CREVE COEUR, Mo. – Hundreds of people were greeted by the 501st Legion Star Wars characters before seeing Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Dee Williams Tuesday.
People gathered at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts to see Williams discuss his new memoir, “What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life.”
“Billy Dee is a huge part of our universe, you know. So, we’ve got Darth Vader out here… x wing pilot, some Mandalorians out here to cheer on Billy Dee and be here for him,” Rich Heffernan, commanding officer, said.
Williams has made a multi-generational impact with his role in Star Wars.
“I was a cocky young man because of his character! He’s an artist. An artist in every way,” Matthew Luca, a lifelong fan, said.
Williams discussed his journey from Harlem to Hollywood at the event.
“Overall, he’s had a really expansive career and done a lot of things. So, I think it’s kind of cool to see not only Star Wars is his main thing but to see like all the great things he’s done. I’m looking forward to hearing about those too,” Jason Martine, a Star Wars fan, said.
All attendees received a personally signed copy of Billy Dee’s memoir. Several of the characters from Star Wars came out to support Billy Dee as he promoted his new memoir.
They also had a few words to tell him: “May the force be with you.”