I found the Billy Dee Williams session informative and eye-awakening. I have had a crush on Williams since his Lady Sings the Blues days (and I continued to love him even when he starred in Mahogany). In the 1980s my brother bought a wave cap with the hopes it would turn his densely textured curls into Williams’ smooth natural waves.
To anyone who might ask, Billy Dee Williams remains the coolest person around. When he arrived, his relaxed presence permeated throughout the room. Williams, with his iconic background, sits at the core of an established acting pantheon including Harrison Ford and James Earl Jones. Despite his sex symbol status, Williams’ racial, cultural and social understanding surprised me. His session, although bursting at the seams with attendees, felt more like a cozy, coffee chat with a former professor who occasionally references 17th century Danish painters and casually uses phrases like “myopic” and “parochial.” Throughout the session, you could feel his humor, intelligence, and awareness. Honestly, Bill Dee Williams isn’t a person I want to have a one-way question and answer session with. He’s the type of person I’d rather have a random conversation surrounding 18th century British painters.
Although the Billy Dee Williams I grew up with was portrayed as a charming, sex symbol, he’s the consummate renaissance professional. While recent guest starring/starring roles on Private Practice, Robot Chicken, the Cleveland Show, White Collar and Titan Maximum, have kept his acting vitae full; he remains active in all spheres of the arts, including abstract painting and jazz. The National Portrait Gallery, The Smithsonian, and the Schomburg have all exhibited his works. When I asked about his most recent projects, he seemed particularly proud of a recent interview published in Juxtapoz: Art and Culture magazine. On the music end he remains an Honorary Co-Chairman for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Remember when Ford played the piano for the duet of June (Diahann Carroll) and Neal (Matt Bomer) in White Collar‘s “Countermeasures” (Season 2, Episode 13)? Well, Billy Dee is a real life Bradford Toman. When describing Ford, in response to one of my questions, he stated, “I liked that character because he was a dubious kind of character.” He viewed him as “charismatic” which he “liked a lot.” When I asked him if Ford might return in a flashback episode, he admitted it seemed like the writers set up that possibility. After my two questions ended, he continued to describe his feelings for Lando and Ford: “I like that kind of stuff … very charming villainous kind of characters.” When another fan requested Williams detail his White Collar experiences and his feelings about Ford, he stated: “It was an interesting character … working with those guys it was a lot of fun … he was an old time gangster … who was very charming …. he was an internationalist in a sense which I found very intriguing.”
Williams also surprised me with his racial awareness. A January 1981 Ebony interview described him as a “cross-over.” In the ’80s, I rarely heard actors described as “cross-over,” overtly comment on their racial status or even indicate awareness of their color in public. So, when he made casual racial references or stated he took roles like Harvey Dent, because “it wasn’t written for a little brown-skinned boy like me,” and Lando, because he was “devoid of racial differences,” I was proud.
If you notice I say Williams surprised me a lot, it’s because he did. However, what truly surprised me included his affection for Seth Green. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t expect the guy who voices Chris (Family Guy) to relate to the guy who brought us Harvey Dent. However, he said Green is “like one of my sons.” Then again, he played Admiral Bitchface (Titan Maximum) in 2009, so it has to be true.
For all that he’s accomplished, Williams is a professional actor who puts the job first. When a fan asked if production members fawned over him during his TV guest spots, he basically said no, with a hint of humor: “They’re being professional and have limited time.” When the fan looked disappointed to discover that acting is a job, Williams wryly replied: “Yes, it’s that boring.” The only time I saw Williams break his legendary cool occurred when a young woman, dressed in Leia’s slave costume, called him “hot chocolate.” He laughingly called her “hot vanilla” but stopped the panel until he regained his aplomb. He literally is that smooth in reality. And, yes, he is still the guy who could walk into any coffee shop and steal anybody’s spouse or significant other.
Overall, Williams is more than you’d expect. If you ever get the chance to meet him in person, take advantage of the opportunity. He isn’t just a hard-working actor who holds himself with knowledge and patience. He’s a real-life Renaissance man.
For more quotes from his panel, find them below:
Clacked by An Nicholson 
on Jul 12, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
You just know the person who asked about his favorite drink was holding his breath for COLT 45.
He did. He admitted that he tried to get Billy Dee to say “Colts 45,” but this time his attempt “didn’t work everytime.”