Walter Williams

Innovations in comedy and technology have been the hallmarks of Walter Williams' career. That's as true of his first Mr. Bill short (which he created 40 years ago for under $20) as it is of the digital desktop studio he uses to create everything from commercials and documentaries to 3D animations and stereoscopic 3D films. Williams, a New Orleans' native, was 17 when he discovered Super-8 film. "Fortunately, I had no aptitude for anything, so Med. School was out of the question." He started making his own comedy movies and showing them in local clubs and bars, which led to his own UHF-TV show in New Orleans. When "Saturday Night Live," still in its incandescent infancy, put out a call for home movies in '75, Williams submitted his reel and launched Mr. Bill on national TV. Williams followed his mutilated little creation to New York, where he made more films for SNL and did stand-up at the Improv and other clubs. After three seasons, Lorne Michaels hired him as a full-time staff write