Billy Dee Williams was born William December Williams in
New York City, New York on April 6, 1937.
As a teenager, Williams attended the New York City High School
of the Performing Arts. Initially, however, Williams found
success as an artist, having achieved rather credible success;
Williams has exhibited priceless oil canvasses and sold many
which were purchased for upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.
Williams screen debut came at a young age however, and in
1959 he was cast in the rough'n'tough film "Last Angry
Man". He frequently appeared in 1970's flicks like "Hit!"
(1973) and "The Out-of-Towners" (1970). Williams
would also turn heads as an African American landing leading
roles, two of which were appearances alongside singing icon
Diana Ross including the film "Mahogany" (1975).
In 1976 Williams auditioned for the role of Hans Solo for
the legendary film series "Star Wars". Though not
cast as Hans, Williams played the memorable role of Lando Calrissian
in several of the films including, THE
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) and RETURN
OF THE JEDI (1983). When asked about the role Williams
stated, "There's always been a lot of misunderstanding about
Lando's character. I used to pick up my daughter from elementary
school and get into arguments with little children who would
accuse me of betraying Han Solo."
In 1987 Williams appeared in the critically acclaimed film
"Batman" as District attorney Harvey Dent.
Since the 1980's however, Williams' career has slowed a bit,
with his recent performances including several TV shows [An
American Dream (1992)], as opposed to the likes of the silver
screen.
Williams' other notable film credits include:
