Everyday Black History - Billy Dee Williams, Entertainment Legend

60 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS OF SHOW

Since his 1959 film debut in THE LAST ANGRY MAN, in which he 

played a headstrong kid from the ghetto, legendary actor Billy Dee Williams has racked up an impressive list of film, stage and television credits.  Billy Dee's mustachioed good looks makes it clear why he was frequently referred to as the "black Clark Gable." Despite the superficial comparison to the 1930s screen icon, Williams was the quintessential black romantic lead , whose onscreen charm is rooted in his vulnerability and the careful, almost tentative manner in which his characters approach romance, during a period in Hollywood when roles for black actors were less plentiful than in the years to follow. 

 

Billy Dee, the "Black Clark Gable"

 A December Both Cool and     HOT!!

Born William December Williams in Harlem on April 6, 1937, Billy Dee Williams began his long and prolific career as a child, appearing on stage in The Firebrand of Florence with German actress Lotte Lenya in 1947.  He studied acting at the High School of Music and Art in New York and later at The National Academy of Fine Arts.  The actor also studied briefly at the Harlem Actor's Workshop  under the expert tutelage of none other than the great Sidney Poitier.

The Sexy, Sensitive Seventies

Billy Dee & James Caan in Brian's Song

The 197os and 8os were fruitful for Billy Dee.  After starring with James Caan in  BRIAN'S SONG (1971), a made-for-TV tearjerker about the relationship between Chicago Bears football players Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo, Williams was signed by Motown’s Berry Gordy to a seven-year  contract.  Film credits he acquired while attached to the Motown film label include LADY SINGS THE BLUES (1972) and MAHOGANY (1975) in which he starred as romantic lead opposite Diana Ross.  Williams also starred in THE BINGO LONG TRAVELING ALL-STARS & MOTOR KINGS (1976) and the made-for-television SCOTT JOPLIN (1977). 

Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian and a Stormtrooper in Ep. V

Status Sealed and Delivered

Williams' role as Lando Calrissian in Hollywood blockbusters STAR WARS: EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) and EPISODE VI - RETURN OF THE JEDI (1984) brought the actor the mainstream acclaim that sealed his status as a bona fide screen hero.  A romantic leading man par excellence, Billy Dee has also been a credible advertising pitchman, having appeared for five years beginning in 1986 as the celebrity face of Colt 45 Malt Liquor. In 2016, it was reported that the 78-year-old Williams would revive his role as spokesman for the venerable potable, once the most popular brand of malt liquor. 

Billy Dee Williams appearing on TMZ.com next to a Colt 45 can bearing his image