Meet Billy Dee Williams’ Wife Teruko Nakagami: Interesting Details

Teruko Nakagami is recognized as the wife of an American actor and painter Billy Dee Williams (aka William December Williams Jr.). Her husband is best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars Franchise, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Coming up to 2023, it’s been five decades since Teruko has been the wife of a Star Wars actor. The couple tied the knot in 1972 and as of today, they are leading their marriage blissfully. But Billy is not the only man with whom Teruko got married as Billy is her second spouse. In that case, who is her ex-husband? Besides, where is Teruko Nakagami now?

To know in detail about Teruko Nakagami’s inside life, read the below piece of writing till the end.

Teruko Nakagami Age And Early Life

Billy Dee Williams’ current wife, Teruko was born ‘Irene Nakagami’ to her Japanese parents in Chicago, the United States. While her exact birth detail is not available at the moment, sources believe that she arrived in this world in the 1940s. Based on this, she is in her 80s in 2023.

Similarly, Nakagami grew up in her native town alongside her twin sister until the age of six. After that, she was sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in California where she spent some of her time and then she possibly had her upbringing in Japan.

What Is Teruko’s Nationality And Ethnicity?

Talking of her nationality, she is American. Talking of her ethnicity, she has Japanese Ancestry.

Career: What Does Teruko Nakagami Do?

Teruko gained fame primarily as Billy’s wife because of which details regarding her career have remained away from the spotlight. However, her famous husband Billy De Williams is a popular actor.

Born on April 6, 1937, the New York native started his career as a stage actor on Broadway in 1945. Almost a decade later, Nakagami’s hubby made his debut in the 1959 film The Last Angry Man.

After that, he acted in several acting projects like Brian’s Song, Lady Sings the Blues, Mahogany, Titan Maximum, and many others. Besides being an actor, he is also a painter.

Teruko Has Been Married To Her Husband Billy De Williams For Five Decades

The Chicago native, Teruko tied the knot with her hubby Billy De Williams on December 27, 1972, in an intimate wedding ceremony. The couple had a beautiful marriage in the initial two decades and suddenly their relationship started falling apart.

As a result, in 1993, Nakagami filed for a divorce against her husband after being his wife for 23 years. Regarding their separation, Williams’ spokesman told JET,

theirs is an amicable parting, not a messy Hollywood divorce.

However, later they decided to re-work their differences, and in the year 1997, the two reconciled. Since then, Teruko and her life partner have had a graceful marriage, and coming up to 2023, they will celebrate 50 years of their togetherness.

Teruko Nakagami Was Married Previously; Her First Husband?

Before Billy, Teruko was married to an American jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter. The couple met in 1961 and later got married. But unfortunately, within a couple of years, they got divorced in 1964.

Though they separated, Shorter seems to be very respectful towards his ex-wife. Shortly after, he reminisced about his meeting with Nakagami in an exclusive talk and said that when he first met her, he felt that she was “pretty” and “looked like a Japanese Audrey Hepburn.” Even the image of Nakagami appears on Wayne’s 1966 album Speak No Evil cover page.

Her Hubby Billy Was Also Married Multiple Times

Like Teruko, her now-spouse Billy was also married two times previously. He first tied the knot with his first wife Audrey Sellers in 1959 and then separated some years later. After that, he married actress Marlene Clark in 1968 and divorced in 1971. And then, Teruko and Billy tied the knot.

Teruko Nakagami Is A Mother Of Two

Together with her now-spouse Billy, she welcomed a daughter named Hanako Williams in April 1973, As of 2023, she is 50 years of age. At present, Hanako who is married to her husband Liam Toohey is a general manager at the art gallery in Beverly Hills. Further, she is a mother of two beautiful children.

Also, from her first marriage to a musician Wayne, Teruko has a daughter Miyako Shorter who was born in 1962.

In addition, Teruko is the mother of her husband’s son from his first marriage, Corey Dee William. By profession, Corey is the author, fitness lifestyle coach, and producer of Funky.

Teruko Nakagami Has Two Grandchildren

From her daughter’s marriage, she has a granddaughter Lucie Katsumi, and a grandson Finnegan Ichiro. Both of her grandchildren are quite grown up now.

Back on November 27, 2018, her hubby Billy shared their grandkids on his Instagram with a caption,

Hard to put into words the love you feel when holding your grandchildren. #LuckiestGuyInTheWorld

Where Is Teruko Nakagami Now? Is She On Social Media?

She resides with her family in Studio City, California. It’s been a while since the star’s wife has appeared in the media. However, we are sure that she is enjoying her old age alongside her kids and grandkids and living her life fully.

Besides, she is quite active on social media platforms like Facebook. Well, she is quite private on FB with just 76 friends.

What Is Teruko Nakagami’s Net Worth?

Well, going through some reliable sources, it seems like Teruko’s net worth is stated to be around $600k. Meanwhile, her famous husband Billy Dee Williams has an estimated fortune of $9 million which he earned through his entertainment career.