Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams

Known for
Acting
Born
April 6, 1937 (age 89)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA

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.

Known For

Photos

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Filmography

—
Brown Sugar poster

Brown Sugar

Movie · as Host - Narrator

—
Dark Empire poster

Dark Empire

Movie · as Lando Calrissian

—
Diamonds on the Silver Screen

Diamonds on the Silver Screen

Movie · as Self

—
Star Wars Detours poster

Star Wars Detours

TV · as Lando Calrissian (voice) · 1 ep

2025
STZ poster

STZ

Movie · as Broadcaster (voice)

2025
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past poster

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past

TV · as Landolorian (voice) · 2 eps

2024
LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy poster

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy

TV · as Landolorian (voice) · 1 ep

2024
Icons Unearthed: Batman poster

Icons Unearthed: Batman

TV · as Self · 6 eps

2023
Clear Lines of Sight: Sidney J. Furie at Paramount poster

Clear Lines of Sight: Sidney J. Furie at Paramount

Movie · as Himself

2022
LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation poster

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

Movie · as Lando Calrissian (voice)

2022
Is That Black Enough for You?!? poster

Is That Black Enough for You?!?

Movie · as Self

2022
In Search of Tomorrow poster

In Search of Tomorrow

Movie · as Self

2021
Stallone: Frank, That Is poster

Stallone: Frank, That Is

Movie · as Self

2021
And Just Like That… poster

And Just Like That…

TV · as Lawrence Todd · 1 ep

2020
The Skywalker Legacy poster

The Skywalker Legacy

Movie · as Self

2020
LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special poster

LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special

Movie · as Lando Calrissian (voice)

2019
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker poster

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Movie · as Lando Calrissian

2019
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits poster

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Adventure Awaits

Movie · as Self

2019
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? poster

Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?

TV · as Billy Dee Williams (voice) · 1 ep

2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show poster

The Kelly Clarkson Show

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2018
Quincy poster

Quincy

Movie · as Self

2017
The Lego Batman Movie poster

The Lego Batman Movie

Movie · as Two-Face (voice)

2017
Dirty Dancing poster

Dirty Dancing

Movie · as Tito

2017
Batman Is Just Not That Into You poster

Batman Is Just Not That Into You

Movie · as Two-Face (voice)

2017
Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That? poster

Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That?

Movie · as Two-Face (voice)

2017
I Am Not Your Negro poster

I Am Not Your Negro

Movie · as Self (archive footage)

2016
LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises poster

LEGO Star Wars: The Resistance Rises

TV · as Lando Calrissian (voice) · 1 ep

2016
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures poster

LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures

TV · as Lando Calrissian (voice) · 2 eps

2015
The Man in 3B poster

The Man in 3B

Movie · as Cain

2015
Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal poster

Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal

Movie · as Lando Calrissian (voice)

2015
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales poster

LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales

TV · as Lando Calrissian (voice) · 2 eps

2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert poster

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2014
The Lego Movie poster

The Lego Movie

Movie · as Lando (voice)

2014
The Rebels poster

The Rebels

TV · as Coach Paysinger · 1 ep

2014
Star Wars Rebels poster

Star Wars Rebels

TV · as Lando Calrissian (voice) · 1 ep

2013
LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles poster

LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles

TV · as Lindo Calrissian (voice) · 2 eps

2012
Comic Book Men poster

Comic Book Men

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2012
Key & Peele poster

Key & Peele

TV · as Billy Dee Williams · 1 ep

2012
The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange poster

The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange

TV · as Sensei Carrot / Cucumber Referee (voice) · 1 ep

2011
The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll poster

The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll

Movie · as Ace Millstone

2010
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III poster

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III

Movie · as Lando Calrissian / Teacher (voice)

2010
Barry Munday poster

Barry Munday

Movie · as Lonnie Green

2010
3 Ways to Get a Husband poster

3 Ways to Get a Husband

Movie · as William

2009
Fanboys poster

Fanboys

Movie · as Judge Reinhold

2009
Pitching Man: Satchel Paige Defying Time poster

Pitching Man: Satchel Paige Defying Time

Movie · as Narrator

2009
Diary of a Single Mom poster

Diary of a Single Mom

Movie · as Uncle Bo

2009
White Collar poster

White Collar

TV · as Ford / Bradford Toman · 1 ep

2009
Titan Maximum poster

Titan Maximum

TV · as Adm. Bitchface (voice) · 5 eps

2009
Celebrity Ghost Stories poster

Celebrity Ghost Stories

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2009
Glee poster

Glee

TV · as Andy Collins · 1 ep

2009
Modern Family poster

Modern Family

TV · as Himself · 1 ep

2008
iMurders poster

iMurders

Movie · as Robert Delgado

2008
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II poster

Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II

Movie · as Lando Calrissian / Man (voice)

2008
Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight poster

Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight

Movie · as Self

2007
Constellation poster

Constellation

Movie · as Helms Boxer

2007
General Hospital: Night Shift poster

General Hospital: Night Shift

TV · 24 eps

2007
Private Practice poster

Private Practice

TV · as Henry · 1 ep

2006
Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror poster

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror

Movie · as Pastor Charlie

2006
Giraffes Can't Dance poster

Giraffes Can't Dance

Movie

2005
Merry F#%$in' Christmas poster

Merry F#%$in' Christmas

Movie · as Self

2005
Mind of Mencia poster

Mind of Mencia

TV · 1 ep

2005
Bring Back... poster

Bring Back...

TV · as Self · 1 ep

2005
Black in the 80s poster

Black in the 80s

TV · as Self · 3 eps

2005
Dancing with the Stars poster

Dancing with the Stars

TV · as Self - Contestant · 3 eps

2005
Robot Chicken poster

Robot Chicken

TV · as Billy Dee Williams / Fudge Turnover (voice) · 1 ep

2005
The Boondocks poster

The Boondocks

TV · as Himself (voice) · 1 ep

2004
When Star Wars Ruled the World poster

When Star Wars Ruled the World

Movie · as Self

2004
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy poster

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

Movie · as Self

2004
The Maintenance Man poster

The Maintenance Man

Movie · as Melven

2004
Lost poster

Lost

TV · as Billy Dee Williams · 1 ep

2003
Epoch: Evolution poster

Epoch: Evolution

Movie · as Ferguson

2003
Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa poster

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

Movie · as Narrator

2003
NCIS poster

NCIS

TV · as Leroy Jethro Moore · 2 eps

2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live! poster

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

TV · as Self - Guest, Self - National Unfriend Day Spokesperson, Self - Commemorative Plate Spokesperson · 1 ep

2002
Undercover Brother poster

Undercover Brother

Movie · as Gen. Warren Boutwell

2002
It's Black Entertainment poster

It's Black Entertainment

Movie · as Self

2002
The Last Place on Earth poster

The Last Place on Earth

Movie · as Dr. Davis

2002
Half & Half poster

Half & Half

TV · as Otis 'Omar Funk' Wright · 1 ep

2002
Street Time poster

Street Time

TV · as Charles White · 2 eps

2001
Good Neighbor poster

Good Neighbor

Movie · as Sgt. Paul Davidson

2001
The Visit poster

The Visit

Movie · as Henry

2001
Scrubs poster

Scrubs

TV · as Billy Dee Williams · 1 ep

2000
Fear Runs Silent poster

Fear Runs Silent

Movie · as Sheriff Hammond

2000
The Ladies Man poster

The Ladies Man

Movie · as Lester

2000
18 Wheels of Justice poster

18 Wheels of Justice

TV · as Burton Hardesty · 44 eps

1999
The Contract poster

The Contract

Movie · as Senator Harmon

1998
Hard Time poster

Hard Time

Movie · as Leo Barker

1998
Woo poster

Woo

Movie · as Himself

1998
That '70s Show poster

That '70s Show

TV · as Pastor Dan · 1 ep

1998
The Hughleys poster

The Hughleys

TV · as Jerry Rose · 2 eps

1997
Steel Sharks poster

Steel Sharks

Movie · as Adm. Jim Perry

1997
Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery poster

Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery

Movie · as Self

1997
Afro Promo poster

Afro Promo

Movie · as Self (archive footage)

1997
The Fourth King poster

The Fourth King

Movie · as Gasparre

1997
The View poster

The View

TV · as Self · 1 ep

1996
Mask of Death poster

Mask of Death

Movie · as Agent Jeffries

1996
Moving Target poster

Moving Target

Movie · as Detective Don Racine

1996
The Prince

The Prince

Movie

1995
Triplecross poster

Triplecross

Movie · as Agent Oscar Pierce

1995
Falling For You poster

Falling For You

Movie · as Lieutenant Frank Lazaro

1994
Lonesome Dove: The Series poster

Lonesome Dove: The Series

TV · 2 eps

1993
Alien Intruder poster

Alien Intruder

Movie · as Commander Skyler

1993
Marked for Murder poster

Marked for Murder

Movie · as Capt. Jack Reilly

1993
Message from Nam poster

Message from Nam

Movie · as Felix

1993
Percy & Thunder poster

Percy & Thunder

Movie · as Ralph Tate

1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien poster

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

TV · as Self - Guest · 2 eps

1992
Giant Steps poster

Giant Steps

Movie · as Slate Thompson

1992
Martin poster

Martin

TV · as Billy Dee Williams · 1 ep

1992
The Jacksons: An American Dream poster

The Jacksons: An American Dream

TV · as Berry Gordy · 2 eps

1991
Driving Me Crazy poster

Driving Me Crazy

Movie · as Max

1991
Voices That Care poster

Voices That Care

Movie · as Self - Choir Member

1990
Secret Agent 00 Soul poster

Secret Agent 00 Soul

Movie · as Secret Agent Zero

1990
Dangerous Passion poster

Dangerous Passion

Movie · as Lou

1990
In Living Color poster

In Living Color

TV · 1 ep

1989
Batman poster

Batman

Movie · as Harvey Dent

1988
The Return of Desperado poster

The Return of Desperado

Movie · as Daniel Lancaster

1987
Deadly Illusion poster

Deadly Illusion

Movie · as Hamberger

1987
Number One with a Bullet poster

Number One with a Bullet

Movie · as Det. Hazeltine

1987
Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues

Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues

Movie · as Self

1987
Wiseguy poster

Wiseguy

TV · 1 ep

1987
A Different World poster

A Different World

TV · as Langston Paige · 1 ep

1986
Courage poster

Courage

Movie · as Bobby Jay

1986
Oceans of Fire poster

Oceans of Fire

Movie · as Jim McKinley

1986
Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary poster

Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary

Movie · as Self

1986
The Right of the People poster

The Right of the People

Movie · as Mike Trainor

1985
Marvin & Tige poster

Marvin & Tige

Movie · as Richard Davis

1985
Night of 100 Stars II poster

Night of 100 Stars II

Movie · as Self

1985
North and South poster

North and South

TV · as Francis Cardozo · 3 eps

1985
Double Dare poster

Double Dare

TV · as Billy Diamond · 7 eps

1984
Fear City poster

Fear City

Movie · as Al Wheeler

1984
Time Bomb poster

Time Bomb

Movie · as Jake Calahan

1984
The Impostor poster

The Impostor

Movie · as Matthew Raines

1983
Return of the Jedi poster

Return of the Jedi

Movie · as Lando Calrissian

1983
Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi poster

Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi

Movie · as Narrator (voice) / Self

1983
Shooting Stars poster

Shooting Stars

Movie · as Douglas Hawk

1983
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever poster

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever

Movie · as Self

1983
Chiefs poster

Chiefs

TV · as Tyler Watts · 3 eps

1982
Late Night with David Letterman poster

Late Night with David Letterman

TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep

1981
Nighthawks poster

Nighthawks

Movie · as Matthew Fox

1981
Dynasty poster

Dynasty

TV · as Brady Lloyd · 29 eps

1980
The Empire Strikes Back poster

The Empire Strikes Back

Movie · as Lando Calrissian

1980
The Hostage Tower poster

The Hostage Tower

Movie · as Clarence Whitlock

1980
Children of Divorce poster

Children of Divorce

Movie · as Walter Williams

1980
SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back poster

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back

Movie · as Lando Calrissian (archive footage)

1979
Christmas Lilies of the Field poster

Christmas Lilies of the Field

Movie · as Homer Smith

1977
Scott Joplin poster

Scott Joplin

Movie · as Scott Joplin

1976
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings poster

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings

Movie · as Bingo

1975
Mahogany poster

Mahogany

Movie · as Brian

1975
Carter's Army poster

Carter's Army

Movie · as Pvt. Lewis

1975
The Jeffersons poster

The Jeffersons

TV · 1 ep

1974
The Take poster

The Take

Movie · as Sneed

1974
The Conversation poster

The Conversation

Movie · as Man in Yellow Hat (uncredited)

1974
Dinah! poster

Dinah!

TV · as Self · 2 eps

1973
Hit! poster

Hit!

Movie · as Nick Allen

1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ... poster

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

TV · as Self · 1 ep

1972
Lady Sings the Blues poster

Lady Sings the Blues

Movie · as Louis McKay

1972
The Final Comedown poster

The Final Comedown

Movie · as Johnny Johnson

1972
The Glass House poster

The Glass House

Movie · as Lennox

1971
Brian's Song poster

Brian's Song

Movie · as Gale Sayers

1970
Lost Flight poster

Lost Flight

Movie · as Merle Barnaby

1970
The Out-of-Towners poster

The Out-of-Towners

Movie · as Clifford Robinson, Lost & Found Clerk

1969
The New People poster

The New People

TV · 1 ep

1968
The Mod Squad poster

The Mod Squad

TV · 1 ep

1967
Coronet Blue poster

Coronet Blue

TV · as The Second Technician · 1 ep

1966
Mission: Impossible poster

Mission: Impossible

TV · as Hank Benton · 1 ep

1965
The F.B.I. poster

The F.B.I.

TV · as Edward Tobin, Nate Phelps, James Borden · 1 ep

1961
The Defenders poster

The Defenders

TV · as Private Austin George · 1 ep

1961
The Mike Douglas Show poster

The Mike Douglas Show

TV · as Self · 2 eps

1959
The Last Angry Man poster

The Last Angry Man

Movie · as Josh Quincy

1956
Tony Awards poster

Tony Awards

TV · as Self - Performer · 1 ep

1953
The Oscars poster

The Oscars

TV · as Self · 1 ep