Born in the town of Toledo, Ohio, actress Afton Williamson got her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University. Interested in pursuing her theater studies further, Williamson took part in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where she earned a Master of Fine Arts. In 2010 Williamson was the understudy for actress Kerry Washington in the play "Race" on Broadway. That same year Williamson made her TV debut in an episode of "The Good Wife" (CBS, 2009-2016). The following year she appeared in an episode of "Homeland" (Showtime, 2011- ), and "Law and Order: SVU" (NBC, 1999- ). That same year she made her feature film debut in "Pariah" (2011). In 2012 Williamson appeared in the feature films "Man on a Ledge" (2012) and "Abducted: The Carlina White Story" (2012). Also in 2012 Williamson appeared in "Blue Bloods" (CBS, 2010-), "Royal Pains" (USA, 2009-2016), and in 3 episodes of the country music drama "Nashville" (ABC, 2012-16; CMT, 2016-18). Throughout the 2010s Williamson continued to appear in guest roles on network dramas including "The Following" (Fox, 2013-15), "Banshee" (Cinemax, 2013-16), and "Elementary" (CBS, 2012-). In 2016 Williamson appeared in five episodes of the limited series "The Night Of" (HBO, 2016). In 2018 Williamson was cast as Talia Bishop in the crime drama "The Rookie" (ABC, 2018-).