producer |
| 2008 | Skeletons in the Desert | Casey Stevens | Also producer |
| 2010 | Light Years Away | Misty | |
| 2010 | Raven | Raven | Also producer |
| 2011 | Mysteria | Lavinia | |
| 2011 | Sebastian | Miranda Barnes | |
| 2013 | The Harvest | Sandra | Also producer |
| 2014 | Reclaim | Barmaid | |
| 2014 | Reach Me | Phyllis | |
| 2016 | Officer Downe | Mother Supreme | |
| 2017 | The Intruders | Lily | Also producer and writer |
| 2018 | Den of Thieves | Holly | Also executive producer |
| 2018 | Backtrace | Erin | Also executive producer |
| 2019 | After | Professor Soto | Also producer |
| 2019 | 10 Minutes Gone | Claire | Also executive producer |
| 2019 | Escape Plan: The Extractors | Executive producer | |
| 2020 | Boss Level | Pam | Also executive producer |
| 2020 | Broken Soldier | Mrs. Ancilla | |
| 2020 | A Place Among the Dead | Alex | |
| 2021 | American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally | Mildred Gillars | Also producer |
| 2021 | Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman | Diane Pittman | Also producer |
| 2022 | Savage Salvation | Detective Zeppelin | |
| 2023 | The Donor Party | Barbara | |
| 2023 | Confidential Informant | Jenny Sullivan | |
| 2025 | Den of Thieves: Pantera[12] | Holly | Also executive producer |
| TBA | Outlaw Posse | Aphrodite | Post-production, also executive producer[13] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Michele | Episode: "The Sound of Murder" |
| 1994 | Docent | Episode: "A Nest of Vipers" | |
| 1995 | Dream On | Tina | Episode: "Try Not to Remember" |
| The Larry Sanders Show | Woman | Episode: "Hank's Sex Tape" | |
| 1996 | Campus Cops | Cindy | Episode: "Muskrat Ramble" |
| Married... with Children | Angela | Episode: "Spring Break: Part 2" | |
| 1999 | NewsRadio | Julie | Episode: "Apartment" |
| 2017–present | The Bay | Silver | Recurring role, also executive producer Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series (2017, 2020)[5][14][15] Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Drama Series (2021)[16] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Tycoon leaves $800M to young widow - but is she a bigamist? | Truecrimedaily.com". crimewatch.
- ^ a b c "The man who played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett's crumbling empire". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ a b "Meadow Williams | TV Guide". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Meadow Williams talks 'After' film, motivations and acting advice (Includes interview)". www.digitaljournal.com. April 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "The 44th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Winners" (PDF). New York City: National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ "Backtrace (2018)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (December 14, 2018). "Film Review: 'Backtrace'".
- ^ "'10 Minutes Gone': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 1, 2018). "Al Pacino, Meadow Williams Star In MoviePass Films Drama 'Axis Sally'".
- ^ a b "The man who played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett's crumbling empire". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Otis, Ginger Adams (September 14, 2015). "Actress obtained late husband's $800M estate through fraud: lawsuit". nydailynews.com.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 2, 2022). "'Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera': Gerard Butler Action Sequel Gears Up For Spring Shoot In Europe; Domestic Buyers Circling — EFM".
- ^ Grobar, Matt (November 9, 2022). "Whoopi Goldberg, Cedric The Entertainer, Edward James Olmos & More Join Quiver Western 'Outlaws' Directed By & Starring Mario Van Peebles".
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (June 26, 2020). "Daytime Emmys: The Young and the Restless Wins Best Drama Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ Evans, Greg (June 27, 2020). "Daytime Emmys: The Young & The Restless, Alex Trebek Take Top Prizes – Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ "The 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Nominations". New York: emmyonline.org and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.