In his role as the quick-witted custodian Mr. Johnson on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” St. Louis native William Stanford Davis draws inspiration from his childhood growing up in the Ville, attending Cote Brilliante Elementary and Scullin School.
“Mr. Glover was a janitor at Cote Brilliante,” Davis said. “He was a really nice guy — knew everyone's business, played football with the kids on the blacktop. But if you didn't show up, he would say to you, ‘I saw that you weren't here yesterday.’ He was just as important in my life as the teachers were when I was in elementary school.”
Mr. Johnson’s eccentricities come from some of his relatives, Davis added, including his paternal grandmother.
“She was a conspiracy theorist,” he said. “She didn't believe in the moon landing, and she was in everyone's business — and that's Mr. Johnson.”
St. Louis singer and performer Marsha Evans attended Northwest High School with Davis, and they performed together as part of the Paramount Review in the late 1960s. Evans recalled several musical numbers within their showcase that involved Davis playing the role of a judge.
“Stan could sing and dance so well,” she said. “We were all stage hams, but one could tell that Stan had it in his heart. This is what he wanted to do. He gave the role of the judge 300% each time we performed it, and we would have so much fun together onstage.”
Evans added that she saw Davis’ comedic talent early on.
“He had a great respect for comedy, and that took him a long way,” she said. “Stan was willing to do whatever it took to make people laugh, make people happy or make them feel good while he was performing. I think that shines through in everything that he does.”
Davis moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s. He acted in a series of television and movies, but it wasn’t until “Abbott Elementary” that he got his breakout role. Davis was first invited on the show as a guest star. By the seventh episode, series creator Quinta Brunson asked him to join as a regular.
“They loved the character. The audiences and fans loved the character,” he said. “That changed everything.”
In conversation with Elaine Cha on St. Louis on the Air, the 73-year-old Davis said his St. Louis upbringing helped him achieve success in his career.
“In this business, you’re going to get a lot of no’s, but you’ve got to keep moving,” he said. “That's one of the things that I take from St. Louis [and] that I learned there — to keep pushing, to not to quit.”
Davis visits St. Louis about once per year to see family and friends. He said he would like to pursue opportunities with the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, the Black Rep and his hometown’s schools.
“I'd love to … go around to the schools and talk to the kids, especially in the inner city schools, and use this character [of Mr. Johnson] to help change what's going on in the education system,” he said. “I'm hoping that through this show, I'm able to help in the process of making teachers not only be recognized, but get their fair share of what they deserve.”
To hear the full interview with William Stanford Davis — aka Mr. Johnson — listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
