Teruko Nakagami (born in the 1940s) is the third wife of Billy Dee Williams, an American actor, artist, singer, and writer who is well-known for his appearance in the original Star Wars trilogy as Londo Calrissian.
Billy Dee Williams has been in the entertainment industry as an actor since the 1940s and has appeared in many on-screen projects, and has also made marks in his other careers. Teruko Nakagami stayed off the limelight during her time as Billy Dee’s wife, hence, she is only famous as the wife of a celebrity. Howbeit here’s everything you should know about her.
Summary of Teruko Nakagami’s Bio
- Full Name: Teruko Nakagami
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: 1940s
- Ethnicity: Japanese
- Nationality: Japanese and American
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Married
- Teruko Nakagami’s Husband: Billy Dee Williams
- Teruko Nakagami’s Children: Miyoko Shorter and Hanako Williams
- Famous For: Being the third wife of Billy Dee Williams
Teruko Nakagami Is a Japanese American
Teruko Nakagami was born Irene Nakagami in the 1940s in Chicago. There are no data on her exact age, as she has not revealed details of her date of birth to the public. This comes as no surprise, as not much was known about her until she got married to her second husband, Billy Dee Williams.
At the age of six, she was shipped to a Japanese-American internment camp in California. Teruko is of Japanese descent and enjoys American citizenship because of her birthplace and Japanese citizenship because of her parents’ nationality.
Despite spending part of her life in the internment camp, she had lots of sweet memories, which she shared with her ex-husband, Wayne Shorter. Teruko Nakagami has shielded information about her family but made it known that she has a twin sister. They attended spent time at the camp together.
She attended Hyde Park High School in Chicago. There are no details on whether she attended a university or earned a degree.
She Became Billy Dee Willams’s Wife In 1972
Teruko Nakagami got married to Billy Dee Williams on December 27, 1972. For the longest time, they did their best to keep the details of their family life away from the prying eyes of Billy’s fans. They were able to keep the union going for 51 years without a whole lot of scandals and controversies in the media.
In 1993, 23 years into their marriage, Teruko Nakagami and Billy Dee Williams filed for divorce for unknown reasons. Since the couple did not make any public statements, Billy Dee’s spokesman came out to state that their divorce was not a messy Hollywood divorce but an amicable parting.
True to the spokesman’s words, the couple soon mended fences, rekindled their love for each other and resolved their differences. Four years after their divorce was finalized in 1997, the couple moved back together and started living together again.
Who Is Teruko Nakagami’s Husband, Billy Dee Williams?
Billy Dee Williams is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer born on April 6, 1937, in New York, United States. He was born to late Loretta Anne and late William December Wiliams Snr. The actor’s mother was an elevator operator at the Lyceum Theatre, while his father was an avid performer from Montserrat. Billy and his twin sister, Loretta, grew up under the care of their maternal grandmother while his parents took on many jobs.
Teruko Nakagami’s husband attended Booker T. Washington Junior High school, where he began to nurture the dream of becoming a painter. He attended LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts and Performing Arts, in Manhattan, graduating in 1955. The actor later attended the National Academy of Design before he moved on to Harlem Actors Workshop.
Billy Dee Williams started his acting gig with stage performances before venturing into film and television. Some of his on-screen projects include Batman, Last Angry Man, NCIS, and many others. He has authored some books like Batman ’89, JUST/ in Time, and PSI/NET.
Billy Dee Williams Is Not Teruko Nakagami’s First Husband
Teruko Nakagami was previously married to Wayne Shorter, an American jazz saxophonist, and composer. The duo met after the saxophonist toured Japan and fell in love with its culture and people. At the time that she met Wayne, she changed her name from Irene to Teruko. The ex-couple got married in 1961 and lived a happy life, as revealed by the saxophonist.
He described his ex-wife as a pretty woman who looked like the Japanese Audrey Hepburn. Wayne also used her face on the cover of his 1966 album, titled Speak No Evil. However, they divorced after being married for three years. They also welcomed a daughter named Miyoko, who also lives away from the spotlight.
Teruko Is Billy Dee’s Third Wife
Billy Dee Williams on his part was also in two marriages that ended in a divorce before he mer Teruko. He got married for the first time to Audrey Sellers in 1959 and welcomed a son with her who they named Corey Dee. In 1963, they pulled the string on their marriage and went their separate ways.
In 1968, he found love again and got married to Marlene Clark, a model, and actress. Three years after they tied the knot, his marriage hit the rocks for the second time. The estranged couple did not welcome any children together. His Marriage to teruko is however, his longest so far.
Was Billy Dee Williams Married to Cicely Tyson?
Billy Dee Williams was never married to Cicely Tyson. After the death of Cicely Tyson, a source reported that the actor and late actress were married and divorced in 1957. Some sources claimed that they got married and were together till the mid-1960s before they divorced.
Other sources claimed that they began dating after she divorced her second husband, Kenneth Franklin. Despite the rumors, neither party came out to refute the claims or accept them.
Teruko Nakagami Shares A Daughter With Billy Dee Williams
Teruko Nakagami and Billy Dee Williams welcomed a daughter named Hanako Williams in 1973. As much as her parents have tried to shield her from the public, there are few details about her on the internet. The 51 year-old daughter of the couple graduated from Brown University with a degree in Visual Art/Art History.
Currently, she works as an art gallery manager in Los Angeles. Hanako is married to Liam Toohey, and together they have two children, Lucie Katsumi and Finnegan Ichiro.
