Book
What have we here? : portraits of a life / Billy Dee Williams.
In 'What Have We Here?', film legend Billy Dee Williams recalls his remarkable life of nearly eight decades-a heralded actor who's played the roles he wanted, from 'Brian's Song' to Lando in the 'Star Wars' universe-unchecked by the racism and typecasting so rife in the mostly all-white industry in which he triumphed. In this intimate, joyful, and inspiring memoir, Williams reflects on his love of painting; his love of women; his full embrace of life; on being a husband and father; and on all that has sustained and carried him through a lifetime of dreams and adventure.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593318607 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 277 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some colour) ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2024.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Includes index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Williams, Billy Dee, 1937- African American actors > Biography. |
| Genre: | Biographies. Autobiographies. |
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 791.43028092 Willi | 31681010359834 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"Film legend recalls his remarkable life of nearly eight decades-a heralded actor who's played the roles he wanted, unchecked by the racism and typecasting so rife in the mostly all-white industry in which he triumphed. Billy Dee Williams was born in Harlem in 1937 and grew up in a household of love and sophistication. As a young boy, he made his stage debut working with Lotte Lenya in an Ira Gershwin/Kurt Weill production where Williams ended up feeding Lenya her lines. He studied painting, first at theHigh School of Music and Art, with fellow student Diahann Carroll, and then at the National Academy of Fine Art, before setting out to pursue acting with Herbert Berghoff, Stella Adler, and Sidney Poitier. His first film role was in The Last Angry Man, the great Paul Muni's final film. It was Muni who gave Billy the advice that sent him soaring as an actor, "You can play any character you want to play no matter who you are, no matter the way you look or the color of your skin." And Williams writes, "I wanted to be anyone I wanted to be." On Broadway, he acted in The Cool World in an all-Black cast that included James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson, and in the original hit Broadway production of A Taste of Honey with Angela Lansbury and a young Joan Plowright. In 1971, he landed the role of a lifetime: co-starring alongside James Caan in Brian's Song, the made-for-television movie that was watched by an audience of more than fifty million people. Williams says it was "the kind of interracial love story America needed." His rich and varied career included working with producer Berry Gordy on the Billie Holiday biopic, Lady Sings the Blues, a star vehicle for Diana Ross, then at the height of her superstardom. He also starred in the 1977 film Scott Joplin and appeared in Tim Burton's Batman and more recently the television series, And Just Like That. He became a true pop culture icon when, as the first Black character in the Star Wars universe, he played Lando Calrissian in George Lucas's The Empire Strikes Back ("What I presented on the screen people didn't expect to see"). It was a role he reprised in the final film of the original trilogy, The Return of the Jedi, and in the recent sequel The Rise of Skywalker. A legendary actor, in his own words, on all that has sustained and carried him through a lifetime of dreams and adventure"-- - Baker & Taylor
Recalling his remarkable life of nearly eight decades, the film legend who has starred in 40 movies, seven Broadway plays and has made more than 40 TV shows and movies combined shows how he, as the first Black character in the Star Wars universe, became a true pop culture icon. Illustrations. - Random House, Inc.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â¢Â A film legend recalls his remarkable life of nearly eight decadesâa heralded actor who's played the roles he wanted, from Brianâs Song to Lando in the Star Wars universeâunchecked by the racism and typecasting so rife in the mostly all-white industry in which he triumphed.
âEffortlessly charming. . . [Williams] writes with clarity and intimacy, revealing the person behind the persona.â âMaya S. Cade, The New York Times Book Review
âThe story of a legend, written by the legend himself! Impressive, inspiring, entertaining and endearing.â âJ. J. Abrams
Billy Dee Williams was born in Harlem in 1937 and grew up in a household of love and sophistication. As a young boy, he made his stage debut working with Lotte Lenya in an Ira Gershwin/Kurt Weill production where Williams ended up feeding Lenya her lines. He studied painting, first at the High School of Music and Art, with fellow student Diahann Carroll, and then at the National Academy of Fine Art, before setting out to pursue acting with Herbert Berghoff, Stella Adler, and Sidney Poitier.
His first film role was in The Last Angry Man, the great Paul Muniâs final film. It was Muni who gave Billy the advice that sent him soaring as an actor, âYou can play any character you want to play no matter who you are, no matter the way you look or the color of your skin.â And Williams writes, âI wanted to be anyone I wanted to be.â
He writes of landing the role of a lifetime: co-starring alongside James Caan in Brianâs Song, the made-for-television movie that was watched by an audience of more than fifty million people. Williams says it was âthe kind of interracial love story America needed.â
And when, as the first Black character in the Star Wars universe, he became a true pop culture icon, playing Lando Calrissian in George Lucasâs The Empire Strikes Back (âWhat I presented on the screen people didnât expect to seeâ). It was a role he reprised in the final film of the original trilogy, The Return of the Jedi, and in the recent sequel The Rise of Skywalker.
A legendary actor, in his own words, on all that has sustained and carried him through a lifetime of dreams and adventure.
