William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as
Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...
'' (1980) and ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'' (1983), and thirty-six years later in ''
The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' productio ...
'' (2019), marking one of the longest intervals between onscreen portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film history.
Williams was born in New York City, and raised with his twin sister Loretta in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
. In 1945, he made his
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
debut at age seven in ''
The Firebrand of Florence
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. He later graduated from
The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High ...
, then won a painting scholarship to the
National Academy of Fine Arts and Design, where he won a
Hallgarten Prize
The Julius Hallgarten Prizes (defunct) were a trio of prestigious art prizes awarded by the National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samue ...
for painting in the mid-1950s. To fund his art supplies he returned to acting, including stage, films, and television. He continued painting; his work has since been shown in galleries and collections worldwide.
Williams’ film debut was in ''
The Last Angry Man
''The Last Angry Man'' is a 1959 drama film that tells the story of a television producer who profiles the life of a physician. It stars Paul Muni (in his last film appearance), David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Billy Dee Williams (in his film debut), ...
'' (1959), but he came to national attention in the television movie ''
Brian's Song
''Brian's Song'' is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayer ...
'' (1971), which earned him an
Emmy nomination for Best Actor. He has appeared in at least 70 films over six decades including critically acclaimed and popular movies such as ''
Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972) and ''
Mahogany'' (1975), both starring Williams paired with
Diana Ross, and ''
Nighthawks'' (1981). In the 1980s, he was cast in his most enduring role as Lando Calrissian, becoming the first actor of black/African descent with a major on-screen role in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983). He also voiced Lando in video games, animated series, and the
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
adaptation of ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He was inducted into the
Black Filmmaker's Hall of Fame in 1984, and earned a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. Another franchise relationship started with ''
Batman'' (1989), playing attorney
Harvey Dent
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in '' Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batma ...
, a role that was developed into a villainous alter-ego,
Two-Face
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batman's ...
, which he voiced for ''
The Lego Batman Movie
''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, RatPac Entertainment, Lego System A/S, Dan Lin's Lin Pictures, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's Lord Miller Pro ...
'' (2017).
Williams's television work includes over sixty credits starting in 1966 including recurring roles over the decades in ''
Gideon's Crossing
''Gideon's Crossing'' is an American medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series is loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book '' The Measure of Our Days''. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ra ...
''; ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', ''
General Hospital: Night Shift''; and ''
General Hospital''. Numerous cameos and supporting roles included being paired with
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...
on ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...
'', ''
227,'' and ''
The Hughleys
''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as ...
''. Later work included voice acting in the series ''
Titan Maximum
''Titan Maximum'' is an American stop motion animated television series created by Tom Root and Matthew Senreich. The series premiered on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, from September 27 to November 22, 2009. A teaser ...
'' (2009), and appearing on the
reality show ''
Dancing with the Stars'' (2014). His work has earned him numerous awards and honors including three
NAACP Image Awards
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
, and the
NAACP Lifetime Achievement award.
Early life and education
William December Williams Jr. was born in New York City, the son of Loretta Anne (1915–2016)
elevator operator
An elevator operator (North American English), liftman (in Commonwealth English, usually lift attendant), or lift girl (in British English), is a person specifically employed to operate a manually operated elevator.
Description
Being an effec ...
at the
Lyceum Theatre and aspiring performer from
Montserrat, and William December Williams Sr. (1909–1973), an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
caretaker
Caretaker may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker''
* '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital
* Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...
, with some
Native American ancestry from
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
He grew up in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
on 110th Street, between Lenox and 5th, adjacent to
Central Park North–110th Street station.
He used to go to
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
to see the
Negro league players and the
Cuban baseball league, "They were fantastic, and I wound up working with a lot of those guys," (in ''
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film about a team of enterprising ex- Negro league baseball players in the era of racial segregation. Loosely based upon William Brashler's 1973 novel of the ...
'' (1976)).
He has a twin sister, Loretta, and they were raised by their maternal grandmother while their parents worked several jobs. His mom had studied
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
for years, becoming an accomplished opera star who wanted to break into movies; the family was richly cultured, exposing the children early on to drawing, painting, theatre and similar creative experiences; Billy Dee would remain a fan of the arts including opera.
In March 1945, he made his Broadway debut at age seven portraying a
page
Page most commonly refers to:
* Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book
Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to:
Roles
* Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation
* Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...
in ''
The Firebrand of Florence
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'',
Kurt Weill and
Ira Gershwin’s operetta starring
Lotte Lenya
Lotte Lenya (born Karoline Wilhelmine Charlotte Blamauer; 18 October 1898 – 27 November 1981) was an Austrian-American singer, diseuse, and actress, long based in the United States. In the German-speaking and classical music world, she is best ...
.
His mom, who worked at the theatre, volunteered him for the part which he found boring.
Williams attended
Booker T. Washington Junior High School where he had dreams of being a painter.
He graduated in 1955 from the
LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, where he majored in arts with a focus on
visual arts
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...
.
The school would later be the subject for
''Fame'' (1980), and
its derivative television series.
While there he got a two-year scholarship for the
National Academy of Fine Arts and Design in New York—which later changed its name to
National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...
—to study with a focus on "classical principles of painting".
He was nominated at eighteen or nineteen years old for a
Guggenheim Fellowship grant—for "creative ability in the arts," and won a
Hallgarten Prize
The Julius Hallgarten Prizes (defunct) were a trio of prestigious art prizes awarded by the National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samue ...
in the mid-1950s.
Although he had scholarships to pay for school tuition, he turned to acting to pay for his paints, supplies, and canvasses.
His first
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
"big break" was a play, ''
A Taste of Honey.''
He continued to struggle as an actor for ten years working as an extra, doing small and large theatre, and "slowly breaking into television and film".
During art school he gained interest in the
Stanislavsky Method—experiencing a role in contrast to representing it, to mobilize an actor's
conscious
Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
thought and
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
to activate emotional response and
subconscious
In psychology, the subconscious is the part of the mind that is not currently of focal awareness.
Scholarly use of the term
The word ''subconscious'' represents an anglicized version of the French ''subconscient'' as coined in 1889 by the psycho ...
behavior—and began studying at the
Harlem Actors Workshop.
[Benedetti (1999a, 201), Carnicke (2000, 17), and Stanislavski (1938, 16—36 "]art of representation
The "art of representation" (russian: представление, predstavlenie) is a critical term used by the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski to describe a method of acting. It comes from his acting manual ''An Acto ...
" corresponds to Mikhail Shchepkin
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Krasnoe, Kursk Province, Russian Empire
, death_date = (aged 64)
, death_place = Yalta, Russian Empire
, resting_place =
, occupation = Actor
, language = Russian
, nationality = Russian
, period ...
's "actor of reason" and his "art of experiencing" corresponds to Shchepkin's "actor of feeling"; see Benedetti (1999a, 202).
* Benedetti, Jean. 1999a. Stanislavski: His Life and Art. Revised edition. Original edition published in 1988. London: Methuen. .
* Carnicke, Sharon M. 2000. "Stanislavsky's System: Pathways for the Actor". In Hodge (2000, 11–36).
* Stanislavski, Konstantin. 1938. An Actor's Work: A Student's Diary. Trans. and ed. Jean Benedetti. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. . It was run by blacklisted actor
Paul Mann
Paul Mann (December 2, 1913 – September 24, 1985) was a Canadian film and theater actor, as well as founder of the Paul Mann Actor's Workshop. His brother was the actor Larry D. Mann.
Biography
Mann was influential in developing the concept o ...
who embraced actors of all races; Williams also studied there under
Sidney Poitier.
He first viewed his acting as a way to pay for his art supplies, by the early 1960s though he began to "devote all of his energy to performance."
In succession, he got an
actor agent through a friend, started getting major
Off-Broadway roles, then work on Broadway.
Career
Stage
![Billy Dee Williams Joan Plowright A Taste of Honey Broadway 1960](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Billy_Dee_Williams_Joan_Plowright_A_Taste_of_Honey_Broadway_1960.jpg)
Williams first appeared on Broadway in 1945 in ''
The Firebrand of Florence
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. He returned to Broadway as an adult in 1960 in the adaptation of ''
The Cool World''. He appeared in ''
A Taste of Honey'' in 1960. A 1976 Broadway production, ''I Have a Dream'', was directed by
Robert Greenwald
Robert Greenwald (born August 28, 1945) is an American filmmaker, and the founder of Brave New Films, a nonprofit film and advocacy organization whose work is distributed for free in concert with nonprofit partners and movements in order to educ ...
and starred Williams as
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
His most recent Broadway appearance was in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's ''
Fences
A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
Fence or fences may also refer to:
Entertainment Music
* Fences (band), an Amer ...
'', as a replacement for
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
in the role of Troy Maxson in 1988.
Break into film and television
Williams made his film debut in 1959 in ''
The Last Angry Man
''The Last Angry Man'' is a 1959 drama film that tells the story of a television producer who profiles the life of a physician. It stars Paul Muni (in his last film appearance), David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, Billy Dee Williams (in his film debut), ...
'', opposite
Paul Muni, in which he portrayed a delinquent young man. He was frustrated in the 1960s with the "paucity of parts for leading black men," the majority of roles he wanted went to
Sidney Poitier.
He enjoyed doing theater and television, but "his slow-building film career ate at him." He found
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...
, a popular
hallucinogenic drug
Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...
with the era's
hippie movement
The hippie subculture began its development as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world.
Its origins may be traced to European social movements in the 19th and early 20th century such as B ...
to be a cure, "LSD saved my life ... I wasn't doing it to get high. It let me get inside of myself."
Otherwise he is anti-drug.
He rose to stardom after starring in the critically acclaimed television film ''
Brian's Song
''Brian's Song'' is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayer ...
'' (1971), in which he played
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
star football player
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Sa ...
, who stood by his friend
Brian Piccolo
Louis Brian Piccolo (October 31, 1943 – June 16, 1970) was an American professional football player, a halfback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) for four years. He died at age 26 from embryonal cell carcinoma, an a ...
(
James Caan
James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...
), during Piccolo's struggle with terminal cancer. Both Williams and Caan were nominated for
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s for best actor for their performances.
Williams said the role was the one of which he was most proud "It was a love story, really. Between two guys. Without sex. ... It ended up being a kind of breakthrough in terms of racial division."
Williams' success with ''Brian's Song'' earned him a seven-year contract with
Motown's
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...
.
He became one of America's most well-known black film actors of the 1970s, after starring in a string of critically acclaimed and popular movies, many of them in the "
blaxploitation" genre. In 1972, he starred as
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
's husband Louis McKay in
Motown Productions
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
' Academy Award-nominated Holiday biopic ''
Lady Sings the Blues''. Through his portrayal he became "a full-fledged
sex symbol, touted as the 'black
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
.'"
Diana Ross starred in ''Lady Sings the Blues'' opposite Williams; Motown paired the two of them again three years later in the successful follow-up project ''
Mahogany.''
1980–present
Williams was cast as
Lando Calrissian
Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
in ''
The Empire Strikes Back
''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...
'' (1980), becoming the first African-American actor with a role in the ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' series.
J. J. Abrams
Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
, who would direct Williams in the ninth installment film in 2019, noted, "Lando was always written as a complex, contradictory, nuanced character. And Billy Dee played him to suave perfection, ... It wasn't just that
people of color
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
were seeing themselves represented; they were seeing themselves represented in a rich, wonderful, intriguing way."
He would reprise the role in ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'' (1983). Between the latter two films, he starred alongside
Sylvester Stallone as a cop in the thriller ''
Nighthawks'' (1981). The charm of his role as Lando Calrissian proved to be popular with audiences. Williams has voiced the character in the 2002 video game ''
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast'', the audio dramatization of ''
Dark Empire
''Dark Empire'' is a '' Star Wars'' comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited series by Veitch and Kenne ...
'', the
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
adaptation of ''The Empire Strikes Back'', two productions for the ''
Star Wars: Battlefront'' series, ''
The Lego Movie
''The Lego Movie'' is a 2014 computer-animated adventure comedy film written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from a story by Lord, Miller, and Dan and Kevin Hageman. Based on the Lego line of construction toys, its story focu ...
'', and in two episodes of the animated TV series ''
Star Wars Rebels
''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' and progressing ...
''. Some fans were disappointed with Calrissian's absence from the first film in the
''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy, ''
The Force Awakens
''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens'') is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. The sequel to '' Return of the Jedi'' (198 ...
'', but in July 2018 it was announced that he would reprise his role in ''
The Rise of Skywalker
''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' productio ...
'' (2019), marking one of the longest intervals between onscreen portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film history.
Williams co-starred in 1989's ''
Batman'' as district attorney
Harvey Dent
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in '' Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batma ...
, a role that was planned to develop into Dent's alter-ego, the villain Two-Face, in sequels. However, that never came to pass; he was set to reprise the role in the sequel ''
Batman Returns
''Batman Returns'' is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman'' (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 ''Batman ...
'', but his character was deleted and replaced with villain Max Shreck. When
Joel Schumacher
Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. H ...
stepped in to direct ''
Batman Forever
''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment o ...
'', where Two-Face was to be a secondary villain, Schumacher decided to hire
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor and film director. He has received four Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the 1993 thriller film '' The ...
for the role. There was a rumor that Schumacher had to pay Williams a fee in order to hire Jones, but Williams said that it was not true: "You only get paid if you do the movie. I had a two-picture deal with ''Star Wars.'' They paid me for that, but I only had a one picture deal for ''Batman.''" Williams eventually voiced Two-Face in the 2017 film ''
The Lego Batman Movie
''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, RatPac Entertainment, Lego System A/S, Dan Lin's Lin Pictures, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's Lord Miller Pro ...
''.
Williams' television work included a recurring guest-starring role on the short-lived show ''
Gideon's Crossing
''Gideon's Crossing'' is an American medical drama starring Andre Braugher. The series is loosely based on the experience of real-life physician Jerome Groopman and his book '' The Measure of Our Days''. It premiered on October 10, 2000, and ra ...
''. He is also known for his advertisements for
Colt 45, a
malt liquor, for a five-year period starting in the mid-1980s; he would reprise his spokesperson role in 2016. Williams brushed off criticism—for the subtext of the ad campaign, 'works every time,' and the target audience—of the choice, "I drink, you drink. Hell, if
marijuana was legal, I'd appear in a commercial for it."
Colt 45 hired Williams "simply because he was so cool," and went from trailing behind
Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company
The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was an American brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and once the largest producer of beer in the United States. Its namesake beer, Schlitz (), was known as "The beer that made Milwaukee famous" and was adve ...
in barrels produced, to "skyrocketing" a year after the 1986 ads ran to two million barrels in the top spot for malt liquor.
In the 1984–1985 season of ''
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', he played
Brady Lloyd opposite
Diahann Carroll. Williams was paired with actress
Marla Gibbs
Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...
on three situation comedies: ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...
'' (Gibbs's character, Florence, was a major fan of Williams and challenged him on everything because
she thought Williams was an imposter); ''
227'' (her character, Mary, pretending to be royalty, met Williams at a banquet); and ''
The Hughleys
''The Hughleys'' is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 22, 1998 to April 28, 2000 and on UPN from September 11, 2000 to May 20, 2002. It starred comedian D. L. Hughley as the main character, Darryl Hughley, and Elise Neal as ...
'' (Gibbs and Williams portrayed Darryl's parents). In 1992, he portrayed
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...
in ''
The Jacksons: An American Dream''. In 1993, Williams made a guest appearance on the spin-off to ''
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...
'', ''
A Different World
''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...
'', as Langston Paige, a grumpy landlord, in a
backdoor pilot
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...
for his own series. Williams appeared as himself on ''
Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austr ...
'' where he provided
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playin ...
's character with advice on getting back together with Gina.
Williams made a special guest appearance on the hit sketch comedy show ''
In Living Color
''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...
'' in 1990. He portrayed Pastor Dan in an episode of ''
That '70s Show
''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, ...
''. In this episode, "Baby Don't You Do It" (2004), his character is obsessed with ''Star Wars'', and uses this to help counsel
Eric Forman (himself a ''Star Wars'' fan) and
Donna Pinciotti
This is a list of characters appearing in the television series ''That '70s Show'' and ''That '90s Show''.
Cast table
Main characters Eric Forman
Portrayed by Topher Grace: The protagonist; Eric is a nice guy, generally nerdy, clumsy, and ac ...
about his premarital relationship. Williams made a cameo appearance as himself on the television series ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' in the episode "
Exposé
Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to:
News sources
* Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism
* '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website
Film and TV Film
* ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film
* ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
". He also appears regularly on short clips on the ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' as a semi-parody of himself. In February 2006, Williams guest starred as himself in the season 5 episode "Her Story II" of ''
Scrubs'', where he plays the godfather of Julie (
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her de ...
).
Turk hugs him, calling him "Lando", even though he prefers to be called Billy Dee. Williams played Toussaint Dubois for ''
General Hospital: Night Shift'' in 2007 and 2008. Williams reprised his role as Toussaint on ''
General Hospital'' beginning in June 2009. Also in 2009, Williams took on the role of the voice of Admiral Bitchface, the head of the military on the planet Titan, in the
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
animated series ''
Titan Maximum
''Titan Maximum'' is an American stop motion animated television series created by Tom Root and Matthew Senreich. The series premiered on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, from September 27 to November 22, 2009. A teaser ...
''. In July 2010, Williams appeared in the animated series ''
The Boondocks
Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas.
Boondocks may also refer to:
* The Boondocks (band), an Estonian rock band
* ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder
** ''The Boondocks'' (2005 TV series), the television ser ...
'', where he voiced a fictionalized version of himself in the episode "The Story of Lando Freeman".
In February 2011, Williams appeared as a guest star on
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
's ''
White Collar'' as Ford, an old friend of
Neal Caffrey
Neal George Caffrey (born Neal George Bennett) is the main character of the USA Network original series '' White Collar''. Neal is a criminal consultant for the White Collar Crime Division of the FBI in New York City. He is a world-class forger ...
's landlady June, played by
Diahann Carroll. In February 2012, Williams was the surprise guest during a taping of ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...
'' spotlighting
Diana Ross. Ross and Williams were reunited after having not seen each other in 29 years. In October 2012, Williams appeared as a guest star on ''
NCIS'' in Season 10 Episode 5 titled "
Namesake
A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another.
History
The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake",
which originates in English Bible translations ...
", as Gibbs's namesake and his father's former best friend, Leroy Jethro Moore. On January 9, 2013, Williams made a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
as himself on ''
Modern Family
''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of th ...
'', season 4, episode 11 "
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
".
In 2014, Williams competed on the
18th season of ''
Dancing with the Stars'', a
reality show/dancing competition partnered with professional dancer
Emma Slater
Emma Slater (born December 25, 1988) is an English-American professional dancer and choreographer. She is best known for her appearances on ''Dancing with the Stars''.
Personal life
Emma Slater was raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England, ...
. The couple had to withdraw from the competition on the third week due to an injury to Williams's back.
Over the years, Williams has been a featured guest at
fan conventions, mostly
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
ones for his iconic Lando Calrissian role in the ''Star Wars'' franchise.
Of his fan interactions he has said they have mostly been positive ones, "I love every single moment of it, I'll have an audience for the rest of my life."
Return to painting
In the late 1980s, Williams resumed painting, devoting much of his time to the work.
He returned to New York to star in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's play ''
Fences
A fence is a barrier enclosing or bordering a field, yard, etc., usually made of posts and wire or wood, used to prevent entrance, to confine, or to mark a boundary.
Fence or fences may also refer to:
Entertainment Music
* Fences (band), an Amer ...
'', replacing
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
in the lead for four months starting in February 1988. It marked a turning point for him, returning home, and for him, the center of the art scene.
He also renewed his friendship with
Peter Max
Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a German-American artist known for using bright colors in his work. Works by Max are associated with the visual arts and culture of the 1960s, particularly psychedelic art and pop art.
...
, who had also trained and sold art in the city, and renewed Williams' interest in painting.
Within a two-year span he "cranked out 120 original works of art".
Williams is the honorary chairman of
Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock.
The i ...
(formerly
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...
Institute of Jazz) in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, which fosters
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
education. The institution has used his artwork each year for its competition programs since 1990.
He had his first solo exhibition in 1991, followed by many throughout North America, and, later, the world.
Around 1992, Williams, inspired by his friend and fellow New York artist Peter Max who had a
teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea ba ...
collection, started a
cookie jar
Cookie jars are utilitarian or decorative ceramic or glass jars often found in American and Canadian kitchens. In the United Kingdom, they are known as biscuit barrels or biscuit jars. If they are cans made out of tinplate, they are called bis ...
collection.
Being an opera fan, he first found a jar in the shape of a singer in an opera gift shop by artisan couple Michael and Shelley Buonaiuto; later buying more than a dozen from their limited lines including ones of jazz artists
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...
and
Fats Waller.
His 1993 self-portrait is at the
National Portrait Gallery of the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
(Washington D.C.) with a description that he "specializes in
acrylic paintings combining traditional brushwork with an
airbrushing
An airbrush is a small, Pneumatics, air-operated tool that Atomizer nozzle, atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint but also ink and dye, and Foundation (cosmetics), foundation. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is c ...
technique"; he also works in
oils
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
.
Williams painted a series of
impressionistic
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...
portraits of the
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army ...
, the "African-American pilots whose real-life exploits changed the course of American military history."
He started the series in the 1990s but when officials from
National Air and Space Museum (NASM) saw them they wanted more, and to use them in an exhibition.
In 1999 they were displayed at the African-American Museum of Art, Culture and History in New Orleans, and in early 2000, the NASM in Washington, D.C.
He was commissioned for four paintings—including one of
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
star
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games.
Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...
sprinting, and another of a pair of boxers in a fight ring—for
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
that were displayed at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
In 1997, he did paintings for
Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's Mighty Ducks arena for the
Anaheim Ducks.
From a description, circa late 1990s, at one of the galleries that carries his work, "Billy's paintings are usually
acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
on canvas, applied with brush and
airbrush
An airbrush is a small, Pneumatics, air-operated tool that Atomizer nozzle, atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint but also ink and dye, and Foundation (cosmetics), foundation. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is c ...
. He also works with
collage elements and has even created three-dimensional canvasses incorporating
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
,
Lucite
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite ...
, and
neon light
Neon lighting consists of brightly glowing, electrified glass tubes or bulbs that contain rarefied neon or other gases. Neon lights are a type of cold cathode gas-discharge light. A neon tube is a sealed glass tube with a metal electrode a ...
."
He got permission from ''Star Wars'' creator
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
to sell lithographs of a montage of Williams' iconic character from the franchise, Lando Calrissian.
As of 2001 his paintings sold for an average of $10,000 to $35,000 ().
"I call my paintings 'abstract reality,'" said Williams. "Sometimes I refer to them as 'impressions/expression.' It's the best way I can explain them."
In early 2001 Williams was one of the celebrity artists painting seven-foot angel sculptures as part of the Oscar Academy's sponsoring L.A.'s "A Community of Angels" charity project.
The art angels were displayed for months then auctioned to raise funds for L.A. youth programs.
In his online gallery biography, he states, "
ninterest in
Eastern philosophy characterizes his images, first to record the physical reality, and then to uncover through the application of light, color and perspective. He cites
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching.
Hopper created subdued drama ...
,
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher (; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints.
Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for most of his life neglected in t ...
—the Dutch Master,
Frida Kahlo,
Tamara de Lempicka
Tamara Łempicka (born Tamara Rosalia Gurwik-Górska; 16 May 1898 – 18 March 1980), better known as Tamara de Lempicka, was a Polish painter who spent her working life in France and the United States. She is best known for her polished Art D ...
,
Thomas Hart Benton, and the exciting, vibrant forms of
African art
African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the ...
as some of his strongest influences."
Williams' work is included at the
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, and the
American Jazz Museum
The American Jazz Museum is a jazz museum in the historic 18th and Vine district of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American jazz music, with exhibits on Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong
Louis Danie ...
in Kansas City, Missouri.
In a 2001 interview he said, "Either I want to drop dead with a paint brush in my hand or I want to drop dead doing a soliloquy on the stage, I love acting. I love it. I take my acting very seriously, but I also find it fun. To do what children do and get paid for it is a lot of fun. I'm very fortunate."
In late 2007, he was a guest artist on a ten-day
Princess Cruise liner.
They bought about eighty pieces which they put on their cruises and then auctioned off.
He was commissioned for another set of Disney paintings to be unveiled in 2011 at Disney's ''D23 Expo'', also in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...
.
For those, he set iconic Disney characters
Mickey
Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include:
People Given name or nickname Men
* Mickey Andrews (bor ...
and
Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...
, and
Goofy in jazz music settings.
In a 2011 interview he said, "I mostly create abstract paintings. I paint what's obvious to the eye and then incorporate an abstract point of view, which allows me a lot of space to play in. I work a lot with acrylic and oils, mostly acrylic right now and do a lot of line drawings." In a September 2015 interview, he said he finds painting "cathartic" compared to collective film work, "When you're painting you just lock yourself up in your little private world. And it's all about you and your imagination and nobody else interfering with that. It's a great exercise because you really start discovering who you are and what you are without a lot of assistance … and the moment you come up with something interesting it's a success that’s really based on your own personal, private sensibility."
As of 2019 he has made around 300 paintings, which Williams sees as his legacy.
Other ventures
''Let's Misbehave''
In 1961, Williams recorded a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
LP produced by
Prestige Records entitled ''Let's Misbehave'', on which he sang
swing standards.
The album, which was a commercial success, earned Williams a spot on ''
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' (1983). The album included the first-ever vocal recording of "
A Taste of Honey", a song by
Bobby Scott and
Ric Marlow
Eric "Ric" Marlow (born Sanford Phillip Schafler; December 21, 1925 – February 28, 2017) was an American songwriter and actor, best known for co-writing with Bobby Scott the song "A Taste of Honey" which won a Grammy in 1962. The song has bee ...
later covered by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
on their 1963 debut album ''
Please Please Me
''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...
''.
Williams was the first to sing the song in the U.S., on the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
stage with
Joan Plowright
Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier, (née Plowright; born 28 October 1929), professionally known as Dame Joan Plowright, is an English retired actress whose career has spanned over seven decades. She has won two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony ...
as part of the original Broadway production of the play ''
A Taste of Honey''.
Williams said of the album, "Recording it was sort of a lark. I did some singing in clubs, for a moment, and then I stopped. I have too much respect for singers to really think that I'm a singer."
The album was re-released on CD, download and streaming platforms in 2014.
Thirty years later, in the early 1990s, he sang on a “
celebrity-packed charity single," "
Voices That Care,” to honor U.S. troop of
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
, the 1990–1991 Gulf War, and supporting the
International Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
.
The single reached number eleven on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number six on the
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...
. Through sales and plays of the song Williams and the other celebrities became platinum-recording and Billboard-charting artists.
Video games
Williams voiced Lando Calrissian in the video game ''Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast'' and ''Star Wars Battlefront'' as well as the spin-off ''Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron''. However, the ''Battlefront'' appearances were archive footage and his voice-appearance in ''Elite Squadron'' is left uncredited or unknown. He also played a live-action character, GDI Director Redmond Boyle, in the game ''
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars'', which was released in March 2007. This made him the second former ''Star Wars'' actor to appear in a ''Command & Conquer'' game, with the first being
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
as GDI General James Solomon in ''
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.'' Williams voiced Lando Calrissian in 2015's ''
Star Wars: Battlefront'' for the DLC pack Bespin and its 2017 sequel ''
Star Wars Battlefront II''. In the 2016 game ''
Let It Die'', Williams voices Colonel Jackson, who acts as the second major boss players face.
Internet
In 2008, Williams reprised his role as Lando Calrissian to appear in a video on
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...
in a mock political ad defending himself for leader of the ''Star Wars'' galaxy against vicious attack ads from Emperor
Palpatine. Williams is currently a cast member of ''Diary of a Single Mom'', a web-based original series directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Townsend. The series debuted on PIC.tv in 2009.
Books
* ''PSI/Net'' (1999), , novel co-written with Rob MacGregor based on an actual government program of
psychic spying
*''JUST/In Time'' (2001),
*''
Batman '89'' (2021–22), a comic book using the likeness of Williams and showing the transformation
Harvey Dent
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in '' Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). As one of Batma ...
into Two-Face.
Personal life
Williams has been married three times, and has three children, and two grandchildren.
His first marriage was to Audrey Sellers in 1959. They were divorced some years later, after which he apparently became depressed. He stated that "there was a period when I was very despondent, broke, depressed, my first marriage was on the rocks." They had a son, Corey Dee Williams, born in 1960.
In 1968, Williams married model and actress
Marlene Clark
Marlene Clark (born December 19, 1949) is an American actress, animator and fashion model. Clark is perhaps best known for her portrayals of Ganja Meda in the 1973 horror film ''Ganja & Hess'' and Janet Lawson, Lamont's girlfriend in the sitcom '' ...
in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. They divorced in 1971.
He moved from New York City to California in 1971.
He married Teruko Nakagami on December 27, 1972. She brought a daughter, Miyako (born 1962), from her previous marriage to musician
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...
. Together they have a daughter, Hanako (born 1973).
In 1984, he bought a "Zen-like contemporary" home in the
Trousdale Estates
Trousdale Estates is a neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California, located in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. It was developed in the 1950s and 1960s and is named after Paul Trousdale, a real estate developer.
, the average sale price ...
neighborhood of
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...
; he sold it in 2012. He filed for an amicable divorce from Nakagami in 1993, but they reconciled, and were again living together by 1997.
Williams was arrested on January 30, 1996, after allegedly assaulting his live-in girlfriend, whom the police did not identify. He posted a US$50,000 bail. L.A. Police said the woman had minor bruises and scratches. The district attorney's office filed misdemeanor charges of spousal battery and dissuading a witness. The woman later stated that the incident was her fault and hoped the police would drop the case. In a plea bargain, Williams agreed to undergo 52 counseling sessions. In a 2019 interview, Williams says he never slapped or abused women.
In late 2019, Williams talked about his feminine side in an interview, and used masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to himself.
Media outlets speculated that Williams might be
gender fluid
Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...
, but he clarified that he was referring to
anima and animus: the feminine side of men and the masculine side of women in
Jungian psychology
Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...
.
Honors and awards
*
Primetime Emmy
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
ominee(1972) for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in "
Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers (May 30, 1943September 23, 2020) was an American professional football player who was both a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). In a relatively brief but highly productive NFL career, Sa ...
" in ''
Brian's Song
''Brian's Song'' is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a Chicago Bears football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro in 1965, told through his friendship with teammate Gale Sayer ...
'' (1971)
*Inducted into the
Black Filmmaker's Hall of Fame in 1984.
*
Hollywood Walk of Fame
** Star on the Walk of Fame (1985) at 1521 Vine Street.
*
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is an American non-profit organization established in 1972 dedicated to the advancement of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Academy is headquarter ...
** Saturn Award
ominee(1981) for Best Supporting Actor in ''
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980)
**
Saturn Award ominee(1984) for Best Supporting Actor in ''
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi'' (1983)
*
Film Independent Spirit Awards
** Independent Spirit Award
ominee(2001) for Best Supporting Male in ''
The Visit'' (2000)
*Multicultural Motion Picture Association (Diversity Awards): Circa 2000–2001, Lifetime Achievement Honor
*
Black Reel Awards
The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...
: Nom 2002 Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor for ''The Visit''
*
NAACP Image Awards
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
(NAACP)
** Image Award
inner
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
(1972) for Best Actor - Motion Picture in ''
Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972)
** Image Award
inner
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
(1977) for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture in ''
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film about a team of enterprising ex- Negro league baseball players in the era of racial segregation. Loosely based upon William Brashler's 1973 novel of the ...
'' (1976)
** Image Award
ominee(2001) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture in ''The Visit'' (2000)
** Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to the arts in 2006.
*
Indie Series Awards
The Indie Series Awards (formerly the Indie Soap Awards) is an annual event hosted by ''We Love Soaps'', based in Los Angeles, California, honoring the best in independently produced, scripted entertainment created for the Internet. The ceremony ...
** ISA
inner
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
(2010) for Best Performance by a Guest Actor in ''
Diary of a Single Mom'' (2009)
** ISA
ominee(2011) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ''Diary of a Single Mom'' (2009)
*
TV Land Award
The TV Land Icon Awards was an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with the Emmys. Created by Executive Producer Michael Levitt, the awards were hosted and bro ...
s
** TV Land Award
inner
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
(2006) for Blockbuster Movie of the Week In ''Brian's Song'' (1971)
** TV Land Award
ominee(2003) for Most Memorable Male Guest Star in a Comedy as Himself In ''
The Jeffersons
''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...
'' (1975)
*
African-American Film Critics Association
The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City.
History
The association wa ...
(AAFCA)
** Special Achievement Award
inner
Interior may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas
* ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck
* ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See
* Interior de ...
(2012)
* Behind the Voice Actors Awards
** BTVA Feature Film Voice Acting Award
ominee(2018) for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film in ''
The Lego Batman Movie
''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, RatPac Entertainment, Lego System A/S, Dan Lin's Lin Pictures, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's Lord Miller Pro ...
'' (2017)
*
American Black Film Festival
** (2018) Hollywood Legacy Award
Notes
References
Further reading
* Nishikawa, Kinohi. "Billy Dee Williams". ''The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Literature''. Ed. Hans Ostrom and J. David Macey Jr. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 1742–43.
External links
*
*
*
archive
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Billy Dee
1937 births
Living people
20th-century African-American writers
20th-century American male actors
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American writers
21st-century African-American writers
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American writers
African-American male actors
African-American novelists
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
American people of Montserratian descent
Male actors from New York City
Novelists from New York (state)
People from Harlem
The High School of Music & Art alumni
American twins
Writers from Manhattan