Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art National Academy of Fine Arts and Design Harlem Actors Workshop
Occupations
Actor
novelist
painter
Years active
1959–present
Known for
Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise Gale Sayers in Brian's Song
Spouses
Audrey Sellers
(m. 1959; div. 1963)
Marlene Clark
(m. 1968; div. 1971)
Teruko Nakagami
(m. 1972)
Children
3
William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is most known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise and has also appeared in critically acclaimed and popular titles such as Mahogany (1975), Scott Joplin (1977), and Nighthawks (1981), as Harvey Dent in Batman (1989) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017), The Last Angry Man (1959), Carter's Army, The Out-of-Towners (1969), The Final Comedown and Lady Sings the Blues (both 1972), Hit! (1973), Fear City and Terror in the Aisles (both 1984), Alien Intruder (1993) or The Visit (2000).
Raised in Harlem, Williams made his Broadway theatre debut at age seven in The Firebrand of Florence (1945). He later graduated from The High School of Music & Art, then won a painting scholarship to the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design, where he won a Hallgarten Prize for painting in the mid-1950s. He returned to acting to fund his art supplies, 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 (1959), but he came to national attention in the television movie Brian's Song (1971), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Actor. In the 1980s, he was cast as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), becoming the first black actor with a major role in the Star Wars franchise. He reprised his role in subsequent Star Wars films and media. Williams's television work includes over 70 credits starting in 1966 including recurring roles over the decades in Gideon's Crossing; Dynasty, General Hospital: Night Shift; and General Hospital. Numerous cameos and supporting roles included being paired with Marla Gibbs on The Jeffersons, 227, and The Hughleys. Later work included voice acting in the series Titan Maximum (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, and the NAACP Lifetime Achievement award. 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.
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This is the filmography for American actor BillyDeeWilliams. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is most known...
leads the attack on the second Death Star. Lando is portrayed by BillyDeeWilliams in the original trilogy, as well as the sequel film The Rise of Skywalker...
Sanford in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. In 1968, Clark married BillyDeeWilliams in Hawaii. She was the stepmother of his son Corey, from his first...
with “International Jazz Day 2022” airing nationally in April 2022. BillyDeeWilliams has donated artwork that has been used as the cover of the institute's...
well as Aunjanue Ellis, Neil Patrick Harris, Denise Richards, and BillyDeeWilliams, and features a cameo by James Brown. The film begins with a backstory...
Snowtrooper Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico Matt Sloan as Darth Vader BillyDeeWilliams as Lando Calrissian Anthony Daniels as C-3PO Trevor Devall as: Emperor...
Marionettes". Life. "BillyDeeWilliams Scores in 'I Have a Dream' Play". Jet magazine. Johnson Publishing Company. April 22, 1976. "BillyDeeWilliams Plays M. L...
Paul Muni (in his last film appearance), David Wayne, Betsy Palmer, BillyDeeWilliams (in his film debut), and Godfrey Cambridge. The movie was scripted...
professional dancer partnered with movie actor BillyDeeWilliams. Due to a back injury on BillyDee, they withdrew from the competition on Week 3. For...
American made-for-television crime thriller film starring Carl Weathers, BillyDeeWilliams and Lonette McKee, and directed by Michael Miller. The film, produced...
written by Nick Stone. It stars Maxwell Caulfield, Tracy Scoggins, BillyDeeWilliams, Gary Roberts, Richard Cody, and Stephen Davies. Set in 2022, several...
thriller film directed by Larry Cohen and William Tannen. It stars BillyDeeWilliams, Vanity, and Morgan Fairchild. Hamberger is a freelance private eye...
ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, BillyDeeWilliams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank...
comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Thomas Gottschalk, BillyDeeWilliams, Michelle Johnson, Dom DeLuise, and James Tolkan. Gunther Schmidt...
thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Tom Berenger, BillyDeeWilliams, Jack Scalia, and Melanie Griffith. The screenplay was written by...
Sevigny, Jean Smart, Shea Whigham, Missi Pyle, Christopher McDonald, BillyDeeWilliams and Malcolm McDowell. The story revolves around a womanizer waking...
role in Episode IX. On July 9, The Hollywood Reporter reported that BillyDeeWilliams was confirmed to reprise the role of Lando Calrissian. On July 27...
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