Mortimer Williams is one of those familiar faces you can’t miss on television. He has over two decades of expertise in acting. He is also proud of the various shows he has created and co-produced.
Every time the name Mortimer Williams goes up, most people associate it with the roles that the latter has pulled in Skeem Saam and 7de Laan. Others might want to associate him with Ricci September in SABC1’s Erfsondes.
He was born on 22nd April 1974 in Cape Town.He started his career in performing arts in 1995 at the tender age of twenty-one. The first significant gig that he landed was featuring in Prison; a show by Talip Peterson and David Kramer. The show was held at the Baxter Theatre in his home town. Later that year, he performed in Fiddler on the Roof at the Artscape.After five years of actively being involved in the performing arts, Mortimer ventured into the production of shows. In 2005, he co-produced and wrote Still Crusin, a show that was meant to pay tribute to the Beach Boys.Years later, he landed an opportunity to be part of 7de Laan, Isidingo, and later on Scandal! The highlight of his career is landing the opportunity to share a platform with renown actors like Judith Sepuma, Jennifer Jones, Bon Jovi, Vicky Simpson, and Johnny Clegg. The lead role that he played in Honk by Andrew Drew won him a nomination for the Vita Awards.Mortimer did not have the best start of the year as he survived a shooting that nearly left him dead. The shootout occurred early on Wednesday morning at Poppy’s restaurant. According to those who witnessed the incident, a black SUV passed by the restaurant, spraying bullets. Two people died on the spot while six others were injured.
Mortimer Williams was among the six people injured in the incident. During an interview with Times Live, he detailed what had happened, saying:
We did the countdown and everything seemed fine. We didn’t know of any altercations between anyone. I saw a friend who I hadn’t wished a happy new year yet and when I went outside to do so, I heard this noise. It sounded like (fire) crackers going off but then I felt the affect and realised I had been shot.
I hit the ground and said ‘Oh God, I have just been shot’. There were people dropping next to me. It was so chaotic. The paramedics, police and security arrived very swiftly. There were people taking off their shirts to stop the bleeding and trying to help all those who were injured.
Mortimer was rushed to the nearby medical facility. He is glad that he survived by a whisker. He stated that the bullet nearly hit kidneys:A bullet missed my left kidney by a few millimetres and went through the top of my pelvis. It didn’t shatter it but left a hole. Luckily, they didn’t have to operate on it, but I have been given medication and am being treated.