As part of DC Public Library's Black Histo
ry Month celebration of "African Americans in the Arts\," the iconic Billy
Dee Williams will discuss his life and new memoir "What Have We Here?: Po
rtraits of a Life" at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Hear Bi
lly Dee Williams reflect on key milestones from early stereotype-busting r
oles to pop culture phenom status with with Jummy Olabanji\, anchor of NBC
4 TODAY. Signed copies of the actor's new memoir &ldquo\;What Have We Her
e?: Portraits of a Life&rdquo\; will be available for purchase after the t
alk.
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This event is presented in partnership with the
Billy Dee Williams was born in Harlem in 1937 and grew up in a househ
old of love and sophistication. As a young boy\, he made his stage debut w
orking with Lotte Lenya in an Ira Gershwin/Kurt Weill production where Wil
liams 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 ac
ting with Herbert Berghoff\, Stella Adler\, and Sidney Poitier.
Hi s first film role was in \;The Last Angry Man\, the great Paul Muni&rs quo\;s final film. It was Muni who gave Billy the advice that sent him soa ring as an actor\, &ldquo\;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. &rdquo\; And Williams writes\, &ldquo\;I wanted to be anyone I wanted to b e.&rdquo\;
\nHe writes of landing the role of a lifetime: co-starrin g alongside James Caan in \;Brian&rsquo\;s Song\, the made-for-televis ion movie that was watched by an audience of more than fifty million peopl e. Williams says it was &ldquo\;the kind of interracial love story America needed.&rdquo\;
\nAnd when\, as the first Black character in the St ar Wars universe\, he became a true pop culture icon\, playing Lando Calri ssian in George Lucas&rsquo\;s \;The Empire Strikes Back \;(&ldquo \;What I presented on the screen people didn&rsquo\;t expect to see&rdquo\ ;). It was a role he reprised in the final film of the original trilogy\,& nbsp\;The Return of the Jedi\, \;and in the recent sequel \;The Ri se of Skywalker.
\nA legendary actor\, in his own words\, on all tha t has sustained and carried him through a lifetime of dreams and adventure .
\n\n
A native of Fairfax County\, Olabanji has spent most of her life in Virginia\, graduating from Westfield High School in Chantilly and Virginia Tech. She earned a Master's degree in Communication and Leadership Studie s from Gonzaga University.
\nOlabanji started her journalism career as an intern for NBC4. She has also worked for stations in Charlottesville \, Norfolk\, and New York City.
\nShe has been honored for her work with two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for breaking news anchor coverag e\, two Virginia Associated Press Awards\, and eight EMMY Awards.
\nOlabanji is an advocate for organ donation and sits on the Board of Direct ors of the National Kidney Foundation. She is also a member of the Nationa l Association of Black Journalists\, The Links\, Incorporated\, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority\, Incorporated. \;
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