Billy Dee Williams is the man. In the 70s, he made grown men cry in Brian’s Song and bewitched their dates in Lady Sings The Blues and Mahogany. In the 80s, he became a hero to a younger generation as Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi while still keeping his edge in a series of ads for Colt 45 malt liquor.
In recent years, he’s been goofing on his cooler-than-cool image with appearances in The Ladies Man and Undercover Brother he’s also joined the Robot Chicken guys in their Star Wars send-ups, voicing the stop-motion Lando.
This weekend, Williams brings his smoothness to the Direct Energy Centre for Wizard World Toronto Comic Con, where he’ll be appearing Saturday and Sunday he’ll also be exhibiting his artwork Friday and Saturday evening at the Liss Gallery in Yorkville.
You’re a frequent guest at these conventions. Is it usually just Star Wars fans who approach you, or does your other work come up?
I’m always amazed at how much they know, actually – how much they follow an actor’s career. I’ve got a lot of friends out there who’ve been giving me a lot of support for a lot of years, so it’s always nice to get out there and meet everybody.
Is it like one big party?
They come out in their costumes, you know. It’s very interesting to see the kind of creativity that goes on with a lot of these people who create their own costumes based on these characters that they’ve fallen in love with.
Have you encountered anyone who’s come dressed as Lando?
Yeah, I’ve seen a few of those guys.
The intensity and impact of the Star Wars franchise is incredible. Movies made 30 years ago are still sucking people in.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. I’ve got a grandson who’s three years old, he’s into it already. It’s a phenomenon, one of those things that just happens – it’s rare to have that kind of experience, with that kind of longevity.
And you got to play the coolest guy in the universe.
It’s great. You can’t beat that – I’m a very, very lucky person. I’m very fortunate.
