Morning Man Classic: Billy Dee Williams!

Billy Dee Williams is in the news this weekend because he’s just been cast in a role in ABC’s upcoming remake of Dirty Dancing.

At 78, the handsome actor best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars film franchise just keeps on working.

And what what a body of work he has amassed since his film debut in 1959 in the film The Last Angry Man.

He rose to stardom after starring in the 1971 television movie, Brian’s Song in which he played Chicago Bears star football player Gale Sayers opposite James Caan. Then two years later he starred opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues then would re-team with Miss Ross two years later in Mahogany.

Many other film and television roles have followed including playing district attorney Harvey Dent in 1989’s Batman, Berry Gordy in 1992’s The Jacksons: An American Dream, and Toussaint Dubois for General Hospital: Night Shift in 2007 and 2008.

One of my favorite screen pairings for Williams came in the 1984-1985 season of Dynasty when he played Brady Lloyd opposite Diahann Carroll’s glamorous Dominique Deveraux. These real-life high school classmates were delicious together. The pair reunited onscreen in 2012 in an episode of TV’s White Collar on which Miss Carroll had a recurring role.