Tonya Maxine Williams (born on July 12, 1958 in London, England) is a British-Canadian-African-American Actress, Model, Director, Producer & Activist. She is best known to Soap Opera Audiences for her long-running role of Dr. Olivia Barber-Winters on the CBS soap The Young and The Restless that she originated from 1990-2005 and again from 2007-2012. Prior to her landing the role on Y&R, she previously auditioned to become the very first permanent African-American model on The Price is Right.
Early Life & Career[]
Tonya originally hails from London, England, born to Jamaican parents. As a young child, in addition to living in London, she has also lived in Kingston Jamaica. When she was just five years of age, Tonya contracted rheumatic fever; she and her mother then moved to Birmingham. In 1969, she and her family then settled in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
As a teen, Tonya turned her attention to modeling as she modeled in catalogues for the Canadian Department store Eaton's. She also had a passion for dancing as she appeared as a dancer on a television series titled Boogie! which ran on City TV. From there, she then added beauty pageantry to her list as in 1977, she was crowned Miss Black Ontario.
Despite all the modeling, dancing & beauty pageantry gigs, Tonya never ditched her educational studies as she graduated from Ryerson Ploy technical Institute in 1979.
One year later, she landed her very first television hosting gig as she became the hostess of a Canadian children's program titled Polka Dot Door. She hosted the program from 1980-1983.
Price is Right audition[]
Since the spring of 1990, the television game show The Price is Right had been holding a nationwide model search to feature their very first permanent African-American model to appear regularly on the series alongside longtime models Dian Parkinson, Janice Pennington & Holly Hallstrom. Despite the auditions, a woman named Harriet holds the honor of becoming the very first African-American model as she occasionally appeared on some of the earliest episodes of the syndicated nighttime series with Dennis James hosting from 1972 until his dismissal in 1977 (and Bob Barker taking over until its cancellation in 1980). In addition to Harriet, model & actress Pat Colbert held the honor of becoming the very first African-American model to appear on the daytime series as she was one of several guest models to rotate during the show's then-12th (1983-1984) season & Holly Hallstrom's leave of absence.
With her gorgeous looks and an impressive resumé', Tonya decided to audition as she made her nationwide debut on (airdate) September 12, 1990, the third episode of the show's then-19th Season Premiere Week. Other potential Barker's Beauty hopefuls included model, fashion & fitness expert Carla Kemp, fellow soap opera actress Senait Ashenafi, Playboy centerfold Renee Tenison & Singer/Actress/Model Kathleen Bradley, who made her tryout debut during the final week of the 18th season and appeared on the first two episodes of the newly 19th season.
After months of auditions, the decision on whom would become the show's very first permanent African-American Barker's Beauty was officially announced on the show's annual Christmas episode (airdate: December 24th) when host Bob Barker introduced Kathleen as the newest member of The Price is Right family & fourth Barker's Beauty.
The Young and The Restless & Other TV & Movie roles[]
Shortly after her auditioning period on The Price is Right wrapped, Tonya went on to land the role that would become her best-known role to soap opera audiences to date: Dr. Olivia Barber-Winters on the CBS soap The Young and The Restless, making her nationwide debut in June 1990.
Playing the role of Olivia on Y&R has earned Tonya numerous Daytime Emmy & NAACP nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1996, 1997, 1998 & 1999 before she would finally win a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series in 2000 and again in 2002.
By the mid-2000s, Tonya decided to slow things down a bit as she agreed to have her role on Young & Restless be dropped to a recurring status, ultimately leaving the series in 2005. Less than two years later in 2007, the Olivia character returned to the canvas as Tonya agreed to return to contact status and continued on with the role until 2012. In addition to her long-running appearances on Y&R, Tonya also crossed over to sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful in 2011, appeared in two back-to-back episodes as it was revealed that Olivia is cousins to actor Aaron D. Spears' character Justin Barber on B&B.
Although she is mostly associated for her role of Olivia on The Young and the Restless, Tonya has also appeared in numerous guest spots on various shows including Check it Out!, What's Happening Now!!, Gimme a Break!, Hill Street Blues, Matlock & the NBC soap opera Generations, playing the role of Linda Dukes and it was her involvement with this series that snagged her the role of Olivia on Y&R. Williams co-starred on Generations with a number of fellow actors & actresses whom she would later appear with on The Young and the Restless including Marla Adams, Kristoff St. John (their characters would later marry on Y&R) & future movie star Vivica A. Fox.
In 1988, Tonya appeared in the made-for-television movie A Very Brady Christmas, playing a character named Belinda, a roommate of Cindy Brady.
Some of her movie credits include Seventeen Again (starring real-life twins and Sister Sister stars Tia & Tamera Mowry) in 2000 and appearing opposite Danny Glover in the 2007 film Poor Boy's Game. In 2004, she hosted a special event program titled Tonya Lee Williams: Gospel Jubilee, in which she also executively produced and aired on CBC Television.
Personal Life[]
Tonya is a member of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. She is also the founder, executive & artistic director of the Reelworld Film Festival, an annual film festival in Toronto that features talent from ethnically diverse communities. In 2012, she was nominated for the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award for her film & television artistic contributions, followed by winning a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award.
She was previously married to a man named Robert Simpson, they wed in 1983 and divorced in 1991. Tonya has never remarried and has no children.
Gallery[]
(Tonya as a tryout model on The Price is Right, 1990)
