Biography of Montel Williams

On Monday, September 12, 2005, Montel Williams began his 15th season as host of THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW, Paramount Domestic Television's daily, one-hour, nationally syndicated talk show.

In addition to receiving the 1996 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, the show that bears his name has also been honored with Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Talk Show in 2001, and Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host in 2002.

Entertaining, spontaneous and always challenging, THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW continues to address familial, youth and relationship issues with provocative and meaningful discussions that transcend the taping of any particular episode. Mr. Williams' concern for the welfare of his guests inspired the show's After-Care Program, which began in 1992 and has since arranged for hundreds of people to attend psychological counseling sessions, weight-loss and eating disorder programs, and drug rehabilitation centers after they appear on the show.

In addition to his daily talk show, Mr. Williams has recently appeared in several high profile projects. This past summer, he joined country singer Hal Ketchum on a singing tour to raise money for research to cure Multiple Sclerosis, the disease that afflicts them both.   The duo sang R & B and country favorites on a 6-city tour that concluded in Las Vegas. Mr. Williams also performed on stage with B.B. King when he hosted the legend's 80th Birthday Benefit Concert before an audience of 7000 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Last Season, Mr. Williams appeared as host of Showtime's "American Candidate," a reality series designed to find an unknown leader from the ranks of ordinary Americans who demonstrated that he or she possessed the leadership capabilities and talent to be President. He also flexed his acting muscles with performances on NBC's "American Dreams," and ABC's "All My Children."

In addition, he appeared off-Broadway and in several regional versions of "The Exonerated," which tells the true stories of six innocent survivors on death row. In 2003, he appeared in a special version of the play with Aidan Quinn and Mia Farrow in front of 900 lawyers at the American Bar Association's annual meeting.

Mr. Williams began his professional career in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1974, when he enlisted in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, after graduating high school. After six months, he was meritoriously promoted twice, and in 1975, became the first black Marine selected to the Naval Academy Prep School who then went on to graduate from the Naval Academy.

Upon graduation, Mr. Williams received a presidential appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he studied Mandarin Chinese and graduated with a degree in General Engineering and a minor in International Security Affairs. He was then selected as special duty intelligence officer, specializing in cryptology.

Honorably decorated, Mr. Williams has received numerous awards and distinctions throughout his naval career, 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 Awards ? the latter of which is rarely awarded twice.

Mr. Williams is also an accomplished author. His New York Times best-selling autobiography, Climbing Higher, was published in January 2004 and details his struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. This intensely personal story, which follows his diagnosis through his darkest days of despair, tells of his ultimate acceptance of his disease. In the book, Mr. Williams addresses issues of broad importance, such as medical marijuana and the cost of state-of-the-art drugs. He also published the New York Times best-selling fitness title BodyChange, which he co-authored with expert Wini Linguvic, and authored the motivational autobiography Mountain Get Out of My Way, also a New York Times best-seller.

When he was diagnosed with MS in 1999, Mr. Williams made a pledge to use his celebrity to find a cure. Because of his unique position, he has had access to the latest research being conducted around the world. True to his word, he established The Montel Williams MS Foundation in 2000 to further the scientific study of MS, provide financial assistance to select organizations and institutions conducting research, raise national awareness, and educate the public. In 2005, Mr. Williams joined forces with Manhattan’s prestigious ACA Galleries, to showcase emerging artist Samantha Keely Smith and to donate a portion of her sales to fund MS research.

One of Mr. Williams’ key beliefs is that “success is determined by what you give back to others,” which is why he has worked actively with charitable organizations such as The Make A Wish Foundation, The Humane Society of the United States, The Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation and Diamonds for Humanity to name just a few.  He currently serves on the board of the We Are Family Foundation, devoted to promoting tolerance and diversity through educational programs aimed at America’s youth, The Paralyzed Veterans Foundation and The Montel Williams MS Foundation.

In 2005, Mr. Williams was named Chairman of the National Veteran’s Association (NVA).  In his role as ambassador for the organization, he completed PSAs for the NVA and PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America).  Additionally, he traveled to Washington D.C. as keynote speaker to the CEOs of pharmaceutical companies belonging to PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America), encouraging them to better communicate with the general public on health issues and drug recall issues.

Mr. Williams has four children, ages 10 through 21, and resides in New York City.