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Sign up todayWhat Have We Here?
Portraits of a Life
Narrator
Billy Dee Williams
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Length
11 hours 33 minutes
Language
English
A film legend 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.
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 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.”
He writes of landing 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.”
And when, as the first Black character in the Star Wars universe, he became a true pop culture icon, playing 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.
Cover Credits:
Cover photograph: Courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC
Cover design by Jenny Carrow
COURTESY OF LUCASFILM LTD. LLC
STAR WARS: The Empire Strikes Back (c) & TM Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC.
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS was born and raised in New York City. He has starred in forty movies, seven Broadway plays, and has made more than forty television shows and TV movies combined. He lives in Los Angeles.
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS was born and raised in New York City. He has starred in forty movies, seven Broadway plays, and has made more than forty television shows and TV movies combined. He lives in Los Angeles.
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Reviews
“The story of a legend, written by the legend himself! Reading What Have We Here? is nearly as good as actually sitting with Billy Dee Williams and listening to his myriad remarkable stories. Impressive, inspiring, entertaining and endearing.” —J. J. Abrams“Effortlessly charming. . . [Williams] writes with clarity and intimacy, revealing the person behind the persona. . . . At 86, he still enjoys the ride, but hasn’t forgotten to savor the magic. This book is an invitation to join him.” —Maya S. Cade, The New York Times Book Review
"At 86, [Williams] looks back on his life and storied career. . . . Williams writes candidly about his marriages, his love affairs, interactions with his costars, and the frustrations of being a Black actor in the 1970s. . . . A juicy memoir from a legendary actor. Celebrity watchers will enjoy." —Rosellen "Rosy" Brewer, Library Journal
"Billy Dee Williams, an iconic actor, has been a significant part of the entertainment industry for nearly eight decades. . . . In his memoir, he recounts his growing up in Harlem, his friendships with such luminaries as Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, James Baldwin, and Diana Ross, and his three marriages. As he inspires readers to seize every moment, follow their dreams, and never let anything hold them back, his life story serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration . . . Williams will be as much of a draw on the page as he is on the screen." —Sharon Wyatt, Booklist
"Billy Dee Williams is a man of wonderful talents - a great actor, a renowned artist and now terrific writer. He takes us behind the scenes of his journey from Harlem to Hollywood and beyond. His star quality is magnetic on screen and off and I invite you to share in his most revealing and compelling story.” —Berry Gordy Founder, Motown
"Williams ruminates on his professional triumphs, disappointments . . . and friendships . . . [he] writes with the panache and suavity that characterize his screen presence. The result is a heartfelt Hollywood self-portrait." —Publishers Weekly
★ “The debonair actor crafts a memoir that rivals his greatest characters . . . the narrative often reads like fiction . . . The author always retains his cool, laid-back style, whether he’s discussing how he landed breakthrough roles as Gale Sayers in Brian’s Song and Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars franchise, or his friendships with great actors such as Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando or author James Baldwin. Despite his own numerous issues with racism and discrimination, Williams has always maintained a cool head and used his experiences as a Black man to inform his art in a way that is relatable to all people . . . Williams makes it all sound fascinating." —Kirkus (starred review) Expand reviews
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