Billy Dee Williams: I'm Proud To Be Gender Fluid!

It works every time.

He was the "Denzel Washington" before Denzel. He was the guy who made women feel good with the baritone voice and the charm.

He is most notable for his roles in Star Wars, Mahogany, Batman, Brian's Song, Undercover Brother, The Jackson An American Dream, Dynasty and General Hospital.

He has guest starred in sitcoms like A Different World, Half & Half, That 70s Show, The Boondocks, NCIS and Modern Family.

He was once the spokesman for Colt 45 malt liquor.

William December Williams, Jr. known professionally as Billy Dee Williams is a trend setter of his time.

In an interview with Esquire magazine, Williams came out as gender fluid.

"I never tried to be anything except myself," Williams said to Esquire.

Williams who will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian in the final Star Wars movie shared his thoughts on his roles as a masculine role model.

"And you see I say 'himself' and 'herself,' because I also see myself as feminine as well as masculine. I'm a very soft person. I'm not afraid to show that side of myself."

Williams was born in New York City, the child of Loretta Anne, a West Indian-born elevator operator from Montserrat, and William December Williams, Sr., an African-American caretaker from Texas.

He has a twin sister, Loretta, and grew up in Harlem, where they were raised by their maternal grandmother while their parents worked several jobs. Williams graduated from The High School of Music & Art (later merged with the High School of Performing Arts to become the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art) in Manhattan, where he was a classmate of Diahann Carroll, who would later play the wife of his character Brady Lloyd on the 1980s prime-time soap opera Dynasty.

Williams has been married three times. His first marriage was to Audrey Sellers in 1959. They were divorced some years later, after which he apparently became depressed. He stated that "there was a period when I was very despondent, broke, depressed, my first marriage was on the rocks." He has a son, Corey Williams.

In 1968, Williams married model and actress Marlene Clark in Hawaii. His marriage lasted only two years, and they received a divorce in 1971.

Williams married Teruko Nakagami on December 27, 1972. She brought a daughter, Miyako (b. 1962), from her previous marriage to musician Wayne Shorter. He has a daughter, Hanako (b. 1973). He filed for divorce in 1993, but were reported to have reconciled in 1997.