Billy Dee Williams: biography, filmography, personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Billy Dee Williams is an American actor best known to most audiences for his role as Lando Calrissian in two Star Wars films. Comic book fans know Williams for his role as Harvey Dent in Tim Burton's superhero action movie Batman. In the television filmography of Billy Dee Williams, the soap opera Dynasty, popular in the 80s, deserves special attention.

Biography

The future actor was born in 1937 in New York to William and Loretta Williams. Billy Dee Williams has a twin sister, Loretta. Billy grew up in Harlem, raised by his grandmother, as his parents spent most of their time at work. Studied at the Higher School of Music and Art.

Movie career

The film debut of Billy Dee Williams took place in 1959 - director Daniel Mann approved him for the rolesupporting role in his drama The Last Angry Man. The young actor had the opportunity to work with the star of the time - Paul Muni. The film did not gain much fame despite a good cast.

The next 11 years, the actor worked exclusively on television. He returned to feature films only in the early 70s and played in several low-budget films.

The real acting breakthrough for Williams was the role of Lando Calrissian in the blockbuster Star Wars Episode V, which was released in 1980. The film collected at the box office a huge amount - 538 million dollars. Critics also responded positively to the film. The role in "Star Wars" brought Williams the long-awaited fame and many offers from eminent directors.

The following year, the actor played in Bruce Mault's action movie Nighthawks. Critics praised the acting, but were cold about the film's script.

In 1983, the sixth part of "Star Wars" was released. Williams returned to play the role of Lando Calrissian. Like the previous part, the tape became a box office hit, collecting $ 475 million at the box office. Reviews from film critics for the film were mostly positive, though not as enthusiastic as the previous installment.

The next project in the actor's career was the thriller "Fear City" by Abel Ferrara. The film passed by most of the audience, and now not many moviegoers know about it.

In 1989, Williams played another star role - the role of Harvey Dent in the superhero film "Batman" directed by Tim Burton. The film was shot in a dark, gothic atmosphere, not typical for comic book films of those times. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but this did not prevent it from collecting a good box office - $ 411 million. A photo of Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent (Two-Face) is shown below.

In 1991, the actor starred in the comedy Crazy Story. The film turned out to be a failure - neither the critics nor the audience liked it.

The next 10 years were not the most successful in the actor's career - films with his participation either failed at the box office or remained unknown to the general public due to a small budget.

In 2002, Billy Dee Williams played a small role in the action comedy "Secret Brother", in which he played along with Denise Richards and Eddie Griffin.

In 2009, Williams appeared in a cameo role in the comedy "Fans", which tells about the adventures of ardent Star Wars fans.

In 2017, Harvey Dent spoke as an actor in The Lego Batman Movie. The tape became a box office hit, grossing over $300 million at the box office.

TV roles

The actor's television career began in 1959 with a small role in the anthology series Look Up and Live.

In 1984, Williams landed the role of Brady Lloyd on the soap opera Dynasty.

ForDuring his nearly sixty-year career, Williams has played in more than thirty series and television films, but he mostly got small roles. One of the most famous projects in his television filmography is the well-known cult series Lost, in which the actor played himself.

The actor also got a small role in the youth series "Losers", quite popular in the US and Europe. In total, the series was watched by about 10 million viewers.

Since 2015, the actor has been working on the animated series "Star Wars: Rebels".

Private life

Billy Dee Williams has been married three times. He first married in 1959 to Audrey Sellers. A few years later, the couple divorced. From this marriage, Williams has a son, Corey.

In 1968, Billy Dee Williams married actress and model Marlene Clark. The marriage lasted until 1971.

In 1972, the actor connected his life with Teruko Nakagami. From this marriage, the couple have a daughter, Hanako.