Hudson Williams

Williams was born on February 13, 2001, in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.^[1] His mother, an interior designer, is Korean, and his father, a mechanical engineer, is of British and Dutch descent.^[2][3] At a young age, his family moved to Kamloops, British Columbia, where he was raised.^[4][5] Williams attended Beattie School of the Arts, where he took classes in dance, music, and theatre,^[1] and later graduated from Sa-Hali Secondary School, where he was on the basketball team.^[6] In addition to playing basketball, Williams practiced mixed martial arts.^[6]

In 2020, Williams moved to Vancouver to attend Langara College, where he earned an acting certificate from the Film Arts program that same year.^[7] After graduating, he began writing and directing short films and attending acting auditions while working as a restaurant server at The Old Spaghetti Factory in New Westminster.^[8][9]

Williams had small roles on television series such as Allegiance (2024) and Tracker (2025).^[3]

In 2025, he was cast as Shane Hollander in the sports romance television series Heated Rivalry, based on the Game Changers novel series by Rachel Reid.^[10][11] His chemistry with co-lead Connor Storrie was an important factor in director Jacob Tierney's casting decisions.^[12][13][14] Williams said that his mother's concern that he would have trouble getting roles as an Asian Canadian actor was, in this case, unfounded; instead, his mixed heritage was a crucial feature of the casting call.^[7]

Williams has received praise for the subtlety of his acting and his ability to convey Hollander's inner thoughts, as well as his nuanced and non-stereotypical portrayal of an autistic character.^[15] Reid commented that Williams fully embodied the role of Shane.^[16] She said, "What that guy does with his face tells a whole story...It's all in the acting; you can see everything that Shane is thinking and feeling".^[17] /Film declared that "Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are both delivering some of the best microexpression work currently on television."^[18] When asked about his facial expressions, he said that other actors provided inspiration for his portrayal of Shane, including Rooney Mara in Carol (2015) and Trevante Rhodes in Moonlight (2016).^[19] The chemistry between the two leads received extensive praise,^[20] with Kaiya Shunyata for RogerEbert.com writing, "Williams and Storrie share a chemistry so intense it rivals Bogart & Bacall."^[21] Williams was nominated for Best Lead Performer in a Drama Series at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards for his role in Heated Rivalry.^[22]

In December 2025, Williams signed with Creative Artists Agency for representation.^[23] Williams narrated and voiced the character Finn in the romance fantasy audio series Ember and Ice, produced for the audio platform Quinn.^[24][25] Reuniting with his Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie, the three episodes were released between December 30, 2025, and January 5, 2026.^[25]

On January 16, 2026, Williams made his runway debut, opening Dsquared²'s fashion show at Milan Fashion Week.^[26] On January 25, 2026, Williams and Storrie took part in the 2026 Winter Olympics torch relay in Feltre, Italy.^[27] Five days later, he met Canadian prime minister Mark Carney at an event promoting the Canadian film and TV industry in Ottawa.^[28] Williams attended the 98th Academy Awards and Vanity Fair Oscars After-Party in March 2026, where his presence generated a combined media impact value of $6.16 million for designer brand partners Balenciaga and Bulgari, as measured by earned engagement throughout the awards season.^[29]

In February 2026, Williams joined the cast of the Crave television series Yaga, a reimagining of the myth of Baba Yaga based on the play by Kat Sandler.^[30] In March, he was cast in a leading role opposite Dylan O'Brien in the feature film Apparatus, directed by Sofia Banzhaf.^[31] He next joined an ensemble cast including Charlize Theron, Julia Garner, and Demi Moore in the culinary thriller film Tyrant, directed by David Weil.^[32]

In April 2026, Williams starred opposite Laufey in the music video for her single "Madwoman", along with Alysa Liu, Lola Tung, and Megan Skiendiel.^[33] The same month, he became the first non-athlete to star in a campaign for Peloton Interactive,^[34] with the company's "Let Yourself Go" campaign.^[35]

In May 2026, Williams was named one of Gold House's 2026 Gold100 honorees, highlighting the most impactful people of Asian Pacific descent in different fields.^[36] At the 2026 Met Gala with the theme Costume Art, Williams wore a custom matador-style suit by Pierpaolo Piccioli of Balenciaga—based on a 1947 bolero jacket designed by Cristóbal Balenciaga—with hair and makeup inspired by the film Black Swan.^[37][38]

In a February 14, 2026 Instagram story, Williams shared that he has been in a long-term relationship with Vancouver-based tattoo artist Katelyn Rose Larson.^[39] In interviews, he has spoken about having ADHD.^[40]

Williams said in a December 2025 interview with GQ magazine that he has "always loved queer cinema," naming Moonlight and Brokeback Mountain among his favourites.^[41]

Williams has a matching tattoo of the phrase "sex sells" with Heated Rivalry co-star Connor Storrie, referencing the show's explicit nature as well as, in Williams' own words, "the worth and merit beyond that."^[42]

In March 2026, Williams shared a joint statement with Heated Rivalry co-star François Arnaud on their Instagram stories addressing the hate from toxic fans with Williams being a target of anti-Asian slurs.^[43] The post read, "Don't call yourself a fan if you share racist/homophobic/biphobic/misogynistic/ageist/ableist/parasocial/bigoted comments of any kind ... None of us need your hateful 'love' ... We all respect and support and love each other and are on the same side ... if you can't accept that gtfoh [get the fuck out of here]."^[44]