Bert was born in Antigua in 1875. He had a natural sense of humor and was said to be at his best as a mimic. He had also learned to play music by ear. His family later moved to New York, andwhen he was 12 they moved to California.

His father was in poor health and had lost his money. So following Bert's graduation from high school, he had to abandon his civil engineering studies in college to help earn a living. He naturally turned to entertaining and went from café to café in San Francisco singing minstrel ditties and passing the hat.

Bert had developed a particular interest in the mannerisms of a certain type of peasant while in Antigua. He later shifted his attention to a similar type of African American—the humble, shiftless, slouch Negro who could neither read nor write but who had a certain hard, and not altogether inaccurate, philosophy of life. He would study this type patiently and rejoice whenever he discovered a new twist of dialect or expression. From this Bert would go on to develop an act into what became his trademark character—"Mr. Nobody" (Charlie Chaplin would later develop a white character who was similar), and the accompanying song he composed, "Nobody," became his signature work.

Even though he had natural born wit, his career was struggling. He fortunately had met a young African American, George Walker, with whom he had a natural affinity. George was even poorer than he was and could neither dance nor play. But Bert took him under his wings and groomed him as a partner. They went on to become a successful vaudeville team. They staged several shows, including Bandana Land (original sheet music photographed above) Abyssinia, and The Policy Players and had tremendous success. When George took ill, Bert continued working and shared his earnings with him until he died in 1911.

Bert continued on working alone and later joined the Ziegfeld Follies. It was the top production of its kind in America, and Bert was its highest paid star for ten years. He often had to use his "Mr. Nobody" routine to save the show's reputation.

Bert Williams enjoyed full popularity until the end. While in Chicago he fell seriously ill, but continued to perform rather than have the promoter suffer financial loss. He would later suffer a complete breakdown because of this behavior to the point that even doctors could not help. He died on March 4, 1922.

Bert Williams was one of the greatest pantomimists of all time. He read many of the great literary masterpieces, and could discuss Darwin, Voltaire, Kant, and Goethe among others. It was said that next to the stage his greatest interest was the history of Africa and of his people in America and the West Indies. Booker T. Washington once modestly observed, "Bert Williams has done more for the race than I have. He has smiled his way into people's hearts. I have been obliged to fight my way."