Billy Dee Williams
Born: 1937-04-06 in New York City, New York, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
William December "Billy Dee" Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, artist, and singer. He is best known as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise, first in the early 1980s, and nearly forty years later in The Rise of Skywalker (2019), marking one of the longest intervals between onscreen portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film history. He made his film debut in 1959 in The Last Angry Man starring Paul Muni, in which he portrayed a juvenile delinquent. His first big break was in the acclaimed television movie, Brian's Song in which he played Gale Sayers. In 1972 he played Billie Holliday's husband Louis McKay in Motown Productions' Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues. Diana Ross starred in Lady Sings the Blues opposite Williams; Motown paired the two of them again three years later in Mahogany. 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.
Filmography
2025
- LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past as Landolorian (voice)
- STZ as Broadcaster (voice)
2024
- LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy as Landolorian (voice)
- Icons Unearthed: Batman as Self
2023
2022
- LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- Is That Black Enough for You?!? as Self
2021
- And Just Like That… as Lawrence Todd
- Stallone: Frank, That Is as Self
2020
- LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- The Skywalker Legacy as Self
2019
- The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as Lando Calrissian
- Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? as Billy Dee Williams (voice)
- Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits as Self
2018
- Quincy as Self
2017
- The Lego Batman Movie as Two-Face (voice)
- Dirty Dancing as Tito
- I Am Not Your Negro as Self
- Batman Is Just Not That Into You as Two-Face (voice)
- Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? as Two-Face (voice)
2016
- LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises as Lando Calrissian (voice)
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- The Man in 3B as Cain
2014
- Star Wars Rebels as Lando Calrissian (voice)
- The Lego Movie as Lando (voice)
- The Rebels as Coach Paysinger
- The Robot Chicken: Bitch Pudding Special as Fudge Turnover (voice)
2013
- LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles as Lindo Calrissian (voice)
2012
- Key & Peele as Billy Dee Williams
- Comic Book Men as Self
- The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange as Sensei Carrot / Cucumber Referee (voice)
2011
- The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll as Ace Millstone
2010
- The Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III as Lando Calrissian / Teacher (voice)
- Barry Munday as Lonnie Green
- 3 Ways to Get a Husband as William
2009
- Modern Family as Himself
- Glee as Andy Collins
- White Collar as Ford / Bradford Toman
- Celebrity Ghost Stories as Self
- Titan Maximum as Adm. Bitchface (voice)
- Fanboys as Judge Reinhold
- Diary of a Single Mom as Uncle Bo
- Pitching Man: Satchel Paige Defying Time as Narrator
2008
- The Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II as Lando Calrissian / Man (voice)
- iMurders as Robert Delgado
- Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight as Self
2007
- Private Practice as Henry
- General Hospital: Night Shift
- Constellation as Helms Boxer
2006
- Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror as Pastor Charlie
- Giraffes Can't Dance
2005
- Dancing with the Stars as Self - Contestant
- Robot Chicken as Billy Dee Williams / Fudge Turnover (voice)
- The Boondocks as Himself (voice)
- Mind of Mencia
- Bring Back... as Self
- Black in the 80s
- Merry F#%$in' Christmas as Self
2004
- Lost as Billy Dee Williams
- Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy as Self
- When Star Wars Ruled the World as Self
- The Maintenance Man as Melven
2003
- NCIS as Leroy Jethro Moore
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
- Epoch: Evolution as Ferguson
- Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa as Narrator
2002
- Half & Half as Otis 'Omar Funk' Wright
- Street Time as Charles White
- Undercover Brother as Gen. Warren Boutwell
- It's Black Entertainment as Self
- The Last Place on Earth as Dr. Davis
2001
- Scrubs as Billy Dee Williams
- Good Neighbor as Sgt. Paul Davidson
- The Visit as Henry
2000
- 18 Wheels of Justice as Burton Hardesty
- The Ladies Man as Lester
- Fear Runs Silent as Sheriff Hammond
1999
- The Contract as Senator Harmon
1998
- That '70s Show as Pastor Dan
- The Hughleys as Jerry Rose
- Woo as Himself
- Hard Time as Leo Barker
1997
- The View as Self
- Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery as Self
- Steel Sharks as Adm. Jim Perry
- The Fourth King as Gasparre
- Afro Promo as Self (archive footage)
1996
- Moving Target as Detective Don Racine
- Mask of Death as Agent Jeffries
- The Prince
1995
- Falling For You as Lieutenant Frank Lazaro
- Triplecross as Agent Oscar Pierce
1993
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- Marked for Murder as Capt. Jack Reilly
- Message from Nam as Felix
- Alien Intruder as Commander Skyler
- Percy & Thunder as Ralph Tate
1992
- Martin as Billy Dee Williams
- The Jacksons: An American Dream as Berry Gordy
- Giant Steps as Slate Thompson
1991
- Driving Me Crazy as Max
- Voices That Care as Self - Choir Member
1990
- In Living Color
- Dangerous Passion as Lou
- Secret Agent 00 Soul as Secret Agent Zero
1989
- Batman as Harvey Dent
1988
- The Return of Desperado as Daniel Lancaster
1987
- A Different World as Langston Paige
- Wiseguy
- Deadly Illusion as Hamberger
- Number One with a Bullet as Det. Hazeltine
- Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues as Self
1986
- Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary as Self
- Courage as Bobby Jay
- Oceans of Fire as Jim McKinley
- The Right of the People as Mike Trainor
1985
- North and South as Francis Cardozo
- Night of 100 Stars II as Self
- Double Dare as Billy Diamond
- Marvin & Tige as Richard Davis
1984
- Fear City as Al Wheeler
- The Impostor as Matthew Raines
- Time Bomb as Jake Calahan
1983
- Return of the Jedi as Lando Calrissian
- Chiefs as Tyler Watts
- Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever as Self
- Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi as Narrator (voice) / Self
- Shooting Stars as Douglas Hawk
1982
- Late Night with David Letterman as Self - Guest
1981
- Dynasty as Brady Lloyd
- Nighthawks as Matthew Fox
1980
- The Empire Strikes Back as Lando Calrissian
- SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back as Lando Calrissian (archive footage)
- The Hostage Tower as Clarence Whitlock
- Children of Divorce as Walter Williams
1979
- Christmas Lilies of the Field as Homer Smith
1977
- Scott Joplin as Scott Joplin
1976
1975
- The Jeffersons
- Carter's Army as Pvt. Lewis
- Mahogany as Brian
1974
- Dinah! as Self
- The Conversation as Man in Yellow Hat (uncredited)
- The Take as Sneed
1973
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
- Hit! as Nick Allen
1972
- The Glass House as Lennox
- Lady Sings the Blues as Louis McKay
- The Final Comedown as Johnny Johnson
1971
- Brian's Song as Gale Sayers
1970
- The Out-of-Towners as Clifford Robinson, Lost & Found Clerk
- Lost Flight as Merle Barnaby
1969
1968
1967
- Coronet Blue as The Second Technician
1966
- Mission: Impossible as Hank Benton
1965
- The F.B.I. as Edward Tobin
1961
- The Mike Douglas Show as Self
- The Defenders as Private Austin George
1959
- The Last Angry Man as Josh Quincy
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Performer
1953
- The Oscars as Self