Walter Williamson

Actor

Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

August 21, 1946

Biography

From earliest childhood, Walter Williamson wanted to be an actor. During his teen years in Richmond Virginia he acted, wrote, designed and directed for numerous community theaters before beginning formal studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. Mentoring by Robert John Versteeg at Louisburg College in North Carolina followed. Tapped by director Joe Layton to play Gov. White in the long running Paul Green outdoor drama, The Lost Colony, Williamson helped found the annual Elizabethan Festival there before going off to London as an international finalist for The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. On his return he began a series of jobs in dinner theaters, stock companies and repertory companies all over the east coast. The Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia was his first Equity assignment, followed by long associations with The Flat Rock Playhouse and The Virginia Museum Theater. New York called and Williamson worked constantly in OffBroadway and touring productions for several years. A long standing interest in writing surfaced and Williamson produced four books directed at young readers about theater and other subjects along with several plays. A move to Los Angeles in the early 1990s brought about several assignments for Adam Sandler as well as numerous other roles. Currently he divides his time between acting and writing and has recently sold his first screenplay. Single now, Williamson has one daughter by a previous marriage who just graduated from college.