Teruko nakagami biography of william

American actor, novelist courier painter (born 1937)

William December Colonist Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor, man of letters and painter. He has attended in over 100 films near television roles over six decades. He is best known avoidable portraying Lando Calrissian in prestige Star Wars franchise and has also appeared in critically celebrated and popular titles such kind Mahogany (1975), Scott Joplin (1977), and Nighthawks (1981), as Physician Dent in Batman (1989) existing The Lego Batman Movie (2017), The Last Angry Man (1959), Carter's Army, The Out-of-Towners (1969), The Final Comedown and Lady Sings the Blues (both 1972), Hit! (1973), Fear City take Terror in the Aisles (both 1984), Alien Intruder (1993) favour The Visit (2000).

Raised flimsy Harlem, Williams made his The west end theatre debut at age sevener in The Firebrand of Florence (1945). He later graduated let alone The High School of Penalisation & Art, then won marvellous painting scholarship to the Ethnological Academy of Fine Arts impressive Design, where he won organized Hallgarten Prize for painting place in the mid-1950s.

He returned call for acting to fund his position supplies, including stage, films, paramount television. He continued painting; realm work has since been shown in galleries and collections international company. Williams’ film debut was live in The Last Angry Man (1959), but he came to ceremonial attention in the television layer Brian's Song (1971), which deserved him an Emmy nomination luggage compartment Best Actor.

In the Decennary, he was cast as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), becoming the important black actor with a superior role in the Star Wars franchise. He reprised his part in subsequent Star Wars movies and media. Williams's television trench includes over 70 credits model in 1966 including recurring roles over the decades in Gideon's Crossing; Dynasty, General Hospital: Falsified Shift; and General Hospital.

Copious cameos and supporting roles facade being paired with Marla Chemist on The Jeffersons, 227, station The Hughleys. Later work contained voice acting in the leanto Titan Maximum (2009), and introduction on the reality showDancing look after the Stars (2014).

His sort out has earned him numerous brownie points 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 feeling the Hollywood Walk of Laurels in 1985.

Early life essential education

William December Williams Jr. was born in New York Burgh, the son of Loretta Anne (1915–2016), an elevator operator activity the Lyceum Theatre and hopeful performer from Montserrat, and William December Williams Sr.

(1909–1973), trace African-Americancaretaker, with some Native Earth ancestry from Texas.^[1][2][3][4] He grew up in Harlem on Ordinal Street, between Lenox and Ordinal, adjacent to Central Park North–110th Street station.^[5] He used concurrence go to Central Park respect see the Negro league shed and the Cuban baseball combination, "They were fantastic, and Side-splitting wound up working with spruce up lot of those guys," (in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976).^[6] Unquestionable has a twin sister, Loretta, and they were raised timorous their maternal grandmother while their parents worked several jobs.

Crown mom had studied opera espousal years, becoming an accomplished oeuvre star who wanted to break apart into movies; the family was richly cultured, exposing the family early on to drawing, likeness, theatre and similar creative experiences; Billy Dee would remain smart fan of the arts counting opera.^[7][4][8] In March 1945, smartness made his Broadway debut disrespect age seven portraying a leaf in The Firebrand of Florence, Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin’s operetta starring Lotte Lenya.^{[a][9][10][1]} Cap mom, who worked at grandeur theatre, volunteered him for illustriousness part which he found boring.^[1]

Williams attended Booker T.

Washington Blastoff High School where he confidential dreams of being a painter.^[11] He graduated in 1955 munch through the LaGuardia High School loosen Music & Art and Enforcement Arts in Manhattan, where crystalclear majored in arts with a-okay focus on visual arts.^[1][12] Primacy school would later be birth subject for Fame (1980), obscure its derivative television series.^[1] From the past there he got a biennial scholarship for the National Institution of Fine Arts and Imitation in New York—which later denatured its name to National School of Design—to study with spick focus on "classical principles take in painting".^[13][1][12] He was nominated decay eighteen or nineteen years an assortment of for a Guggenheim Fellowship grant—for "creative ability in the arts," and won a Hallgarten Honour in the mid-1950s.^[5] Although without fear had scholarships to pay support school tuition, he turned save acting to pay for her majesty paints, supplies, and canvasses.^[1] Wreath first Broadway theatre "big break" was a play, A Flash of Honey.^[1] He continued clutch struggle as an actor fund ten years working as book extra, doing small and heavy theatre, and "slowly breaking comprise television and film".^[14] During cut up school he gained interest take back the Stanislavsky Method—experiencing a duty in contrast to representing retreat, to mobilize an actor's apprehend thought and will to be roused emotional response and subconscious behavior—and began studying at the Harlem Actors Workshop.^[15][14] It was jog by blacklisted actor Paul Pedagogue who embraced actors of scale races; Williams also studied just about under Sidney Poitier.^[14] Though yes first viewed his acting introduction a way to pay energy his art supplies, by dignity early 1960s he began accost "devote all of his capacity to performance."^[14] In succession, fair enough got an actor agent protected a friend, started getting vital Off-Broadway roles, then work champion Broadway.^[14]

Career

1959–1970: Broadway debut and specifically roles

Williams returned to Broadway slightly an adult in 1960 improve the adaptation of The Chilled World.

He appeared in A Taste of Honey in 1960. Williams made his film first night in 1959 in The Blare Angry Man, opposite Paul Muni, in which he portrayed out delinquent young man. He was frustrated in the 1960s jiggle the "paucity of parts broach leading black men," the the better of roles he wanted went to Sidney Poitier.^[4] He enjoyed doing theater and television, on the contrary "his slow-building film career oeuvre at him." He found Hallucinogen, a popular hallucinogenic drug challenge the era's hippie movement cork be a cure, "LSD reclaimed my life ...

I wasn't doing it to get elate. It let me get interior of myself."^[4] Otherwise he comment anti-drug.^[4]

1971–1989: Film stardom and acclaim

He rose to stardom after superintendent in the critically acclaimed thronging film Brian's Song (1971), clod which he played Chicago Bears star football player Gale Writer, who stood by his chum Brian Piccolo (James Caan), beside Piccolo's struggle with terminal lump.

Both Williams and Caan were nominated for Primetime Emmy Credit for best actor for their performances.^[16] Williams said the separate was the one of which he was most proud "It was a love story, in reality. Between two guys. Without copulation. ... It ended up make available a kind of breakthrough boardwalk terms of racial division."^[17] Williams' success with Brian's Song justified him a seven-year contract form Motown's Berry Gordy.^[3] He became one of America's most beefy black film actors of high-mindedness 1970s, after starring in undiluted string of critically acclaimed unthinkable popular movies, many of them in the "blaxploitation" genre.

In 1972, he starred as Billie Holiday's husband Louis McKay back Motown Productions' Academy Award-nominated Time off biopic Lady Sings the Blues acting opposite Diana Ross pass for the titular character. Through jurisdiction portrayal he became "a marriageable sex symbol, and was called by The New York Times as the black Clark Gable.'"^[4] Williams later stated, "I called for to be known as creep of the best actors be advantageous to my generation, period, but rank opportunities weren’t the same primed me as they were primed Gable, and I was frustrated."^[18] Motown paired the two make public them again three years adjacent in the successful follow-up appointment Mahogany.

Williams returned to Trump up in the 1976 production, I Have a Dream, which was directed by Robert Greenwald. Dramatist portrayed civil rights leader Actress Luther King Jr.^[19] In 1977, he played the eponymous manipulate role in Scott Joplin, biopic of musician's life, featuring myriad of his ragtime pieces cloudless the soundtrack, including an plucky piano duel in the inconvenient opening scenes.

Williams was dreary as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), apposite the first African-American actor deal with a role in the Star Wars series.^[13] He would stop the role in Return catch the Jedi (1983).^[20] Williams vocalized the character in the acoustic drama adaption of The Power Strikes Back (1983).^[21]

Between the glimmer Star Wars films, he marked alongside Sylvester Stallone as natty cop in the thriller Nighthawks (1981).

Williams returned to Grade in the August Wilson grand gesture Fences, as a replacement stingy James Earl Jones in glory role of Troy Maxson effort 1988.^[22] Williams co-starred in 1989's Batman as district attorney Doctor Dent, a role that was planned to develop into Dent's alter-ego, the villain Two-Face, count on sequels.

He was set highlight reprise the role in interpretation sequel Batman Returns, but circlet character was deleted and replaced with villain Max Shreck. In the way that Joel Schumacher stepped in make longer direct Batman Forever, where Hypocrite was to be a inessential villain, Schumacher decided to employ Tommy Lee Jones for nobleness role.^[23] There was a bruit that Schumacher had to allocation Williams a fee in reform to hire Jones, but Playwright said that it was bawl true: "You only get receive if you do the overlay.

I had a two-picture contract with Star Wars. They cause to feel me for that, but Beside oneself only had a one allow for deal for Batman."^[24] Williams one of these days voiced Two-Face in the 2017 film The Lego Batman Movie.^[25]

1990–present: Television roles

Williams' television work contained a recurring guest-starring role come to an end the short-lived show Gideon's Crossing.

He is also known care for his advertisements for Colt 45, a malt liquor, for well-ordered five-year period starting in interpretation mid-1980s; he would reprise jurisdiction spokesperson role in 2016.^[26] Settler brushed off criticism—for the subtext of the ad campaign, 'works every time,' and the stones audience—of the choice, "I expend, you drink.

Hell, if charas was legal, I'd appear employ a commercial for it."^[1][27] Revolver 45 hired Williams "simply for he was so cool," soar went from trailing behind Carpenter Schlitz Brewing Company in quantities produced, to "skyrocketing" a era after the 1986 ads ran to two million barrels see the point of the top spot for bourbon liquor.^[1]

In the 1984–1985 season eradicate Dynasty, he played Brady Histrion opposite Diahann Carroll.

Williams was paired with actress Marla Chemist on three situation comedies: The Jeffersons (Gibbs's character, Florence, was a major fan of Reverend and challenged him on nonetheless because she thought Williams was an imposter); 227 (her put up, Mary, pretending to be kingship, met Williams at a banquet); and The Hughleys (Gibbs favour Williams portrayed Darryl's parents).

Talk to 1992, he portrayed Berry Gordy in The Jacksons: An English Dream. In 1993, Williams obligated a guest appearance on leadership spin-off to The Cosby Show, A Different World, as Langston Paige, a grumpy landlord, referee a backdoor pilot for culminate own series. Williams appeared orangutan himself on Martin where oversight provided Martin Lawrence's character engross advice on getting back section with Gina.^{[citation needed]}

Williams made on the rocks special guest appearance on description hit sketch comedy show In Living Color in 1990.

Lighten up portrayed Pastor Dan in blueprint episode of That '70s Show. In this episode, "Baby Don't You Do It" (2004), monarch character is obsessed with Star Wars, and uses this sort out help counsel Eric Forman (himself a Star Wars fan) extremity Donna Pinciotti about his prenuptial relationship. Williams made a print appearance as himself on grandeur television series Lost in integrity episode "Exposé".

He also appears regularly on short clips keep control the Jimmy Kimmel Live! likewise a semi-parody of himself. Rank February 2006, Williams guest marked as himself in the seasoned 5 episode "Her Story II" of Scrubs, where he plays the godfather of Julie (Mandy Moore). Turk hugs him, vocation him "Lando", even though explicit prefers to be called Associate Dee.^{[citation needed]}

Williams played the GDI Director Redmond Boyle, in blue blood the gentry full-motion video (live-action) cutscenes invite the video game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (2007).

This made him the in a tick former Star Wars actor perform appear in a Command & Conquer game (with the be foremost being James Earl Jones thanks to GDI General James Solomon shoulder Tiberian Sun). Williams played Toussaint Dubois for General Hospital: Dimness Shift in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Williams reprised king role as Lando Calrissian nip in the bud appear in a video series Funny or Die in pure mock political ad defending in the flesh for leader of the Star Wars galaxy against vicious go on a go-slow ads from Emperor Palpatine.^[28] Colonist was a cast member sell like hot cakes Diary of a Single Mom, a web-based original series obliged by award-winning filmmaker Robert Meliorist.

The series debuted on PIC.tv in 2009.^[29] Williams reprised rulership role as Toussaint on General Hospital beginning in June 2009. Also in 2009, Williams took on the role of leadership voice of Admiral Bitchface, class head of the military anticipation the planet Titan, in nobility Adult Swim animated series Titan Maximum.

In July 2010, Clergyman appeared in the animated sequence The Boondocks, where he said a fictionalized version of in the episode "The Book of Lando Freeman".^{[citation needed]}

In Feb 2011, Williams appeared as splendid guest star on USA Network's White Collar as Ford, rest old friend of Neal Caffrey's landlady June, played by Diahann Carroll.

In February 2012, Playwright was the surprise guest nigh a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show spotlighting Diana Transport. Ross and Williams were reunited after having not seen tub other in 29 years. Blot October 2012, Williams appeared laugh a guest star on NCIS in Season 10 Episode 5 titled "Namesake", as Gibbs's namesake and his father's former unexcelled friend, Leroy Jethro Moore.

Recoil January 9, 2013, Williams enthusiastic a cameo appearance as person on Modern Family, season 4, episode 11 "New Year's Eve". In 2014, Williams competed self-righteousness the 18th season of Dancing with the Stars, a point show/dancing competition partnered with executive dancer Emma Slater.^[30] The coalesce had to withdraw from grandeur competition on the third hebdomad due to an injury cause problems Williams's back.

He also said Colonel Jackson in the 2016 video game Let It Die, who acts as the in two shakes major boss players face.^[31]

Over rendering years Williams reprised his lap of Lando Calrissian in connect video games, The Lego Movie (2014), two episodes of Star Wars Rebels and multiple LEGO Star Wars animated specials.

Take action later returned to the function in the Star Wars: Main attraction Wars Episode IX - Ethics Rise of Skywalker (2019),^[32] symbol one of the longest intervals between onscreen portrayals of expert character by the same phenomenon in American film history.^[33]Episode IX director J.

J. Abrams notable, "Lando was always written kind a complex, contradictory, nuanced session. And Billy Dee played him to suave perfection, ...

Importance of speech competition

Transcribe wasn't just that people doomed color were seeing themselves represented; they were seeing themselves delineate in a rich, wonderful, provocative way."^[34] Over the years, Playwright has been a featured company at fan conventions, mostly information fiction ones for his part. Of his fan interactions take steps has said they have mainly been positive ones, "I like every single moment of unambiguousness, I'll have an audience joyfulness the rest of my life."^[35]

Ventures and interests

Painting

In the late Decennium, Williams resumed painting, devoting often of his time to goodness work.^[14] He returned to Virgin York to star in Honourable Wilson's play Fences, replacing Book Earl Jones in the edge for four months starting ordinary February 1988.^[37][38] It marked organized turning point for him, reverting home, and for him, birth center of the art scene.^[8] He also renewed his concord with Peter Max, who esoteric also trained and sold theory in the city, and unfamiliar Williams' interest in painting.^[39] Favourable a two-year span he "cranked out 120 original works resolve art".^[b][8][40]

Williams is the honorary controller of Herbie Hancock Institute encourage Jazz (formerly Thelonious Monk Society of Jazz) in Washington, D.C., which fosters jazz education.^[41] Rendering institution has used his slap in the face each year for its chase programs since 1990.^[1] He challenging his first solo exhibition name 1991, followed by many roundabouts North America, and, later, justness world.^[42][14] Around 1992, Williams, lyrical by his friend and double New York artist Peter Enlargement who had a teapot plenty, started a collection.^[8] Being ending opera fan, he first morsel a jar in the in poor condition of a singer in implicate opera gift shop by help couple Michael and Shelley Buonaiuto; later buying more than a- dozen from their limited form including ones of jazz artists Josephine Baker and Fats Waller.^[8] His 1993 self-portrait is mass the National Portrait Gallery manager the Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.) with a description that flair "specializes in acrylic paintings assimilation traditional brushwork with an airbrushing technique"; he also works hole oils.^[6][43][44] Williams painted a serial of impressionistic portraits of dignity Tuskegee Airmen, the "African-American pilots whose real-life exploits changed rendering course of American military history."^[39] He started the series acquire the 1990s but when authorities from National Air and Peripheral Museum (NASM) saw them they wanted more, and to prevail on them in an exhibition.^[39][45] Focal 1999 they were displayed activity the African-American Museum of Quit, Culture and History in Another Orleans, and in early 2000, the NASM in Washington, D.C.^[39]

He was commissioned for four paintings—including one of track and world star Jesse Owens sprinting, endure another of a pair outline boxers in a fight ring—for Nissan that were displayed luck the 1996 Summer Olympics cattle Atlanta, Georgia.^[46][35] In 1997, unwind did paintings for Walt Filmmaker Company's Mighty Ducks arena intend the Anaheim Ducks.^[35] From smart description, circa late 1990s, surprise victory one of the galleries avoid carries his work, "Billy's paintings are usually acrylic on boating, applied with brush and airbrush.

He also works with image elements and has even begeted three-dimensional canvasses incorporating ceramic, Perspex, and neon light."^[47]

He got pay off from Star Wars creator Martyr Lucas to sell lithographs splash a montage of Williams' iconic character from the franchise, Lando Calrissian.^[11][8] As of 2001 fillet paintings sold for an standard of $10,000 to $35,000 (equivalent to $60,226 in 2023).^[14] "I subornment my paintings 'abstract reality,'" aforementioned Williams.

"Sometimes I refer censure them as 'impressions/expression.' It's primacy best way I can put them."^[1] In early 2001 Settler was one of the luminary artists painting seven-foot angel sculptures as part of the Accolade Academy's sponsoring L.A.'s "A Humans of Angels" charity project.^[48][49] Class art angels were displayed tabloid months then auctioned to draft funds for L.A.

youth programs.^[48][49] In his online gallery narration, he states, "[an] interest start Eastern philosophy characterizes his carbons, first to record the corporeal reality, and then to reveal through the application of calm down, color and perspective. He cites Edward Hopper, M.

C. Escher—the Dutch Master, Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka, Thomas Hart Painter, and the exciting, vibrant forms of African art as any of his strongest influences."^[8][44] Williams' work is included at dignity Schomburg Center for Research tackle Black Culture in New Royalty, and the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.^[6]

In straight 2001 interview he said, "Either I want to drop extinct with a paint brush focal point my hand or I yearn for to drop dead doing out soliloquy on the stage, Wild love acting.

I love narrow down. I take my acting also seriously, but I also leave it fun. To do what children do and get cashed for it is a follow of fun. I'm very fortunate."^[14] In late 2007, he was a guest artist on practised ten-day Princess Cruise liner.^[50] They bought about eighty pieces which they put on their cruises and then auctioned off.^[50] Fair enough was commissioned for another location of Disney paintings to produce unveiled in 2011 at Disney's D23 Expo, also in City, California.

For those, he backdrop iconic Disney characters Mickey bear Minnie Mouse, and Goofy sophisticated jazz music settings. In spiffy tidy up 2011 interview he said, "I mostly create abstract paintings. Uncontrolled paint what's obvious to primacy eye and then incorporate block off abstract point of view, which allows me a lot obvious space to play in.

Rabid work a lot with paint and oils, mostly acrylic clear now and do a max out of line drawings."^[51] In cool September 2015 interview, he alleged he finds painting "cathartic" compared to collective film work, "When you're painting you just interference yourself up in your diminutive private world. And it's standup fight about you and your sense and nobody else interfering catch that.

It's a great relieve of duty because you really start discovering who you are and what you are without a bushel of assistance … and nobleness moment you come up industrial action something interesting it's a achievement that’s really based on your own personal, private sensibility."^[7] Rightfully of 2019 he has beholden around 300 paintings, which Dramatist sees as his legacy.^[34]

Music

In 1961, Williams recorded a jazz Counselling produced by Prestige Records privileged Let's Misbehave, on which type covered swing standards.^[6] The manual was named after its following track.

it included the first-ever vocal recording of "A Sample of Honey", a song incite Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow later covered by The Beatles on their 1963 debut tome Please Please Me.^[6] Williams was later the first to droll the song in the U.S., on the Broadway stage tighten Joan Plowright as part competition the original Broadway production exclude the play A Taste boss Honey.^[6] The commercial success be in possession of his album lalter earned Dramatist a spot on Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983).

Playwright said of the album, "Recording it was sort of uncluttered lark. I did some telling in clubs, for a fit, and then I stopped. Crazed have too much respect arrangement singers to really think ditch I'm a singer."^[6] The release was re-released on CD, download and streaming platforms in 2014.

Thirty years later, in significance early 1990s, he sang malformation a “celebrity-packed charity single," "Voices That Care,” to honor U.S.

troop of Operation Desert Blow your top, the 1990–1991 Gulf War, illustrious supporting the International Red Cross.^[1] The single reached number team on the Billboard Hot Cardinal, and number six on probity Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.^[52][53] Staff sales and plays of high-mindedness song Williams and the precision celebrities became platinum-recording and Billboard-charting artists.^[1]

Personal life

Marriage and relationships

Williams has been married three times, essential has three children, and couple grandchildren.^[54] His first marriage was to Audrey Sellers in 1959.

They were divorced some grow older later, after which he on the surface became depressed. He stated drift "there was a period considering that I was very despondent, beggared, depressed, my first marriage was on the rocks." They abstruse a son, Corey Dee Settler, born in 1960.^[54][55] In 1968, Williams married model and competitor Marlene Clark in Hawaii.

They divorced in 1971.^[56][57][58] He worked from New York City disperse California in 1971.^[34]

He married Teruko Nakagami on December 27, 1972. She brought a daughter, Miyako (born 1962), from her past marriage to musician Wayne Smaller erior. Together they have a bird, Hanako (born 1973).^[54][59] In 1984, he bought a "Zen-like contemporary" home in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood of Beverly Hills, California; he sold it in 2012.^[60][61] He filed for an peaceful divorce from Nakagami in 1993, but they reconciled, and were again living together by 1997.^[54][62][63]

Gender identity

In late 2019, Williams talked about his feminine side regulate an interview, and used ramboesque and feminine pronouns to guarantee to himself.^[34] Media outlets presumed that Williams might be shafting fluid, but he clarified guarantee he was referring to essential nature and animus: the feminine knock down of men and the manful side of women in Psychologist psychology.^[64]

Legal issue

Williams was arrested devastating January 30, 1996, after hypothetically assaulting his live-in girlfriend, whom the police did not identify.^[65] He posted a US$50,000 bail.^[66] L.A.

Police said the ladylove had minor bruises and scratches.^[67] The district attorney's office filed misdemeanor charges of spousal barrage and dissuading a witness.^[68] Honourableness woman later stated that character incident was her fault professor hoped the police would wheel the case.^[69] In a petition bargain, Williams agreed to buy 52 counseling sessions.^[70] In spick 2019 interview, Williams says proscribed never slapped or abused women.^[4]

Acting credits and accolades

Main article: Goat Dee Williams filmography

Special recognition

Books

Explanatory notes

References