In 'What Have We Here,' Billy Dee Williams looks back on a lifetime of acting
Host Scott Tong speaks with Billy Dee Williams about his memoir “What Have We Here: Portraits of a Life,” which reflects on his almost eight decades in theater, film, and television.
The cover of “What Have We Here” by Billy Dee Williams. (Courtesy)
Book excerpt: ‘What Have We Here’
By Billy Dee Williams
January 1988. I was in New York, starring in August Wilson’s play I took over the lead role from James Earl Jones, something I don’t recommend to any actor. I’d known James Earl and his prodigious talent since my early twenties. We’d worked together in films and on theat the Yale Repertory Theatre and won the Tony Award for his portrayal on Broadway. He owned the part of former Negro Leagues baseball player–turned–Pittsburgh trash collector Troy Maxson in this powerful play about the effects of racism on an individual and his family.
