Paul Williams (songwriter)
Encyclopedia
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter
, and actor
. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night
's "An Old Fashioned Love Song
", Helen Reddy
's "You and Me Against the World
", and the Carpenters
' "We've Only Just Begun
" and "Rainy Days and Mondays
", as well as his contributions to films such as "Evergreen
" from A Star Is Born
and "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie
. He has also had a variety of acting roles in films such as the villainous Swan in Brian DePalma's Phantom of the Paradise
(which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process), as well as television, theater, and voiceover work for animation.
(the aforementioned "An Old Fashioned Love Song
", as well as "The Family of Man", and "Out in the Country"), Helen Reddy
("You and Me Against the World"), and the Carpenters
, most notably "Rainy Days and Mondays
," "I Won't Last a Day Without You," and "We've Only Just Begun
", originally a song for a Crocker National Bank
television commercial featuring newlyweds, and which has since become a cover-band standard and de rigueur for weddings throughout North America. An early collaboration with Roger Nichols
, "Someday Man," was covered by The Monkees
(a group for which he auditioned but was not cast) on a 1969 single, and was the first Monkees' release not published by Screen Gems
. Bobby Sherman
also sang "Cried Like a Baby." Anne Murray
sang "Talk It Over in the Morning
." He also wrote the cantata
Wings with music by Michel Colombier
.
A frequent cowriter of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher
; their songs together included the popular children's favorite "Rainbow Connection," sung by Jim Henson
(as Kermit the Frog
) in The Muppet Movie
. Williams also collaborated with Biff Rose
, notably on the song "Fill Your Heart
," originally recorded by Tiny Tim
as the B-side of his 1968 hit "Tiptoe Through The Tulips
" and subsequently covered by David Bowie
on his album Hunky Dory
. Most recently, he collaborated with Scissor Sisters
on their second album, Ta-Dah
and contributed lyrics to Richard Barone
's 2010 album Glow http://www.bar-none.com/richard-barone.html.. He first was a part of a short lived rock group called "Holy Mackerel."
Williams has worked on the music of a number of films, including writing and singing on Phantom of the Paradise
(in which he also starred and earned an Oscar nomination for the music); and Bugsy Malone
. He contributed lyrics to the Cinderella Liberty
song You're So Nice to Be Around with music by John Williams
, and it earned them an Oscar nomination
. Along with Kenneth Ascher
and Rupert Holmes
, they wrote the music and lyrics to A Star Is Born
, with Barbra Streisand
and Kris Kristofferson
. The bittersweet love ballad, "Evergreen
", from the movie won the Academy Award for Best Song of The Year.
He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
, and his songs have been performed by both pop
and country music
artists. He has won one Academy Award for best song (Evergreen) from A Star Is Born
(co-written by the artist who performed it, Barbra Streisand
) and has been nominated for several others.
He wrote the music for a musical production of Happy Days
that debuted in 2007 and also made a cameo appearance as an animated version of himself singing "Mix music with the science" in the hit animated TV series Dexters Laboratory.
In April 2009, Williams was elected President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Phantom of the Paradise
(for which he also wrote the songs), a rock and roll
remake of Phantom of the Opera, and as Virgil, the genius orangutan in Battle for the Planet of the Apes
(on Feb. 9, 1973, Williams mixed his two fields for a joke appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
in which he sang a song in full make-up as Virgil). His most recognizable role is "Little Enos Burdette" in Smokey and the Bandit
. He also played Miguelito Loveless Jr. in The Wild Wild West Revisited, a reunion movie of the original Wild Wild West
, and played himself, singing a song to Felix Unger's daughter Edna, in "The Odd Couple." He made his film debut as Gunther Fry in the 1965 satire The Loved One
. He also wrote for Mort Sahl
in the 1960s.
After appearing on The Muppet Show
in 1976, Williams worked closely with Jim Henson
's Henson Productions on The Muppet Movie
, most specifically on the soundtrack, and even had a cameo in the movie as the piano player in the nightclub where Kermit the Frog meets Fozzie Bear
.
Williams has appeared in many minor roles. He provided the voice
of The Penguin
in Batman:The Animated Series. He had a role in Star Trek: Voyager
as Prelate
Koru of the Qomar Planetary Alliance, a race technologically superior to the Federation
but lacking musical ability, and also appeared on an episode of Walker: Texas Ranger as a radio DJ covering a modern day Bonnie and Clyde
pursued by Walker. He recently appeared in 2009 in an episode of Nickelodeon's children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!
entitled "Weather", where he performed "Rainbow Connection". He has also appeared on Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory
where he played Professor Williams in an episode entitled "Just An Old Fashioned Lab Song".
He made numerous television appearances in the 1970s and 1980s, including guest appearances on Hawaii Five-O
, Match Game '79
, The Love Boat
, The Hardy Boys
, The Odd Couple
(as himself), The Muppet Show
(as a guest star), The Fall Guy
, and The Gong Show
. He has also guest-starred in the Babylon 5
episode "Acts of Sacrifice
" (Season 2 Episode 12) as Taq, the aide to Correlilmurzon, an alien ambassador whose species finalizes treaties and agreements by having sex with the other signees. In a bit of subtle irony, Williams also appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager
episode "Virtuoso" as the leader of a planet that has never heard music before. Williams appeared on an episode of Picket Fences
as the brother of the just deceased Ginny Weedon (Zelda Rubinstein
). While eulogising Ginny, he sings a small part of "Rainbow Connection". He starred as Ferdinand the Bull in a musical 1/2 hour TV production of the same name written by the Sherman Brothers
.
In October 1980, he was host of the Mickey Mouse Club 25th Anniversary Special on NBC-TV. He stated that he tried out for the show in early 1955 and was turned down.
Paul was a frequent guest and performer on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
WIlliams also appears as the man making the phone call at the beginning of the music video for Hank Williams Jr.'s song "All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight"
, the son of Bertha Mae (née Burnside), a homemaker, and Paul Hamilton Williams, an architectural engineer. He is married to writer Mariana Williams, and has two children, Sarah and Cole
. His brothers are the late John Williams, a NASA
rocket scientist, and Mentor Williams
(fiancé of country legend Lynn Anderson
), a successful songwriter in his own right who penned Dobie Gray
's 1973 hit, "Drift Away
."
Williams has been active in the field of recovery from addictions.
In 2009, Paul Williams was elected President of ASCAP (the American Society of Songwiters, Composer, and Authors).
In September 2011, director Stephen Kessler's documentary, "Paul Williams Still Alive" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
's "An Old Fashioned Love Song
An Old Fashioned Love Song
"An Old Fashioned Love Song" is a 1971 song by the American pop-rock band Three Dog Night. Chuck Negron performed the lead vocal on this track. Taken as the lead single from their 1971 album, Harmony, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1971, becoming the...
", Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
's "You and Me Against the World
You and Me Against the World (song)
"You and Me Against the World" is a song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams, recorded by Helen Reddy for her 1974 album Love Song for Jeffrey....
", and the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
' "We've Only Just Begun
We've Only Just Begun
"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
" and "Rainy Days and Mondays
Rainy Days and Mondays
"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971 song by The Carpenters that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It was also the duo's fourth #1 song on the Adult Contemporary singles chart...
", as well as his contributions to films such as "Evergreen
Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)
"Evergreen " is the theme song from the 1976 film A Star Is Born. It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams. The song was released on the soundtrack album to A Star Is Born....
" from A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
and "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
. He has also had a variety of acting roles in films such as the villainous Swan in Brian DePalma's Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
(which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process), as well as television, theater, and voiceover work for animation.
Musical career
Williams is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including several hits for Three Dog NightThree Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
(the aforementioned "An Old Fashioned Love Song
An Old Fashioned Love Song
"An Old Fashioned Love Song" is a 1971 song by the American pop-rock band Three Dog Night. Chuck Negron performed the lead vocal on this track. Taken as the lead single from their 1971 album, Harmony, the song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1971, becoming the...
", as well as "The Family of Man", and "Out in the Country"), Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
("You and Me Against the World"), and the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, most notably "Rainy Days and Mondays
Rainy Days and Mondays
"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971 song by The Carpenters that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It was also the duo's fourth #1 song on the Adult Contemporary singles chart...
," "I Won't Last a Day Without You," and "We've Only Just Begun
We've Only Just Begun
"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...
", originally a song for a Crocker National Bank
Crocker National Bank
Crocker National Bank was a United States bank headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was acquired by and merged into Wells Fargo Bank in 1986.-History:The bank traces its history to the Woolworth National Bank in San Francisco...
television commercial featuring newlyweds, and which has since become a cover-band standard and de rigueur for weddings throughout North America. An early collaboration with Roger Nichols
Roger Nichols (songwriter)
Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...
, "Someday Man," was covered by The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
(a group for which he auditioned but was not cast) on a 1969 single, and was the first Monkees' release not published by Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
. Bobby Sherman
Bobby Sherman
Robert Cabot "Bobby" Sherman, Jr. , is an American singer, actor and occasional songwriter, who became a popular teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s.He graduated in 1961 from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California...
also sang "Cried Like a Baby." Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
sang "Talk It Over in the Morning
Talk It Over in the Morning (song)
"Talk It Over in the Morning" is a single by Canadian country pop artist Anne Murray. Released in August 1971, it was the first single from her album Talk It Over in the Morning. It peaked at number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart....
." He also wrote the cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Wings with music by Michel Colombier
Michel Colombier
Michel Colombier was a French composer, songwriter, arranger, and conductor.- External links :*...
.
A frequent cowriter of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth "Kenny" Lee Ascher , is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. He is widely known for co-writing, with Paul Williams, The Rainbow Connection...
; their songs together included the popular children's favorite "Rainbow Connection," sung by Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
(as Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
) in The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
. Williams also collaborated with Biff Rose
Biff Rose
Paul "Biff" Rose is an American comedian and singer-songwriter.Born in New Orleans, Rose first came to prominence as a banjo-toting standup comedian, profiled in Time magazine in 1965. By 1966 he moved to Hollywood, working as a comedy sketch writer with George Carlin for a host of television...
, notably on the song "Fill Your Heart
Fill Your Heart
"Fill Your Heart" is a song written by singer-songwriter Biff Rose and Paul Williams, in 1966. It was first released on Rose's debut album The Thorn in Mrs. Rose's Side. Tiny Tim released his version as the B-side of his hit single "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", and later on his debut album, God...
," originally recorded by Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim (musician)
Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
as the B-side of his 1968 hit "Tiptoe Through The Tulips
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
"Tiptoe Through the Tulips" is a popular song originally published in 1929. The song was written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke .‘Crooning Troubadour’ Nick Lucas’ recording of "Tip-Toe Through The Tulips" hit the top of the charts in May 1929. The song he introduced in the 1929 musical talkie Gold...
" and subsequently covered by David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
on his album Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory
Hunky Dory is the fourth album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1971. It was Bowie's first release through RCA, which would be his label for the next decade...
. Most recently, he collaborated with Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
on their second album, Ta-Dah
Ta-Dah
* *The UK Edition of the album has a pregap, consisting of two minutes of silence after "Everybody Wants the Same Thing". Subsequently, what seems to be the sound of an elevator reaching its destination floor is heard as an 8-second interlude at the end of the pregap...
and contributed lyrics to Richard Barone
Richard Barone
Richard Barone is a rock musician born in Tampa, Florida who gained attention as frontman for The Bongos. He works as a songwriter, arranger, author, director, and producer, releases albums as a solo artist, tours, and has created major concert events at Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl and New York's...
's 2010 album Glow http://www.bar-none.com/richard-barone.html.. He first was a part of a short lived rock group called "Holy Mackerel."
Williams has worked on the music of a number of films, including writing and singing on Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
(in which he also starred and earned an Oscar nomination for the music); and Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
. He contributed lyrics to the Cinderella Liberty
Cinderella Liberty
Cinderella Liberty is a 1973 film which tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 11-year-old mixed race son. It stars James Caan, Marsha Mason, Kirk Calloway, Eli Wallach, Burt Young, Allyn Ann McLerie, Dabney Coleman, Jon Korkes, and...
song You're So Nice to Be Around with music by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
, and it earned them an Oscar nomination
46th Academy Awards
The 46th Academy Awards were presented April 2, 1974 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by John Huston, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, David Niven....
. Along with Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth "Kenny" Lee Ascher , is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. He is widely known for co-writing, with Paul Williams, The Rainbow Connection...
and Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes is an American-British composer, singer-songwriter, musician and author of plays, novels and stories. He is best known for his number one pop hit "Escape " and the song "Him", which reached the number 6 position on the Hot 100 U.S. pop chart in 1980...
, they wrote the music and lyrics to A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
, with Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
. The bittersweet love ballad, "Evergreen
Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)
"Evergreen " is the theme song from the 1976 film A Star Is Born. It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams. The song was released on the soundtrack album to A Star Is Born....
", from the movie won the Academy Award for Best Song of The Year.
He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
, and his songs have been performed by both pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artists. He has won one Academy Award for best song (Evergreen) from A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)
A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
(co-written by the artist who performed it, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
) and has been nominated for several others.
He wrote the music for a musical production of Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
that debuted in 2007 and also made a cameo appearance as an animated version of himself singing "Mix music with the science" in the hit animated TV series Dexters Laboratory.
In April 2009, Williams was elected President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Film and television career
Although predominantly known for his music, Paul Williams is also an actor, appearing in films and many television guest appearances, notably as the Faustian record producer Swan in the cult filmCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
(for which he also wrote the songs), a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
remake of Phantom of the Opera, and as Virgil, the genius orangutan in Battle for the Planet of the Apes
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
Battle for the Planet of the Apes is a 1973 science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and last entry in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P...
(on Feb. 9, 1973, Williams mixed his two fields for a joke appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
in which he sang a song in full make-up as Virgil). His most recognizable role is "Little Enos Burdette" in Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II, and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...
. He also played Miguelito Loveless Jr. in The Wild Wild West Revisited, a reunion movie of the original Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
, and played himself, singing a song to Felix Unger's daughter Edna, in "The Odd Couple." He made his film debut as Gunther Fry in the 1965 satire The Loved One
The Loved One
The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy is a short satirical novel by British novelist Evelyn Waugh about the funeral business in Los Angeles, the British expatriate community in Hollywood, and the film industry.-Conception:...
. He also wrote for Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Morton Lyon "Mort" Sahl is a Canadian-born American comedian and actor. He occasionally wrote jokes for speeches delivered by President John F. Kennedy. He was the first comedian to record a live album and the first to perform on college campuses...
in the 1960s.
After appearing on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
in 1976, Williams worked closely with Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
's Henson Productions on The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
, most specifically on the soundtrack, and even had a cameo in the movie as the piano player in the nightclub where Kermit the Frog meets Fozzie Bear
Fozzie Bear
Fozzie Bear is a Muppet, created by Jim Henson. He is an orange, particularly fuzzy bear who works as a stand-up comic and has a catchphrase, "Wocka Wocka Wocka". Shortly after telling the joke, he is usually the target of rotten tomatoes and ridicule, especially from hecklers Statler and Waldorf...
.
Williams has appeared in many minor roles. He provided the voice
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
of The Penguin
Penguin (comics)
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his...
in Batman:The Animated Series. He had a role in Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
as Prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
Koru of the Qomar Planetary Alliance, a race technologically superior to the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
but lacking musical ability, and also appeared on an episode of Walker: Texas Ranger as a radio DJ covering a modern day Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
pursued by Walker. He recently appeared in 2009 in an episode of Nickelodeon's children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show currently airing on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTEjr see Raidió Teilifís...
entitled "Weather", where he performed "Rainbow Connection". He has also appeared on Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
where he played Professor Williams in an episode entitled "Just An Old Fashioned Lab Song".
He made numerous television appearances in the 1970s and 1980s, including guest appearances on Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, Match Game '79
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, The Hardy Boys
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a television series which aired for three seasons on ABC...
, The Odd Couple
The Odd Couple (TV series)
The Odd Couple is a television situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975 on ABC. It starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison. It was based upon the play of the same name, which was written by Neil Simon.Felix and Oscar are two divorced men....
(as himself), The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
(as a guest star), The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, and The Gong Show
The Gong Show
The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
. He has also guest-starred in the Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
episode "Acts of Sacrifice
Acts of Sacrifice
"Acts of Sacrifice" is an episode from the second season of the science-fiction television series Babylon 5.- Synopsis :The Narn-Centauri War is not going well for the Narn. In an effort to convince the Earth Alliance to help them, Ambassador G'Kar meets with Babylon 5's command staff and shows...
" (Season 2 Episode 12) as Taq, the aide to Correlilmurzon, an alien ambassador whose species finalizes treaties and agreements by having sex with the other signees. In a bit of subtle irony, Williams also appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Virtuoso" as the leader of a planet that has never heard music before. Williams appeared on an episode of Picket Fences
Picket Fences
Picket Fences is a 60-minute American television drama about the residents of the fictional town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS television network in the United States...
as the brother of the just deceased Ginny Weedon (Zelda Rubinstein
Zelda Rubinstein
Zelda Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, best known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the movie Poltergeist and its sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side , and Poltergeist III . Playing 'Ginny', she was a regular on David E...
). While eulogising Ginny, he sings a small part of "Rainbow Connection". He starred as Ferdinand the Bull in a musical 1/2 hour TV production of the same name written by the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
.
In October 1980, he was host of the Mickey Mouse Club 25th Anniversary Special on NBC-TV. He stated that he tried out for the show in early 1955 and was turned down.
Paul was a frequent guest and performer on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
WIlliams also appears as the man making the phone call at the beginning of the music video for Hank Williams Jr.'s song "All my rowdy friends are coming over tonight"
Personal life
Williams was born in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, the son of Bertha Mae (née Burnside), a homemaker, and Paul Hamilton Williams, an architectural engineer. He is married to writer Mariana Williams, and has two children, Sarah and Cole
Cole Williams
Cole Williams is an American film and TV actor. He has been in such diverse films as North Country, and Harry + Max . He also had a recurring role as Anthony W...
. His brothers are the late John Williams, a NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
rocket scientist, and Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams is an American songwriter and producer. He is best known for writing "Drift Away", a middle-of-the-road playlist classic performed by Dobie Gray in 1973. He is the brother of famed songwriter Paul Williams.-Background:...
(fiancé of country legend Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
), a successful songwriter in his own right who penned Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...
's 1973 hit, "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...
."
Williams has been active in the field of recovery from addictions.
In 2009, Paul Williams was elected President of ASCAP (the American Society of Songwiters, Composer, and Authors).
In September 2011, director Stephen Kessler's documentary, "Paul Williams Still Alive" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
Albums
- Words and Music by Paul Williams
- The Holy Mackerel (with The Holy Mackerel [1969])
- We've Only Just Begun (by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams)
- Someday Man [1970]
- Just an Old Fashioned Love Song [1971]
- Life Goes On [1972]
- Here Comes Inspiration [1974]
- A Little Bit of Love [1974]
- Phantom of the Paradise [1974]
- Ordinary Fool [1975]
- Bugsy Malone [1976]
- Classics [1977]
- A Little on the Windy Side [1979]
- The Muppet Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher [1979])
- ...And Crazy for Loving You [1981]
- The Secret of N.I.M.H.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [1982]
- The Best of Paul Williams [1983]
Notable songs
- "Nice to Be Around" (Cinderella Liberty Soundtrack)
- "Evergreen" (Love Theme from A Star Is Born), (#1 hit for Barbra Streisand)
- "Rainy Days and Mondays", (#2 hit for The Carpenters)
- "We've Only Just Begun" (#2 hit for The Carpenters)
- "You and Me Against the World" (Top-10 hit for Helen Reddy)
- "An Old Fashioned Love Song" (Top-10 hit for Three Dog Night)
- "I Won't Last a Day Without You", (Top-20 hit for The Carpenters)
- "The Rainbow Connection" (Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated song)
- "When the River Meets the Sea"
- "One More Angel"
- "Moonlight Becomes You"
- "You're Gone"
- "Waking Up Alone" (Biggest single as performer)
- "Flying Dreams"
- "Gone Forever"
- "Where Do I Go From Here (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot)"
TV themes (lyricist)
- "The McLean Stevenson Show"
- "Theme to the Love Boat"
- "It Takes Two"
- "Sugar Time!"
- "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas"
- "The Muppet show"
Notable recordings
- "(Just An) Old Fashioned Love Song" (from An Old Fashioned Love Song [1971])
- "Bitter Honey" (from The Holy Mackerel [1969])
- "Don't Call It Love" (from Ordinary Fool [1975])
- "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) ([1977])
- "The Family of Man" (from A Little Bit Of Love [1974])
- "Faust" (from Phantom of the Paradise [1974])
- "Flash" (from Ordinary Fool [1975])
- "For Goodness Sake" (from A Little On The Windy Side [1979])
- "Flying Dreams" (from The Secret of N.I.M.H. [1982])
- "The Hell of It" (from Phantom of the Paradise [1974])
- "Here's Another Fine Mess" (from A Little On The Windy Side [1979])
- "If We Could Still Be Friends" (from Here Comes Inspiration [1974])
- "I Won't Last a Day Without You" (from Life Goes On [1972])
- "Let Me Be the One" (from An Old Fashioned Love Song [1971])
- "A Little Bit of Love" (from A Little Bit Of Love [1974])
- "Loneliness" (from A Little Bit Of Love [1974])
- "Ordinary Fool" (from Ordinary Fool [1975])
- "Out in the Country" (from Life Goes On [1972])
- "Rainy Days and Mondays" (from Here Comes Inspiration [1974])
- "Sad Song (That Used to Be Our Song)"
- "Save Me a Dream" (from A Little on the Windy Side [1979])*
- "Someday Man" (from Someday Man [1970])
- "To Put Up with You" (from Someday Man [1970])
- "Trust" (from Someday Man [1970])
- "Waking Up Alone" (from Classics [1977])
- "We've Only Just Begun" (from An Old Fashioned Love Song [1971])
- "When I Was All Alone" (from An Old Fashioned Love Song [1971])
- "You and Me Against the World"(from Here Comes Inspiration [1974])
Films
- The Loved One [1965]
- The ChaseThe Chase (1966 film)The Chase is a 1966 American drama film directed by Arthur Penn, about a series of events set into motion by a prison break. Since one of the two escapees is Charlie "Bubber" Reeves , the escape causes a stir in a nearby town where Bubber is a well-known figure.The film deals with themes of racism...
[1966] - The Man Who Loved Cat DancingThe Man Who Loved Cat DancingThe Man Who Loved Cat Dancing is a novel written by Marilyn Durham first published in 1972.-Plot:The novel is set in the American West in the 1880s, but is not written in a genre style. It is the story of Jay, a man of the West, and his offbeat relationship with Catherine, a woman from the East who...
[1972] - Cinderella LibertyCinderella LibertyCinderella Liberty is a 1973 film which tells the story of a sailor who falls in love with a prostitute and becomes a surrogate father for her 11-year-old mixed race son. It stars James Caan, Marsha Mason, Kirk Calloway, Eli Wallach, Burt Young, Allyn Ann McLerie, Dabney Coleman, Jon Korkes, and...
[1973] - Phantom of the ParadisePhantom of the ParadisePhantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
[1974] - The Day of the LocustThe Day of the LocustThe Day of the Locust is a 1939 novel by American author Nathanael West, set in Hollywood, California during the Great Depression, its overarching themes deal with the alienation and desperation of a broad group of odd individuals who exist at the fringes of the Hollywood movie industry.In 1998,...
[1975] - Bugsy MaloneBugsy MaloneBugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
[1976] - A Star Is BornA Star Is Born (1976 film)A Star Is Born is a 1976 American rock music musical film telling the story of a young woman, played by Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline...
[1976] - LifeguardLifeguardA lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...
(Theme song "Time and Tide" [1976]) - One on OneOne on One (film)One on One is a 1977 drama film starring Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole. It was written by Benson and Jerry Segal , and shot on location in 1976 at Colorado State University. The film features songs from Seals and Crofts and was directed by Lamont Johnson.-Plot:Henry Steele , a naive high school...
[1977] - Emmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasEmmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasEmmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas is a children's storybook by Russell Hoban which was first published in 1971. In 1977 it was adapted into a television special by Jim Henson with songs by Paul Williams...
[1977] - The EndThe End (film)The End is a 1978 comedy film, directed by Burt Reynolds and starring Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Sally Field, Strother Martin, David Steinberg, Joanne Woodward, Norman Fell, Myrna Loy, Kristy McNichol, Pat O'Brien, Robby Benson, and Carl Reiner.- Plot :...
[1978] - AgathaAgatha (film)Agatha is a 1979 drama thriller film directed by Michael Apted, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and Timothy Dalton, and written by Kathleen Tynan...
[1979] - Stone Cold Dead (1979)
- The Muppet MovieThe Muppet MovieThe Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
("The Rainbow Connection" [1979]) - The Secret of NIMHThe Secret of NIMHThe Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Pictures and released by United Artists. While released to critical acclaim,...
("Flying Dreams" [1982]) - IshtarIshtarIshtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:...
[1987] - The Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
[1992] - A Muppets Christmas: Letters to SantaA Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa-External links:...
[2008] - Paul Williams Still Alive [2011]
Theatre
- Bugsy MaloneBugsy MaloneBugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
[1997] - Happy Days The Musical [2007]
- Emmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasEmmet Otter's Jug-Band ChristmasEmmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas is a children's storybook by Russell Hoban which was first published in 1971. In 1977 it was adapted into a television special by Jim Henson with songs by Paul Williams...
[2008]
Cinema songs
- "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" 1974 (written and composed by Williams for 'Where Do I Go From Here' [1974])
- "Evergreen (Love Song from A Star Is Born)" (Academy and Golden Globe winner for Best Original Song [1976])
- "The Rainbow Connection" (written by Williams for The Muppet Movie [1979])
- "Flying Dreams" (composed and performed by Williams for The Secret of N.I.M.H [1982])
Films
- The Loved OneThe Loved One (film)The Loved One is a 1965 black comedy film about the funeral business in Los Angeles, which is based on The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy , a short satirical novel by Evelyn Waugh...
, 1965 - The ChaseThe Chase (1966 film)The Chase is a 1966 American drama film directed by Arthur Penn, about a series of events set into motion by a prison break. Since one of the two escapees is Charlie "Bubber" Reeves , the escape causes a stir in a nearby town where Bubber is a well-known figure.The film deals with themes of racism...
, 1966 - Watermelon ManWatermelon Man (film)Watermelon Man is a 1970 American comedy-drama film directed by Melvin Van Peebles and based on the book The Night the Sun Came Out on Happy Hollow Lane by Herman Raucher...
, 1970 - Battle for the Planet of the ApesBattle for the Planet of the ApesBattle for the Planet of the Apes is a 1973 science fiction film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is the fifth and last entry in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P...
, 1973 - Phantom of the ParadisePhantom of the ParadisePhantom of the Paradise is a 1974 musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of The Phantom of the Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust and also briefly references Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari...
, 1974 - Smokey and the BanditSmokey and the BanditSmokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II, and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...
, 1977, as Little Enos, a recurring part - The Cheap DetectiveThe Cheap DetectiveThe Cheap Detective is a 1978 American satirical comedy film written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore as a follow-up to their successful Murder by Death ....
, 1978 - The Muppet MovieThe Muppet MovieThe Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
, 1979 - Stone Cold Dead, 1979
- Smokey and the Bandit IISmokey and the Bandit IISmokey and the Bandit II is a comedy film released on August 15, 1980 in the United States. It is the sequel to the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, and Dom DeLuise...
, 1980 - RoosterRooster (TV film)Rooster is a 1982 made-for-TV film, starring Paul Williams and Pat McCormick. Rooster is an unsold television pilot written and produced by Glen Larson for 20th Century Fox Television and broadcast as a two hour movie on the ABC Television Network in 1982....
, 1982 - Smokey and the Bandit Part 3Smokey and the Bandit Part 3Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 is the sequel to Smokey and the Bandit and Smokey and the Bandit II starring Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Pat McCormick, Mike Henry and Colleen Camp...
, 1983 - The Night They Saved ChristmasThe Night They Saved ChristmasThe Night They Saved Christmas is a 1984 RHI Entertainment Christmas film, executive produced by Robert Halmi, Senior and Junior; and originally developed for ABC. The film is about an oil company dynamiting in the North Pole in search of an oil field, unaware that they are endangering Santa Claus...
, 1984, as Ed - Frog, 1987
- The DoorsThe Doors (film)The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
, 1991 - Headless Body in Topless Bar, 1995
- The Rules of AttractionThe Rules of Attraction (film)The Rules of Attraction is a 2002 satirical dark comedy film directed by Roger Avary, based on the novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars James van der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, and Kip Pardue.-Plot:...
, 2002 - The Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the 2004 sequel to 2001's The Princess Diaries.Most of the cast returned from the first film, including Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, Héctor Elizondo, and Heather Matarazzo...
, 2004, as Lord Harmony - Georgia RuleGeorgia RuleGeorgia Rule is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund, and Cary Elwes. The original music score was composed by John Debney.-Plot:...
, 2007 - Valentine's DayValentine's Day (film)Valentine's Day is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and based on the novel by Michael Connelly. The screenplay and the story was written by Katherine Fugate, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Akiva Goldsman, Rob Reiner, P. J...
, 2010, as Romeo Midnight (Narrator)
Television
- Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
- B. J. and the Bear
- Hardy Boys
- The Love BoatThe Love BoatThe Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
(1982):Brian - The McLean Stevenson Show
- Match GameMatch GameMatch Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
- The Gong ShowThe Gong ShowThe Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
- It Takes Two
- Sugar Time!
- BarettaBarettaBaretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma...
- Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, produced by Jim HensonJim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
- The Muppet ShowThe Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
- The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
- The Brady Bunch HourThe Brady Bunch HourThe Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
- The Donny & Marie ShowDonny & Marie (1976 TV series)Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
- The Mary Tyler Moore HourThe Mary Tyler Moore HourThe Mary Tyler Moore Hour was a television series broadcast by CBS in the spring of 1979.Like her first series, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Moore's eponymous sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show , had been highly-rated, critically acclaimed, and the recipient of many Emmy Awards...
- The Odd CoupleThe Odd CoupleThe Odd Couple is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, followed by a successful film and television series, as well as other derivative works and spin offs, many featuring one or more of the same actors. The plot concerns two mismatched roommates, one neat and uptight, the other more easygoing and...
~ Season 5 1974-1974 (Episode 101: "The Paul Williams Show") - Fantasy IslandFantasy IslandFantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
-"Man who wanted to be Don Quixote" - 227227 (TV series)227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...
- "Play It Again, Stan" - Batman The Animated Series - The PenguinPenguin (comics)Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his...
- Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
- Walker: Texas Ranger
- Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
- Courage the Cowardly DogCourage the Cowardly DogCourage the Cowardly Dog is an American animated television series created by John R. Dilworth for Cartoon Network. Its central plot revolves around a somewhat anthropomorphic dog named Courage who lives with his owners, Muriel and Eustace Bagge, an elderly, married farming couple in the "Middle of...
, 2004, as Professor Lame - Dexter's LaboratoryDexter's LaboratoryDexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Cartoon Network Studios . The show is about a boy named Dexter who has an enormous secret laboratory filled with an endless collection of his inventions...
, 1998, as Professor Williams - Yo Gabba Gabba
- A Muppets Christmas: Letters to SantaA Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa-External links:...
, 2008, as the Head Elf - Silver SpoonsSilver SpoonsSilver Spoons is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982 to May 11, 1986 and in first-run syndication from September 15, 1986 to March 4, 1987...
- Late Night with Jimmy FallonLate Night with Jimmy FallonLate Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
, 2011, as himself
External links
- paulwilliamsconnection.com — site includes biography, discography, acting bio, photos, media downloads any thing and everything Paul Williams including information on service organizations.
- paulwilliams.co.uk - Paul Williams' Music & Acting Page
- Jim Bennett's interview with Paul Williams
- Songfacts Interview
- Songwriters Hall of Fame Biography