Montel Williams Biography

Fast Facts

• Served as longtime spokesperson for Partnership for Prescription Assistance and later created the MS Foundation after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999
• With the debut of "The Montel Williams Show," he became the first African American man to host his own daytime show
• Graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in engineering in 1980
• After leaving active duty in the Navy, he traveled the United States as a motivational speaker
• In addition to his hosting work, he has also guest starred on numerous TV series, including "All My Children," "Touched By an Angel" and "JAG․"
• Began taping "The Montel Williams Show" in 1991 and earned his first Emmy five years later, the first of many, before wrapping up filming in 2008
• A native of Baltimore, his father Herman was named the city's first African American fire chief in 1992