It is hard to believe that Billy Dee Williams, whose real name is William December "Billy Dee" Williams Jr., turned 80 years old on Thursday, April 6. When people saw his name trending on social media, they thought the worst until the read that it was his birthday. Fans of the actor were so relieved when they found out that Williams is alive and well.
Still active
Even at his age, Williams is still active. He is well known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the “Star Wars” franchise. No one can see him, but they can surely hear him because he recently lent his beautiful voice to “The LEGO Batman Movie.”
According to his online profile, the actor started out on Broadway in 1945 in "The Firebrand of Florence." His movie career came later in 1959 when his first role was in the film "The Last Angry Man." Then he went on to star in "Brian's Song." Who can ever forget Williams' role in "Lady Sings the Blues" and "Mahogany" with Diana Ross?
In recent years, Billy Dee had a starring role in the "Star Wars" franchise. He acted in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” In 1989 when "Batman" was released, Williams' fans were happy to see him as Harvey Dent. Look forward to seeing the star as Tito in the movie remake of "Dirty Dancing" that is airing on ABC on Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
Billy Dee Williams is one of those actors that viewers like to watch whether it is on Broadway, in movies or on television. Even hearing him when he lends his voice to movies is a treat.
'Dancing with the Stars'
Williams doesn't have a dancing part in the upcoming remake of "Dirty Dancing," but he can dance. He was on Season 18 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2014.
His professional partner was Emma Slater. Unfortunately, the couple had to withdraw from the popular dance competition show on ABC on the third week. The contestant suffered a back injury, and medical officials advised him to withdraw. Fans were disappointed because the little that was seen of his dancing, he did have some smooth moves.
He was 77 years old at the time.
Relationships
The actor and singer has been married three times. From his first marriage, he and Audrey Seller had a son, Corey. His second marriage was to model and actress Marlene Clark. They were married for only two years, and they had no children together. His last marriage was to Teruko Nakagami. They have a daughter, Hanako. Even though the couple filed for divorce in 1993, they reportedly reconciled in 1997.
