“I don’t pay much attention to any of that”: Billy Dee Williams Couldn’t Give a Rancor’s A** if You Think He’s Gay
Apart from their best movies and projects, celebrities’ personal lives and dating history also frequently make headlines. From their sexuality and preferences to their partners and relationship statuses, everything finds its way online and the masses gobble that information in no time. Similarly, veteran actor Billy Dee Williams has been sparking rumors about his sexuality since the time he joined the industry. His hopeless romanticism has gotten him in trouble in the past.
Is Billy Dee Williams Gay?
Known for playing Lando in the massively popular Star Wars franchise, Billy Dee Williams has been a part of the industry for about 80 years. He has done movies, TV shows, theatre, and everything else under the purview of an artistic life. Williams was also a painter in the former days of his career. The topic of speculation throughout his entire career has been his sexuality. Many people have commented how he is gay and likes to attend LGBTQ+ parties.
The actor has penned a memoir titled What Have We Here? which outlines his life as an actor and all the tribulations he has faced to date. While people are more accepting and open about queerness today, back in the 70s, it made celebrities uncomfortable and nobody talked about it publicly. However, emulating the carefree Lando in real life as well, Williams never cared what people thought about him. In a conversation with Page Six, he said,
“I’ve been called a ‘Closet Queen. But, I don’t pay much attention to any of that. It all seemed very normal to me. I was around it all of my life, so I never really gave it much thought.”
Gay parties and gatherings were a regular experience for him. He never viewed them as weird or out of the ordinary. He reveals in the memoir that he used to go to secret gay parties in the Metropolitan Opera’s basement when he worked as an extra. After getting more lead roles, his charm and charisma led him to be a s*x symbol in the industry. He further expressed how he spoke to his daughter about Carl Jung’s theory of anima and animus.
“I was talking about why men should get more in touch with the female side of themselves and then my daughter told me — the first time I ever heard the phrase — gender fluid. My daughter was very happy to think that I was gender fluid!”
Williams also claimed that the conversations around gender norms and the following debates over it are amusing since people should live and let live. The memoir dives into his experiences in Hollywood and interesting anecdotes he collected along the way. He also clarified that he is not gay, and identifies as a straight man.
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Billy Dee Williams’ Rise to Fame
Being a Black actor in the 70s, Williams had to do multiple roles as an extra to finally land a lead role. Starring opposite Diana Ross in the 1972 biographical drama film gave his career the jumpstart it was looking for. The movie portrayed his handsome personality and overnight, he became a heartthrob with a large female fan following. He added,
“’Lady Sings the Blues [the 1972 Billie Holliday biopic] and Mahogany [1975] really turned my whole world around, as far as being a romantic figure is concerned. I think I’m the first little brown boy to really come along and project that kind of persona. Which has been a lot of fun for me.”
On the other hand, his infidelity has been a topic of contention among his fans. While people love his dedication to the craft and his hopeless romanticism, the news of his cheating often puts him in murky waters. He shared his trouble with monogamous relationships and how he is attracted to strong women. The actor has been married thrice and has two children.
