Trivia

His pride in his ethnicity and refusal to knuckle under to the prevalent racism of his era knew no bounds. The following incident is illustrative: While still a star with the Ziegfeld Follies, he walked into a bar and ordered a drink. The bartender, hoping to discourage him, told him that the price was $50.00 a drink. Williams immediately produced a roll of hundred dollar bills from his pocket and proceeded to treat the whole room to drinks.

In 1915 the American Muroscope and Biograph Company in an unprecedented move gave Bert Williams the authority to produce, write, direct, and star in two Biograph films, A Natural Born Gambler (1916), and Fish (1916), making him the first Black-American to have full control and produce his own films for a general audience. No other film company at that time had done such a thing.

Joined the Ziegfeld Follies in 1911.