Bert Williams
Stand-up comedian · 1874–1922

Bert Williams

Who Bert Williams is

Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent comedians of the vaudeville era and by far the best-selling Black recording artist before 1920. With his partner George Walker he starred in In Dahomey (1903), the first Broadway musical written and performed by African Americans; he became the first Black performer to take a lead role on Broadway and a featured star of the Ziegfeld Follies from 1910. His song 'Nobody' (1905) became his signature; he died in 1922.

At a glance

Born
1874
Died
1922
Style
Vaudeville pioneer
Stand-up specials
In Dahomey, Abyssinia, Bandanna Land and 1 more
Albums
Nobody and The Moon Shines on the Moonshine
On screen
Lime Kiln Field Day, The Natural Born Gambler, Fish and 1 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Career timeline

  1. 1903In Dahomey (1903, Broadway; with George Walker) Special
  2. 1905Nobody (1905) Album
  3. 1906Abyssinia (1906, Majestic Theater, Broadway) Special
  4. 1908Bandanna Land (1908, Broadway) Special
  5. 1910Ziegfeld Follies (1910, 1911, 1912, 1917, 1919, Broadway) Special
  6. 1913Lime Kiln Field Day (film, 1913) On screen
  7. 1914Darktown Jubilee (lead role, 1914) On screen
  8. 1915The Natural Born Gambler (film, 1915) On screen
  9. 1916Fish (film, 1916) On screen
  10. 1919The Moon Shines on the Moonshine (1919) Album
  11. 1922Died

Questions about Bert Williams

What stand-up specials has Bert Williams released?

In Dahomey, Abyssinia, Bandanna Land and Ziegfeld Follies.

What TV shows and films are they in?

Lime Kiln Field Day, The Natural Born Gambler, Fish and Darktown Jubilee.

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026