Billy Dee Williams

Highest Rated: 96% The LEGO Movie (2014)

Lowest Rated: 0% The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll (2011)

Birthday: Apr 6, 1937

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

The screen's first authentic black romantic leading man, Williams is often referred to as "the black Gable." He first appeared onstage as a child actor in The Firebrand of Florence (1947) with German actress Lotte Lenya; his mother was an elevator operator at New York's Lyceum Theater, and when she heard of an opening for a child in the play she brought him to the producer, who hired him. He went on to study acting at New York's High School of Music and Art and The National Academy of Fine Arts; for a few months he was taught by Sidney Poitier at Harlem's Actors Workshop. He began working onstage in the mid '50s, then landed his breakthrough role in the play A Taste of Honey in 1960. He debuted onscreen as a rebellious ghetto kid in The Last Angry Man (1959). However, he did not appear in another film for over a decade. In the '60s he began landing roles on TV, including a continuing role on the soap opera Another World and guest spots on TV series. He made a big impression as the costar of the TV movie Brian's Song (1970). His breakthrough screen role was as the lover of Billie Holiday (Diana Ross) in the hit Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which brought him to stardom and established him as a romantic lead. He went on to appear in a number of movies, few of which fully used his talents; he portrayed Lando Calrissian in the second and third Star Wars films, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). In the mid '80s he began appearing again frequently on TV, and starred in the short-lived series Double Dare in 1985; he was also a regular for a while on Dynasty.

Highest Rated Movies

Filmography

Movies

		Credit
52%	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	Lando Calrissian	—	2019
90%	The Lego Batman Movie	Two-Face	$175.7M	2017
No Score Yet	The Man in 3B	Actor	$0.3M	2015
96%	The LEGO Movie	Lando	$244.9M	2014
No Score Yet	The Trace	Actor	—	2014
0%	The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll	Ace Millstone	—	2011
No Score Yet	John Legend - Duke Ellington	Actor	—	2011
43%	Barry Munday	Lonnie Green	—	2010
No Score Yet	Three Ways to Get a Husband	Actor	—	2009
No Score Yet	iMurders	Actor	—	2008
32%	Fanboys	Judge Reinhold	$0.8M	2008
11%	Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror	Pastor Charlie	—	2007
No Score Yet	The Maintenance Man	Actor	—	2006
0%	Constellation	Helms Boxer	$0.3M	2005
No Score Yet	Epoch:Evolution	Actor	—	2003
No Score Yet	Epoch: Evolution	Paul Ferguson	—	2003
77%	Undercover Brother	Gen. Boutwell	$38.3M	2002
No Score Yet	The Last Place on Earth	Dr. Davis	—	2002
No Score Yet	Star Wars vs. Star Trek: The Rivalry Continues	Actor	—	2001
72%	The Visit	Henry Waters	—	2000
11%	The Ladies Man	Lester	$13.4M	2000
No Score Yet	Marked for Murder	Capt. Jack Reilly	—	2000
No Score Yet	Fear Runs Silent	Hammond	—	1999
No Score Yet	Contract	Actor	—	1999
No Score Yet	Hard Time	Barker	—	1998
10%	Woo	Actor	—	1998
No Score Yet	Bingo Long And His Traveling All Stars	Actor	—	1998
No Score Yet	Mask of Death	Agent Jeffries	—	1997
No Score Yet	Steel Sharks	Tom Perry	—	1997
No Score Yet	Moving Target	Detective	—	1996
No Score Yet	The Prince	Jamie Hicks	—	1996
No Score Yet	Secret Agent 00 Soul	Secret Agent Zero	—	1995
No Score Yet	Triplecross	Oscar	—	1995
No Score Yet	Black Rose of Harlem	Actor	—	1995
No Score Yet	Alien Intruder	Commander Skyler	—	1993
No Score Yet	Percy and Thunder	Ralph Tate	—	1993
No Score Yet	Giant Steps	Slate Thompson	—	1992
No Score Yet	Driving Me Crazy	Max	—	1991
No Score Yet	Dangerous Passion	Actor	—	1990
72%	Batman	Harvey Dent	—	1989
No Score Yet	The Return of Desperado	Daniel Lancaster	—	1988
No Score Yet	Deadly Illusion	Hamberger	—	1987
No Score Yet	Number One with a Bullet	Frank Hazeltine	—	1987
No Score Yet	Courage	Bobby Jay	—	1986
No Score Yet	Oceans of Fire	Actor	—	1986
67%	Fear City	Al Wheeler	—	1984
No Score Yet	The Imposter	Matthew Raines	—	1984
No Score Yet	Marvin and Tige	Richard Davis	—	1983
82%	Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi	Lando Calrissian	—	1983
No Score Yet	Chiefs	Joshua Cole/Tyler Watts	—	1983
No Score Yet	From Star Wars to Jedi - The Making of a Saga	Actor	—	1983
No Score Yet	Shooting Stars	Actor	—	1983
70%	Nighthawks	Matthew Fox	—	1981
No Score Yet	Children of Divorce	Actor	—	1980
47%	The Final Countdown	Actor	—	1980
94%	Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back	Lando Calrissian	$4.6M	1980
No Score Yet	Christmas Lilies of the Field	Homer Smith	—	1979
No Score Yet	Scott Joplin	Scott Joplin	—	1977
88%	The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings	Bingo Long	—	1976
25%	Mahogany	Brian	—	1975
No Score Yet	Hit!	Nick Allen	—	1973
69%	Lady Sings the Blues	Louis McKay	—	1972
No Score Yet	The Final Comedown	Johnny Johnson	—	1972
No Score Yet	The Glass House	Lennox	—	1972
60%	The Out-of-Towners	Lost and Found Supervisor	—	1970
85%	Brian's Song	Gale Sayers	—	1970
No Score Yet	Carter's Army	Pvt. Lewis	—	1970
No Score Yet	Black Brigade	Lewis	—	1969
No Score Yet	Diamond Head	Actor	—	1963
No Score Yet	The Last Angry Man	Josh Quincy	—	1959

TV

		Credit
No Score Yet	Jimmy Kimmel Live 2003	Guest	2020 2019
No Score Yet	Comic Book Men 2012-2018	Guest	2015
No Score Yet	Dancing With the Stars 2005	Reality cast member	2014
No Score Yet	King of the Nerds 2013-2015	Judge	2014 2013
86%	Modern Family 2009	Billy Dee Williams Himself	2013
No Score Yet	NCIS 2003	Leroy Jethro Moore	2012
No Score Yet	Man Up 2011	Himself	2011
21%	Man Up! 2011	Himself	2011
No Score Yet	The Cleveland Show 2009-2013	Voice	2011
96%	White Collar 2009-2014		2011 2010
54%	The Boondocks 2005-2014	Voice	2010
No Score Yet	Titan Maximum 2009	Voice	2009
No Score Yet	General Hospital: Night Shift 2007-2008	Toussaint Dubois	2008 2007
51%	Private Practice 2007-2013	Henry	2008 2007
71%	Family Guy 1999	Voice	2007
85%	Lost 2004-2010	Mr. LaShade	2007
83%	Scrubs 2001-2010	Himself	2006
No Score Yet	Half & Half 2002-2006	Omar	2004
No Score Yet	That '70s Show 1998-2006	Paston Dan	2004
50%	Gideon's Crossing 2000-2001	Clark Boies Calrk Boies	2001
No Score Yet	The Hughleys 1998-2002	Jerry Rose	2001 1999
No Score Yet	A Different World 1987-1993		1993
No Score Yet	Martin 1992-1997	Himself	1993
No Score Yet	Wiseguy 1987-1990		1990
No Score Yet	Dynasty 1981-1989	Brady Lloyd	1984
No Score Yet	The Jeffersons 1975-1985	Director	1984 1978
No Score Yet	Mission: Impossible 1966-1973	Hank Benton	1971
No Score Yet	18 Wheels of Justice 2001

QUOTES FROM Billy Dee Williams CHARACTERS

Al Wheeler says: [as Rossi drives off] There's nothing I hate more than guineas in Cadillacs.

Batman/Bruce Wayne says: YOU WANT TO GET NUTS?!!! COME ON! Lets get nuts!

Batman/Bruce Wayne says: YOU WANT TO GET NUTS? COME ON! Lets get nuts!

District Attorney Harvey Dent says: Call Me.

Joker/Jack Napier says: This town needs an enema.

Lando Calrissian says: I thought you wanted them to stay here!

Brian Piccolo says: I said thank you.

Gale Sayers says: I know.

Brian Piccolo says: Well, usually when someone says thank you you're supposed to say you're welcome or How's Your mother?

Gale Sayers says: How's your mother?

Brian Piccolo says: She's doin' fine, thanks for asking.

Gale Sayers says: I love Brian Piccolo. And tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him.

Brian Piccolo says: I think I know what's wrong with me.

Gale Sayers says: Yeah? What's that?

Brian Piccolo says: I'm pregnant.

Lando Calrissian says: How you doin', Chewbacca? You still hangin' around with this loser?

Lando Calrissian says: How you doin Chewbacca? Still hanging around with this loser?