Billy Dee Williams

In a career that dates back to 1959, Billy Dee Williams has appeared in dozens of films and television shows. He first made his mark starring opposite James Caan in the tear-jerking TV movie Brian's Song and he followed that up by starring opposite Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues and Mahogany.

Williams really hit the big time, though, when he costarred as Han Solo's roguish old buddy Lando Calrissian in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. The role cemented Williams' place in the unofficial geek hall of fame, a position that was strengthened when he appeared in Tim Burton's Batman as Harvey Dent (pictured above).

The character has a long history In DC comic books. His origin has been changed several times, but the prevailing thought was that Harvey Dent began serving as a district attorney in Gotham City and became an early ally of Batman before an enemy scars Dent's face with acid, leading to his transformation into a supervillain known as Two-Face.

Reportedly, Burton cast Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent because he wanted the actor to also play the role in a sequel after Dent transformed into Two-Face. Williams liked the idea and the character appeared in early drafts of the script for Batman Returns (1992) but was ultimately written out of the movie. By the time Harvey Dent returned as Two-Face in Batman Forever (1995), new director Joel Schumacher wanted Tommy Lee Jones for the role instead of Williams.

 

Now Williams will finally play the role that was denied to him more than 20 years ago. In an exchange on Twitter (via Comic Book), director Chris McKay confirmed that Williams voices Two-Face in the upcoming The Lego Batman Movie.

 

 

The voice cast includes Will Armett (Batman), Ralph Fiennes (Alfred the butler), Michael Cera (Dick Grayson, also known as Robin), Jenny Slate (Harley Quinn), Zach Galifianakis (The Joker), and Rosario Dawson (Catwoman). The Lego Batman Movie will open in theaters on February 10, 2017.