Billy Dee Biography
Billy Dee born William December Williams Jr. is an American actor who was born and raised in New York City, U.S. He is widely known in his roles in ‘Star Wars: Detours’ as Lando Calrissian, ‘Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?’ as Billy Dee Williams, ‘Dirty Dancing’ as Tito and ‘Barry Munday’ as Lonnie Green.
10 Quick Facts About Billy Dee
- Name: Billy Dee
- Age: 84 years
- Birthday: 6 April
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Height: 6 feet 0 inches
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Actor
- Marital Status: Married
- Salary: Under Review
- Net worth: $6 million
Billy Dee Age
Billy is 86 years old as of 2023, he was born on 6 April 1937, in New York, United States. He celebrates his birthday on 6 April every year and his birth sign is Aries.
Billy Dee Height
Dee stands at a height of 6 feet 0 inches.
Billy Dee Weight
Billy weighs an average weight of 103 kilograms. He has black hair and brown eyes. His other body measurements are not available.
Billy Dee Education and Early Life
William December Williams Jr. was born in New York City, the son of Loretta Anne (1915–2016) elevator operator at the Lyceum Theatre and aspiring performer from Montserrat, and William December Williams Sr. (1909–1973), an African-American caretaker, with some Native American ancestry from Texas.
He grew up in Harlem on 110th Street, between Lenox and 5th, adjacent to Central Park North–110th Street station. He used to go to Central Park to see the Negro league players and the Cuban baseball league, “They were fantastic, and I wound up working with a lot of those guys,” (in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)).
He has a twin sister, Loretta, and they were raised by their maternal grandmother while their parents worked several jobs. His mom had studied opera for years, becoming an accomplished opera star who wanted to break into movies; the family was richly cultured, exposing the children early on to drawing, painting, theatre, and similar creative experiences; Billy Dee would remain a fan of the arts including opera.
In March 1945, he made his Broadway debut at age seven portraying a page in The Firebrand of Florence, Kurt Weill, and Ira Gershwin’s operetta starring Lotte Lenya. His mom, who worked at the theatre, volunteered him for the part which he found boring.
Williams attended Booker T. Washington Junior High School where he had dreams of being a painter. He graduated in 1955 from the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, where he majored in arts with a focus on visual arts.
The school would later be the subject for Fame (1980), and its derivative television series. While there he got a two-year scholarship for the National Academy of Fine Arts and Design in New York—which later changed its name to the National Academy of Design—to study with a focus on “classical principles of painting”.
He was nominated at eighteen or nineteen years old for a Guggenheim Fellowship grant—for “creative ability in the arts,” and won a Hallgarten Prize in the mid-1950s. Although he had scholarships to pay for school tuition, he turned to acting to pay for his paints, supplies, and canvasses.
His first Broadway theatre “big break” was a play, A Taste of Honey. He continued to struggle as an actor for ten years working as an extra, doing small and large theatre, and “slowly breaking into television and film”.
During art school he gained interest in the Stanislavsky Method—experiencing a role in contrast to representing it, to mobilize an actor’s conscious thought and will to activate emotional response and subconscious behavior—and began studying at the Harlem Actors Workshop. It was run by blacklisted actor Paul Mann who embraced actors of all races; Williams also studied there under Sidney Poitier.
He first viewed his acting as a way to pay for his art supplies, by the early 1960s though he began to “devote all of his energy to performance.” In succession, he got an actor agent through a friend, started getting major Off-Broadway roles, then work on Broadway.
Rise To Fame
He is widely known in his roles in ‘Star Wars: Detours’ as Lando Calrissian, ‘Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?’ as Billy Dee Williams, ‘Dirty Dancing’ as Tito, and ‘Barry Munday’ as Lonnie Green.
Billy Dee Family, Parents, and Siblings
Billy is born to his father William December Williams, Sr., and his Mother Loretta Anne Williams. However, little is known about his upbringing and if he has any siblings. This information is nonetheless currently under review and will be updated as soon as it has been made publicly available.
Billy Dee’s Wife, Dating
Williams has been married three times and has three children and two grandchildren. His first marriage was to Audrey Sellers in 1959. They were divorced some years later, after which he apparently became depressed. He stated that “there was a period when I was very despondent, broke, depressed, my first marriage was on the rocks.” They had a son, Corey Dee Williams, born in 1960. In 1968, Williams married model and actress Marlene Clark in Hawaii. They divorced in 1971. He moved from New York City to California in 1971.
He married Teruko Nakagami on December 27, 1972. She brought a daughter, Miyako (born 1962), from her previous marriage to musician Wayne Shorter. Together they have a daughter, Hanako (born 1973). In 1984, he bought a “Zen-like contemporary” home in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California; he sold it in 2012. He filed for an amicable divorce from Nakagami in 1993, but they reconciled and were again living together by 1997.
Billy Dee Children
Billy has two children namely, Corey Williams and Hanako Williams.
Billy Dee Salary
Details about her salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much she makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Billy Dee Net Worth
Dee has an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars as of 2023. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as an Actor. Through his various sources of income, he has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Billy Dee Measurements and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about him.
Billy Dee Wiki
- Full Names: William December Williams Jr.
- Popular As: Billy Dee
- Gender: Male
- Occupation / Profession: Actor
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: Not Available
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Billy Dee Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 84 years as of (2021)
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Date of Birth: 6 April 1937
- Place of Birth: New York, United States
- Birthday: 6 April
Billy Dee Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: Not Available
- Height / How Tall?: 6 feet 0 inches ( 1.83)
- Weight: 103 kg
- Eye Color: Dark Brown
- Hair Color: Black
- Shoe Size: Not Available
Billy Dee Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): William December Williams, Sr
- Mother: Loretta Anne Williams
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Not Known
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife/Spouse: Married to Teruko Nakagami
- Dating / Girlfriend: Not Applicable
- Children: Hanako and Corey
Billy Dee’s Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $9 million
- Salary: Under Review
- Source of Income: Actor
Billy Dee Arrested
Williams was arrested on January 30, 1996, after allegedly assaulting his live-in girlfriend, whom the police did not identify. He posted a US$50,000 bail. L.A. Police said the woman had minor bruises and scratches. The district attorney’s office filed misdemeanor charges of spousal battery and dissuading a witness. The woman later stated that the incident was her fault and hoped the police would drop the case. In a plea bargain, Williams agreed to undergo 52 counseling sessions. In a 2019 interview, Williams says he never slapped or abused women.
In late 2019, Williams talked about his feminine side in an interview and used masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to himself. Media outlets speculated that Williams might be gender fluid, but he clarified that he was referring to anima and animus: the feminine side of men and the masculine side of women in Jungian psychology.
Billy Dee Movies and TV Shows
- Star Wars: Detours (TV Series) (post-production)
- 2012 – Lando Calrissian
- 2022 – Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as Lando Calrissian
- 2021 – Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? as Billy Dee Williams
- 2020 – The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special as Lando Calrissian
- 2019 – Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker as Lando
- Calrissian
- 2017 – Star Wars: Battlefront II as Lando Calrissian
- 2017 – Best Fiends: Visit Minutia as Pilot Slug
- 2017 – Batman Is Just Not That Into You as Two-Face
- 2017 – Dirty Dancing as Tito
- 2016 – Let It Die as Colonel Jackson
- 2015 – Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales as Lando Calrissian
- 2007-2014 – Robot Chicken as Fudge Turnover / Billy Dee Williams / Lando Calrissian
- 2014 – Glee as Andy Collins
- 2014 – Blood Lines as Judge Devi
- 2013 – Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles as Lindo Calrissian
- 2012 – The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange as Old Carrot
- 2012 – This Bitter Earth as Joe Watkins
- 2011 – Star Tours: The Adventures Continue as Lando Calrissian
- 2011 – White Collar as Ford / Bradford Toman
- 2009-2011 – Diary of a Single Mom as Uncle Bo
- 2010 – Barry Munday as Lonnie Green
- 2010 – 3 Ways to Get a Husband as William
- 2009 – Titan Maximum as Admiral Bitchface
- 2008 – Private Practice as Henry
- 2006 – Scrubs as Billy Dee Williams
- 2005 – Weekends at the DL as God
- 2004 – The Maintenance Man as Melvin
- 2004 – That ’70s Show as Pastor Dan
- 2003 – Epoch: Evolution as Ferguson
- 2003 – Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow as Godot
- 2002 – Undercover Brother as Gen. Warren Boutwell
- 2001 – Very Heavy Love as Dante Brown
- 2000 – The Ladies Man as Lester
- 1998 – Hard Time as Leo Barker
- 1997 – The Fourth King as Gasparre
- 1997 – Steel Sharks as Adm. Jim Perry
- 1995 – Triplecross as Oscar
- 1994 – Lonesome Dove: The Series as Aaron Grayson
- 1993 – Message from Nam as Felix
- 1993 – A Different World as Langston Paige
- 1992 – The Jacksons: An American Dream as Berry Gordy
- 1991 – Driving Me Crazy as Max
- 1990 – Wiseguy as Jesse Hains
- 1989 – Batman as Harvey Dent
- 1988 – The Return of Desperado as Daniel Lancaster
- 1987 – Deadly Illusion as Hamberger
Billy Dee Quotes
Billy Dee Awards and Nominations
Williams has received several awards and nominations throughout his career. Here are some notable ones:
Awards:
- NAACP Image Awards:
- 1981: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture for “The Empire Strikes Back”
- 1982: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for “The Return of the Jedi”
- Saturn Awards:
- 1981: Best Supporting Actor for “The Empire Strikes Back”
- Daytime Emmy Awards:
- 1999: Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for “Batman Beyond”
- Image Awards Hall of Fame Inductee:
- 1999: Recognized for his outstanding contributions to the arts
Nominations:
- Saturn Awards:
- 1980: Best Actor for “The Empire Strikes Back”
- Primetime Emmy Awards:
- 1984: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special for “Double Dare”
- Black Reel Awards:
- 2000: Network/Cable – Best Supporting Actor for “The Visit”
Billy Dee Final Thoughts
Dee is an inspiration to us all. He shows us what is possible when we set our minds to it and never give up on our dreams.
Frequently Asked Questions About Billy Dee
Billy is an acclaimed actor who gained broad recognition after appearing as a cast member of Star Wars: Detours as Lando Calrissian.
Billy is 86 years old as of 2023, he was born on 6 April 1937, in New York, United States. He celebrates his birthday on 6 April every year and his birth sign is Aries.
Dee stands at a height of 6 feet 0 inches.
Dee is married to his lovely wife Audrey Sellers. The couple did their wedding in 1959 and married Marlene Clark in 1968. He later married Teruko Nakagami in 1972.
Dee has an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars as of 2023. This includes his assets, money, and income. His primary source of income is his career as an Actor. Through his various sources of income, he has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Details about his salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much he makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
He is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of his being sick or having any health-related issues.
Billy Dee Contacts
Related Biographies
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