Billy Dee Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Dee Williams
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Williams at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
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William December Williams Jr.
April 6, 1937 New York City, U.S.
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| Education | High School of Music & Art National Academy of Fine Arts and Design Harlem Actors Workshop |
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| Years active | 1959–present |
| Known for | Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise Gale Sayers in Brian's Song |
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| Children | 3 |
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, novelist, and painter. He has been in over 100 movies and TV shows for more than sixty years. He is most famous for playing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars movies. He also appeared in popular films like Mahogany (1975) and Lady Sings the Blues (1972). He played Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) and later voiced the character in The Lego Batman Movie (2017).
Billy Dee Williams grew up in Harlem, New York City. He started acting on Broadway when he was just seven years old. He also loved art and won a painting scholarship to the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design. He continued acting to help pay for his art supplies. His paintings have been shown in galleries around the world.
He first gained national attention in the TV movie Brian's Song (1971). For this role, he was nominated for an Emmy Award. In the 1980s, he became the first black actor to have a major role in the Star Wars series when he played Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). He played Lando again in other Star Wars films and projects. Williams has also appeared in many TV shows, including Dynasty and General Hospital. He even competed on the reality show Dancing with the Stars in 2014.
His work has earned him many awards. These include three NAACP Image Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the NAACP. He was added to the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1985, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early Life and Education
William December Williams Jr. was born in New York City. His mother, Loretta Anne, worked at a theater. His father, William December Williams Sr., was a caretaker. Billy Dee grew up in Harlem with his twin sister, Loretta. Their grandmother helped raise them while their parents worked.
His family loved the arts. They introduced Billy Dee to drawing, painting, and theater early on. In March 1945, when he was seven, he made his Broadway debut. He played a page in the show The Firebrand of Florence. He found the role a bit boring, but it was his first step into acting.
Williams went to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Manhattan. He focused on visual arts there. After high school, he won a scholarship to the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design. He studied painting there and even won an award for his art. To pay for his paints and canvases, he started acting more. He studied acting at the Harlem Actors Workshop. By the early 1960s, he decided to focus most of his energy on acting.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles and Broadway
Billy Dee Williams made his first movie appearance in 1959 in The Last Angry Man. He also returned to Broadway in 1960 in a play called A Taste of Honey. In the 1960s, he found it hard to get many leading roles for black actors. Most of the parts he wanted went to Sidney Poitier. He enjoyed theater and TV, but he really wanted to succeed in movies.
Becoming a Film Star
Williams became a big star after the TV movie Brian's Song (1971). In this film, he played football player Gale Sayers. The story was about Sayers supporting his friend Brian Piccolo during his fight with cancer. Both Williams and his co-star, James Caan, were nominated for Emmy Awards. Williams said this role was one of his proudest. He called it "a love story, really. Between two guys."
After Brian's Song, Williams signed a contract with Motown. He became one of the most famous black film actors of the 1970s. In 1972, he starred with Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues. He played Louis McKay, the husband of singer Billie Holiday. The New York Times even called him "the black Clark Gable." Three years later, he and Diana Ross starred together again in Mahogany.
In 1977, he played the main role in Scott Joplin, a movie about the famous ragtime musician. Then, in 1980, he was cast as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back. This made him the first African-American actor with a major role in the Star Wars series. He played Lando again in Return of the Jedi (1983).
Between the Star Wars films, he acted with Sylvester Stallone in the thriller Nighthawks (1981). In 1989, Williams co-starred in Batman as district attorney Harvey Dent. He was supposed to become the villain Two-Face in later movies. However, another actor was cast for that role in Batman Forever. Williams eventually voiced Two-Face in The Lego Batman Movie in 2017.
Television Roles and Beyond
Billy Dee Williams has had many roles on television. He appeared in the show Dynasty in the 1984–1985 season. He also worked with actress Marla Gibbs on three different comedy shows: The Jeffersons, 227, and The Hughleys. In 1992, he played Berry Gordy in the TV movie The Jacksons: An American Dream.
He made guest appearances on popular shows like The Cosby Show spin-off A Different World and Martin. In 2004, he played Pastor Dan on That '70s Show, a character who loved Star Wars. He also had a cameo on Lost and appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In 2006, he guest-starred on Scrubs, where he played the godfather of a character.
Williams also appeared in video games. He played Director Redmond Boyle in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (2007). He returned to his role as Lando Calrissian for a video on Funny or Die in 2008. In 2009, he voiced Admiral Bitchface in the animated series Titan Maximum. He also voiced a fictional version of himself in The Boondocks.
In 2011, Williams was a guest star on White Collar. In 2012, he was a surprise guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show to reunite with Diana Ross. He also appeared on NCIS and Modern Family. In 2014, he competed on Dancing with the Stars but had to leave due to a back injury.
Williams has continued to play Lando Calrissian in many projects. These include video games, The Lego Movie (2014), and episodes of Star Wars Rebels. He returned to play Lando in the movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). This was one of the longest times an actor has played the same character on screen in American film history. Fans often see him at fan conventions, especially science fiction ones. He enjoys meeting his fans.
Other Talents and Interests
Painting
In the late 1980s, Billy Dee Williams started painting again. He spent a lot of his time on his artwork. He returned to New York, which he saw as the center of the art world. He painted many original pieces.
Williams is the honorary chairman of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz. This organization helps with jazz education. Since 1990, they have used his artwork for their programs. He had his first solo art show in 1991. Many more shows followed across North America and the world.
His self-portrait from 1993 is in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. He uses acrylic and oil paints. He also painted a series of portraits of the Tuskegee Airmen. These were African-American pilots who made history. His paintings have been shown at museums like the National Air and Space Museum.
Companies like Nissan and Walt Disney Company have asked him to create paintings. His paintings often combine traditional brushwork with airbrushing. He calls his paintings "abstract reality" or "impressions/expression." In 2001, he was one of the celebrity artists who painted large angel sculptures for a charity project. These angels were auctioned to raise money for youth programs.
Williams says he loves both acting and painting. He finds painting to be a very personal and creative process. As of 2019, he has made about 300 paintings, which he sees as his lasting legacy.
Music
In 1961, Billy Dee Williams recorded a jazz album called Let's Misbehave. It featured his versions of classic swing songs. The album included the first-ever vocal recording of "A Taste of Honey". This song was later covered by The Beatles. Williams was also the first to sing this song in the U.S. on the Broadway stage.
Years later, in the early 1990s, he sang on a charity song called "Voices That Care." This song honored U.S. troops and supported the International Committee of the Red Cross. The song was very popular and helped Williams become a Billboard-charting artist.
Personal Life
Billy Dee Williams has been married three times and has three children. His first marriage was to Audrey Sellers in 1959. They had a son named Corey Dee Williams, born in 1960. His second marriage was to Marlene Clark in 1968. They divorced in 1971.
In 1972, he married Teruko Nakagami. She had a daughter, Miyako, from a previous marriage. Together, Billy Dee and Teruko have a daughter named Hanako, born in 1973. They separated for a while in 1993 but later got back together.
Awards and Recognition
Billy Dee Williams has received many awards for his acting and contributions to film.
- 1972: Won NAACP Image Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture for Lady Sings the Blues
- 1977: Won NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
- 2006: Received NAACP Image Award for Lifetime Achievement
- 2006: Won TV Land Award for Blockbuster Movie of the Week for Brian's Song
Special Recognition
- 1984: Inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
- 1985: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2000: Received the Lifetime Achievement Honor from the Multicultural Motion Picture Association.
- 2012: Received the Special Achievement Award from the African-American Film Critics Association.
- 2018: Received the Hollywood Legacy Award from the American Black Film Festival.
Books
Billy Dee Williams has also written books:
- PSI/Net (1999): A novel he co-wrote with Rob MacGregor.
- JUST/In Time (2001)
- Batman '89 (2021–22): A comic book that uses his likeness for the character Harvey Dent as he transforms into Two-Face.
Images for kids
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Williams at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2023
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Billy Dee Williams with Joan Plowright in A Taste of Honey on Broadway in 1960
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Williams in 1997
See also
In Spanish: Billy Dee Williams para niños
