- "I am Lando Calrissian, and he is me. He is Billy Dee. It's difficult for me to separate myself from that character. I wanted Lando to be wonderful as soon as I first heard his name."
- ―Billy Dee Williams, on his most iconic performance
William December Williams, better known as Billy Dee Williams (born April 6, 1937), is an actor best known for playing Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.
Biography[]
In 1976, he auditioned for the role of Han Solo, during the casting of Star Wars. Although he didn't get the role, he was eventually cast as Lando Calrissian in the two follow-up films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Williams guest-starred on That '70s Show as a pastor. When counseling Eric and Donna, Eric continually made Star Wars references to which the pastor replied, "Star Wars is one of the greatest films ever made." He guest-starred on Scrubs as the godfather of J.D.'s love interest in the episode. Turk called him Lando all throughout the episode, much to the annoyance of Williams. In 2014, he appeared on two episodes of Dancing with the Stars, in which he and a partner danced to Meco's version of the Star Wars theme.
Works[]
Sources[]
- The Jedi Master's Quizbook
- "Star Wars 10th Anniversary Convention!!" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1
- Billy Dee Williams: The Life and Times of Lando Calrissian on Hyperspace (content removed from StarWars.com and unavailable)
- "Assistant of the Empire" — Star Wars Insider 147
- "Classic Moment: Lando's Second Surprise" — Star Wars Insider 152
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – The Official Collector's Edition
- LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation | Booth to Beach | Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- This Week! in Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures Release Date, Billy Dee Williams Joins Star Wars Celebration Europe, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Billy Dee Williams to Appear at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2023 - DAY 2 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ This Week! in Star Wars Shakespeare meets Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Your Fan Art, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ "Billy Dee Williams: "What Have We Here?"" — Star Wars Insider 225
- ↑ Billy Dee Williams (@realbdw) on Twitter: "@ericgeller yes it is... But glad we can talk about it now! Very excited to be part of this project!" (screenshot)
External links[]
- Billy Dee Williams on Wikipedia
- Billy Dee Williams at the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) by Dennis Pellegrom on Star Wars Interviews (September, 2005) (content now obsolete; archived from the original on November 18, 2022)