Bill Wilson was born on June 14, 1944 in Jefferson County, Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from Central High School in 1963. After high school he attended the University of Louisville. Bill Wilson was the son of the late Richard and Edith Figg Wilson; he was the devoted husband of Sandy Wilson and was a devoted father and grandfather. Bill Wilson was a member of First Gethsemane Baptist Church, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the Screen Actors Guild. In high school, Bill Wilson was taught Civics by Lyman T. Johnson, who was a teacher and civil rights leader in Louisville. Bill Wilson participated in the civil rights movement against discrimination and public accommodations in Louisville which was organized by his teacher Lyman T. Johnson. Wilson along with other young African Americans participated in sit-in for example, to encourage the passage of the public accommodations ordinance in Louisville, the first such law in the south. This was the beginning of Bill Wilson becoming very active in the community. He worked many different jobs and volunteered his time and skills serving on boards and commissions to help make his community a better place in which to live.