William Liles

"I don't remember exactly what my father said when I told him in high school I wanted to be an actor," William Liles said, "I just remember his face turned red with anger. Something about getting a real job." Interestingly enough, his mother entered "Bill Jr." into a movie in Tupelo, Mississippi, at Elvis Presley Park where she had to pay the filmmaker about $30 bucks along with other children's parents to fund a perfectly "horrible" short film. His mother was also a dancer and singer and always recounted singing at Paramount Studios in her youth. Although she said raising children was her greatest joy, a slight regret could be heard in her voice when talking about turning down an audition with the Rockettes. William decided he did not want to ever live with the regret of not pursuing his dreams; the primary one of making movie magic. And although William's father thought acting wasn't a real thing, "Bill Sr." sat in front of TV religiously every night watching 'All in the Family', 'The Carol Burnett Show,' 'Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In,' and 'The Johnny Carson Show.' "I imagined myself as a guest sitting across from Johnny Carson many times. Don't ask me why, it just seemed like an important place to be when you have something so cool going on in your life that the world wants to know." But it wasn't until later in life after having a career in law enforcement, the U.S. Air Force, public school service, photography and newspapers, that the time came to follow his dream. His mind was already rich with creativity after spending hours upon hours growing up driving tractors, working the gardens and mending fences. These routine tasks could be so boring that his mind had to build other worlds to stay cogent. Now, William has done just about everything on set other than production. With over 250 movies, commercials and TV shows as an extra, stand-in, Hugh Jackman film double, Marvel precision driver, and principal actor, he could be considered one of American cinema's most featured faces, albeit, if you blink you may have missed him. To note, Director Steven Soderbergh gave William Liles his first speaking role in (2017) 'Logan Lucky' when he went to set as an extra. His line didn't make it off the cutting room floor, but it motivated him to stay focused. This took place not long after he moved to Atlanta from Austin to further his career in acting and after receiving a screenwriting MFACW from Full Sail University with an award-winning dramedy thesis. In Austin, he took film acting classes under the tutelage of Julliard-trained career actress Mona Lee Fultz. Moreover, "working in scenes with so many great actors has been one of the greatest learning opportunities anyone could have." His most recent speaking role was in the Fox TV drama, 'Monarch,' as an Austin police officer. Now with a talent agent, William is considered a "working actor" as bigger and bigger auditions continue to come his way. "I think after the 80th audition I started to lose the guilt of having gone into acting against my father's will. The confidence and ability I developed made me feel like an actor is who I am and one who was darn proud of it!" And this is where it gets just as interesting. "Along the way, since age 7, I have been a victim of 21 different bad drivers whom have smashed into cars I was driving or ones I was riding in, as well as, having been ran over on my bike by an SUV that ran a stop sign. There is no reason I should logically be alive other than the grace of God." So he gives the Lord credit with keeping him on planet earth and allowing him to pursue his goals. "When you've come through what I have, the pain, the rehabs, the loss of income, jobs, and peace due to bad drivers, well, I first had to forgive them; most of whom never apologized. Moreover, I learned never give up and to build back better with each step, finding faith and the magic in life to help keep me going." From 'The Walking Dead' to 'Stranger Things', William has become a sought-after part of major productions and is known for his humor and the encouragement he offers to others. "No one owns you or your dreams, but you. There has been so much to try and keep me from reaching my goals, that I can tell you that if I can do it, you most certainly can!" Trust God and dream big!