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Billy Dee Williams

William December Williams, most famously known as Billy Dee Williams (born on April 6, 1937), is an accomplished actor and painter working across film, stage, and television. He is well-known for his portrayal of Lando Calrissian within the expansive Star Wars saga. Specifically, he had significant roles in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and also Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.

Biography

Entering Empire

Growing up in Harlem, situated within New York City, Williams showcased his talents in Broadway productions, television series, and various Hollywood films, including notable works such as Brian's Song from 1971, Lady Sings the Blues in 1972, and Mahogany released in 1975. The author James Baldwin, a friend of Williams, had a desire for him to embody Malcolm X in a screenplay centered around the American civil rights movement leader, but the project never came to fruition. He was an admirer of the works of American new wave film directors like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. Upon hearing the character's name, he enthusiastically agreed to a contract to play Lando Calrissian in two films, noting that "Calrissian" sounded Armenian. He also felt that the character's cape contributed to an larger-than-life presence, which he compared to the actor Errol Flynn.

The character of Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams, first appeared in the 1980 movie Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. He was excited to portray the first Black character in Star Wars, and he had previously spoken with George Lucas about the villain Darth Vader from the initial Star Wars film, whose voice was provided by the prominent Black actor James Earl Jones. Williams mentioned that Lucas intended to portray a symbolic dichotomy, drawing from the Western film genre's trope of a cowboy in white opposing a cowboy in black. However, he expressed reservations about the potential for a racial interpretation, where the "black fear" associated with Darth Vader could be contrasted with the "white knight" persona of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by the experienced actor Alec Guinness. Williams gave Empire credit for exploring the "human dilemma" through Vader's reveal as a man, whose dark symbolism is juxtaposed with the protagonists' clarity. He had engaged in discussions about Eastern philosophy with Irvin Kershner, the director of Empire, focusing particularly on Zen principles and the character of Yoda, the Jedi master introduced in the film. He emphasized that Star Wars should transcend mere "shoot-'em-up" action, instead focusing on the realization that the "body" is a vessel for the "better self," which is the "mind."

Return of the saga

Billy Dee Williams took on the role again in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, where Lando Calrissian played a role in defeating the Galactic Empire as a rebel general. Williams admitted that he doesn't often rewatch the Star Wars movies. However, he also said that he found it "difficult" to distinguish between himself and Lando Calrissian. He envisioned his character more as a gambler, showman, and entrepreneur, similar to Steve Wynn managing Las Vegas, rather than merely "a general running around shooting things." Williams came back as Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, which was the last movie in the Star Wars saga. Williams mentioned that he found the filming process enjoyable under the direction of J.J. Abrams, who he referred to as "the young mogul" during a 2019 interview with Esquire magazine, where he showcased his self-designed clothing. He expressed his appreciation for Donald Glover's portrayal of a younger Lando Calrissian in the film Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was released in the year before.

Billy Dee Williams starred in 2019's The Rise of Skywalker

When Williams was asked if there was a risk of "too much" Star Wars after The Rise of Skywalker came out in late 2019, he said: "The only thing that's dangerous is lots of stupid people running around and shooting people." Williams also noted that "a European western value system has dominated" the real world "for centuries," but he stressed that he doesn't think of himself as Black and doesn't want to be cast as Black by Hollywood. Williams said that he prefers to deal with oppression in other ways than "go through the machinations" of politics and "spend most of their time pissed off." He said: "You take a negative and you make it into a positive." He sees himself as someone who wants to share his views in creative ways to add "something that you haven't thought about, maybe." Williams, who is a grandfather and a well-known painter, released his memoir, What Have We Here: Portraits of a Life, in 2024.

Works

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Notes and references

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Appearances

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