Paul Williams (songwriter)

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Paul Williams at a party in 1976
Paul Williams at a party in 1976

Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19, 1940, in Omaha, Nebraska, USA) is an American musician, composer, songwriter and actor.

Contents

[edit] Musical career

Williams is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including "(Just an) Old Fashioned Love Song", a U.S. top-ten hit for the band Three Dog Night in late 1971 which reached #4, and a number of The Carpenters hits, most notably "We've Only Just Begun", 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 [1]) on a 1969 single, and was the first Monkees' release not published by Screen Gems.

A frequent cowriter of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher; their songs together included the popular children's favorite "The Rainbow Connection", sung by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. Most recently, he collaborated with Scissor Sisters on their second album, Ta-Dah[citation needed].

Williams has worked on the music of a number of films, including writing and singing on Bugsy Malone[citation needed]. He wrote the music for a musical production of Happy Days that debuted in 2007[citation needed].

He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Songwriters Hall of Fame Bio. Retrieved on 2008-02-08., and his songs have been performed by both pop and country music artists. He has won one Academy Award Academy Awards Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-08., two Grammy Awards[citation needed] and several Golden Globe Awards Golden Globes Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-08..

[edit] 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 film Phantom of the Paradise, a rock and roll remake of Phantom of the Opera, and as Virgil, the genius orangutan in Battle for the Planet of the Apes. 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.

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.

He provided the voice of The Penguin in Batman:The Animated Series.

[edit] Personal life

Paul Williams 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 1972 hit, "Drift Away."

Williams has been active in the field of recovery from addictions.

[edit] Songwriter career

[edit] Albums

  • Words & Music
  • The Holy Mackerel
  • We've Only Just Begun
  • Someday Man
  • Just An Old Fashioned Love Song
  • Life Goes On
  • Here Comes Inspiration
  • A Little Bit Of Love
  • Phantom Of The Paradise
  • Ordinary Fool
  • A Little On The Windy Side
  • Crazy For Loving You

[edit] Notable songs

[edit] Film music

[edit] Acting career

[edit] Movies

[edit] Plays

  • Under the Sycamore Tree
  • Tru on Broadway, 1989

[edit] Television

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, The Muppet Show, The Fall Guy, and The Gong Show. He has also appeared on an episode of Babylon 5 as the aide to 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). 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.

He is also known as the voice of the Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series.

He also starred as himself in an episode of Dexter's Laboratory, entitled, "Just An Old Fashioned Lab Song", and, also as himself, in an episode of "The Odd Couple".

[edit] Television

[edit] External links

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Preceded by
Danny DeVito		 Actors to portray the Penguin
1992-2004		 Succeeded by
Tom Kenny (voice only)
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