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Paul Williams (songwriter)
 
 
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Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, composer, songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 and actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
.

iams is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including a number of hits for Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night is an United States rock band, best known for their music from 1968?1975. They were still making live appearances and recordings in 2008....
 (including "(Just an) Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man," and "Out in the Country"), Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy

Helen Reddy is an Australian/American singer-songwriter. She has won a Grammy Award, been a theatrical stage performer appearing on Broadway theatre, an actress in feature films and credited with writing and singing one of the most iconic and culturally significant songs of the 1970s, "I Am Woman"....
 ("You and Me Against the World"), and Carpenters
Carpenters

Carpenters is the third studio album by The Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, the album was successful, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and #12 in the United Kingdom....
, most notably "Rainy Days and Mondays," "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 Carpenters' signature song. Although it was recorded in early 1970 in music, it is still much in demand as a wedding anthem....
", which has since become a cover-band standard and de rigueur for weddings throughout North America.






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Paul Hamilton Williams (born September 19, 1940 in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River....
) is an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, composer, songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 and actor
Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
.

Musical career

Williams is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including a number of hits for Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night is an United States rock band, best known for their music from 1968?1975. They were still making live appearances and recordings in 2008....
 (including "(Just an) Old Fashioned Love Song", "The Family of Man," and "Out in the Country"), Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy

Helen Reddy is an Australian/American singer-songwriter. She has won a Grammy Award, been a theatrical stage performer appearing on Broadway theatre, an actress in feature films and credited with writing and singing one of the most iconic and culturally significant songs of the 1970s, "I Am Woman"....
 ("You and Me Against the World"), and Carpenters
Carpenters

Carpenters is the third studio album by The Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, the album was successful, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and #12 in the United Kingdom....
, most notably "Rainy Days and Mondays," "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 Carpenters' signature song. Although it was recorded in early 1970 in music, it is still much in demand as a wedding anthem....
", 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, born in Missoula, MT, is a Grammy-nominated composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, Bass guitar, and piano....
, "Someday Man", was covered by The Monkees
The Monkees

The Monkees were a pop singing quartet assembled in Los Angeles in 1965 in music for the United States television series The Monkees , which aired from 1966 to 1968....
 (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 United States subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia Pictures that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
.

A frequent cowriter of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth Ascher

'Kenneth Ascher' , also known as "Ken" or "Kenny" Ascher, is an United States musician , songwriter and musical arranger.Ascher's work through the years has included keyboard parts and string arrangements on John Lennon's album Walls and Bridges and Yoko Ono's A Story , lyrics to several tunes from Barbra Streisand's remake of A Sta...
; their songs together included the popular children's favorite "The Rainbow Connection
The Rainbow Connection

"The Rainbow Connection" is a popular song written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and originally performed by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie in 1979....
", sung by Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog

Kermit the Frog is a Muppet, one of puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous creations, first introduced in 1955. Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990....
 in The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie

The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical film feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979 in film, the film was produced by The Jim Henson Company under their second name and ITC Entertainment....
. Most recently, he collaborated with Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters

The Scissor Sisters is a Grammy Award-nominated United States of America band that formed in 2001. Their style draws from disco, glam rock, pop and the nightclub of New York City....
 on their second album, Ta-Dah
Ta-Dah

Ta-Dah is the second studio album by United States 5-piece band Scissor Sisters, released in September 2006. It was leaked in its entirety onto filesharing networks on September 13, 2006....
.

Williams has worked on the music of a number of films, including writing and singing on Bugsy Malone
Bugsy Malone

Bugsy Malone is a 1976 in film musical film, very loosely based on events in Chicago in the Prohibition in the United States era, specifically, the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone as dramatized in cinema....
. He wrote the music for a musical production of Happy Days
Happy Days

Happy Days is an Television in the United States television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 in television to 1984 in television on American Broadcasting Company....
 that debuted in 2007.

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....
, and his songs have been performed by both pop
Popular music

Popular music is music that is accessible to the mainstream and disseminated by one or more of the mass media. It belongs to any of a number of musical genres, and stands in contrast to classical music, which historically was the music of the elite and upper strata of society, and traditional music which was disseminated orally....
 and country music
Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
 artists. He has won one Academy Award for a song (Evergreen) from A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born (1976 film)

A Star Is Born is a 1976 rock music 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 Streisand is an United states singer and film and theatre actress. She has also achieved note as a composer, political activist, film producer and film director....
) and has been nominated for several others.

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
Cult film

A 'cult film' is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fan . Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside of the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame amongst mainstream audiences, including Carnival of Souls , Easy Rider , 2001: A Space Odyssey...
 Phantom of the Paradise
Phantom of the Paradise

Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 in film horror film-thriller film-comedy film musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust....
 (for which he also wrote the songs), a rock and roll
Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
 remake of Phantom of the Opera, and as Virgil
Virgil (Planet of the Apes)

Virgil is a genius orangutan character, from Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the final original Apes movie from 1973. He was played onscreen by actor/musician Paul Williams ....
, 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 and is the fifth and final entry in the Planet of the Apes series. It was directed by J....
. His most recognizable role is "Little Enos Burdette" in Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 in film movie starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick , Paul Williams , and Mike Henry....
. 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 United States television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969. Developed at a time when the television western was losing ground to the spy genre, this show was conceived by its creator, Michael Garrison, as "James Bond on horseback." It was one of the first television...
, and played himself, singing a song to Felix Unger's daughter Edna, in "The Odd Couple."

After appearing on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of The Muppets, which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from Sesame Street....
, Williams worked closely with Jim Henson
Jim Henson

'James Maury "Jim" Henson' , was one of the most widely known puppeteers in American television history. He was the creator of The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, and the leading force behind their long run in the television series Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and films such as The Muppet Movie and The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth...
's Henson Productions on The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie

The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical film feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979 in film, the film was produced by The Jim Henson Company under their second name 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 the Muppets, originally created by Jim Henson. He is an orange, particularly fuzzy bear who tells bad jokes and has a catch phrase, "Wocka Wocka Wocka"....
.

He provided the voice
Voice acting

Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animation characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, doing voice-overs in radio and television Television advertisements, radio drama, dubbing foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides....
 of The Penguin
Penguin (comics)

The Penguin , a DC Comics supervillain, was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 ....
 in Batman:The Animated Series.

He also 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. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek: The Original Series, created by Gene Roddenberry....
 as Prelate
Prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who either is an ordinary or ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from Latin pr?latus, the past participle of pr?ferre, literally, "carry before," or "to be set above, or over," or "to prefer," hence a prelate is one set over others....
 Koru of the Qomar Planetary Alliance, a race technologically superior to the Federation
United Federation of Planets

The United Federation of Planets is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures....
 but lacking musical ability.

He also appeared in 2009 in an episode of Nickelodeon's children's show, "Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba!

Yo Gabba Gabba! is a children's television series currently airing on the Nick Jr. and Noggin cable networks in the United States and the Nick Jr....
", entitled Weather, where he performed "The Rainbow Connection
The Rainbow Connection

"The Rainbow Connection" is a popular song written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and originally performed by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie in 1979....
" .

Personal life

Paul Williams 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 is the son of Paul Williams ....
. His brothers are the late John Williams, a NASA rocket scientist, and Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams

Mentor Williams is an internationally known songwriter and producer. He recently received an award from ASCAP, honoring his 30 year commitment to the craft of songwriting....
 (fiancé of country legend Lynn Anderson
Lynn Anderson

Lynn Anderson is an United States country music singer and jockey, best known for her Grammy Award-winning country crossover hit single, " Rose Garden."...
), a successful songwriter in his own right who penned Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray

Dobie Gray is an African American musician/singer best known for his cover of the song "Drift Away", which was one of the biggest hit single of 1973, and still remains a staple of radio airplay ....
's 1972 hit, "Drift Away
Drift Away

"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz in 1972. However, Dobie Gray's cover is the most well known version....
."

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

The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, video game addiction, crime, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, pornography addiction, etc....
.

Songwriter career


Albums

  • Words & Music
  • The Holy Mackerel (1969)
  • We've Only Just Begun
  • Someday Man
    Someday Man

    Someday Man is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1970. Notable songs from the album include "Someday Man", "Trust" and "To Put Up with You"....
     (1970)
  • Just an Old Fashioned Love Song
    Just an Old Fashioned Love Song

    Just an Old Fashioned Love Song is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1971. Notable songs from the album include "An Old Fashioned Love Song", "We've Only Just Begun", "Let Me Be the One" and "When I Was All Alone"....
     (1971)
  • Life Goes On
    Life Goes On (Paul Williams album)

    Life Goes On is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1972. Notable songs from the album include "I Won't Last a Day Without You" and "Out in the Country"....
     (1972)
  • Here Comes Inspiration
    Here Comes Inspiration

    Here Comes Inspiration is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1974. Notable songs from the album include "Rainy Days and Mondays", "You & Me Against the World" and "If We Could Still Be Friends"....
     (1974)
  • A Little Bit of Love
    A Little Bit of Love (album)

    A Little Bit of Love is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1974. Notable songs from the album include "Sad Song ", "A Little Bit of Love", "The Family of Man" and "Loneliness"....
     (1974)
  • Phantom of the Paradise
    Phantom of the Paradise

    Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 in film horror film-thriller film-comedy film musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust....
     (1974)
  • Ordinary Fool
    Ordinary Fool

    Ordinary Fool is an album by Paul Williams , released in 1975. Notable songs from the album include "Flash", "Ordinary Fool" and "Don't Call It Love"....
     (1975)
  • Classics (1977)
  • A Little on the Windy Side (1979)
  • Crazy for Loving You
  • The Muppet Movie (1979)


Notable recordings

  • "(Just An) Old Fashioned Love Song
    An Old Fashioned Love Song

    "An Old Fashioned Love Song" is the title of a 1971 song by the United States pop-rock band Three Dog Night. Taken as the lead single from their 1971 album Harmony , the song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1971, becoming the band's seventh Top 10 hit....
    " (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)
    Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)

    "Evergreen " is the well known theme song from the 1976 film A Star Is Born . It was composed and performed by Barbra Streisand with lyrics by Paul Williams ....
    " (from "Classics" [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])
  • "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
    I Won't Last a Day Without You

    "I Won't Last a Day Without You" is a song composed by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols . Williams released his version as a single in 1973 in music, but garnered only minor success....
    " (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
    Rainy Days and Mondays

    "Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971 in music song by The Carpenters that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA....
    " (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
    We've Only Just Begun

    "We've Only Just Begun" is The Carpenters' signature song. Although it was recorded in early 1970 in music, it is still much in demand as a wedding anthem....
    " (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])


Notable songs

  • "When the River Meets the Sea"
  • "Rainbow Connection
    The Rainbow Connection

    "The Rainbow Connection" is a popular song written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher and originally performed by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie in 1979....
    "
  • "One More Angel"
  • "Theme to the Love Boat"
  • "Moonlight Becomes You
    Moonlight Becomes You

    *Moonlight Becomes You , a 1942 popular song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke*Moonlight Becomes You , a 1994 album by Willie Nelson*Moonlight Becomes You , a 1996 novel by Mary Higgins Clark...
    "
  • "You're Gone"


Film music


  • Cinderella Liberty
    Cinderella Liberty

    Cinderella Liberty is a 1973 in film 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....
    , 1973
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
    Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

    Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a 1974 crime film starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy, and Geoffrey Lewis ....
    , 1974
  • Phantom of the Paradise
    Phantom of the Paradise

    Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 in film horror film-thriller film-comedy film musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust....
    , 1974
  • The Day of the Locust
    The Day of the Locust (film)

    The Day of the Locust is a 1975 in film Cinema of the United States drama film directed by John Schlesinger. The screenplay by Waldo Salt is based on the The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West....
    , 1975
  • Bugsy Malone
    Bugsy Malone

    Bugsy Malone is a 1976 in film musical film, very loosely based on events in Chicago in the Prohibition in the United States era, specifically, the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone as dramatized in cinema....
    , 1975
  • A Star Is Born
    A Star Is Born (1976 film)

    A Star Is Born is a 1976 rock music 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
  • One on One
    One on One (film)

    One on One is a 1977 in film movie starring Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole. It was written by Robby Benson and Jerry Segal , based on a story by Segal, and shot on location in 1976 at Colorado State University....
    , 1977
  • Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas
    Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

    Emmet 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 End, 1978
  • Agatha
    Agatha (film)

    Agatha is a drama thriller directed by Michael Apted, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and Timothy Dalton. The film focuses on renowned crime writer Agatha Christie, offering a theory as to her still unsolved 12-day disappearance in 1926....
    , 1979
  • John Denver and the Muppets: Christmas Together, 1979
  • The Muppet Movie
    The Muppet Movie

    The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical film feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979 in film, the film was produced by The Jim Henson Company under their second name and ITC Entertainment....
    , 1979
  • The Secret of NIMH
    The Secret of NIMH

    The Secret of NIMH is a 1982 in film animation film adaptation of the Newbery Medal-winning book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH , written by United States author Robert C....
    , 1982
  • Ishtar
    Ishtar (film)

    Ishtar is a 1987 in film comedy film, directed by Elaine May and starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as "Rogers and Clarke", a duo of incredibly untalented lounge singers who travel to Morocco looking for work and stumble into a four-party Cold War standoff....
    , 1987
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol
    The Muppet Christmas Carol

    The Muppet Christmas Carol is the fourth feature film to star The Muppets, and the first produced after the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson....
    , 1992


Acting career


Movies

  • The Loved One
    The Loved One (film)

    The Loved One is a 1965 in film about the funeral business in Los Angeles, which is based on The Loved One , a short satirical novel by Evelyn Waugh....
    , 1965
  • The Chase
    The Chase

    The Chase may refer to:...
    , 1966
  • Watermelon Man
    Watermelon Man (film)

    Watermelon Man is a 1970 in film 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 Apes
    Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes is a 1973 science fiction film and is the fifth and final entry in the Planet of the Apes series. It was directed by J....
    , 1973
  • Phantom of the Paradise
    Phantom of the Paradise

    Phantom of the Paradise is a 1974 in film horror film-thriller film-comedy film musical film written and directed by Brian De Palma. The story is a loosely adapted mixture of Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Faust....
    , 1974
  • Smokey and the Bandit
    Smokey and the Bandit

    Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 in film movie starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick , Paul Williams , and Mike Henry....
    , 1977, as Little Enos, a recurring part
  • The Cheap Detective
    The Cheap Detective

    The Cheap Detective is a 1978 in film Columbia Pictures spoof comedy film film, written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore as a follow-up to their successful Murder by Death, ....
    , 1978
  • The Muppet Movie
    The Muppet Movie

    The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical film feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979 in film, the film was produced by The Jim Henson Company under their second name and ITC Entertainment....
    , 1979
  • Stone Cold Dead, 1979
  • Smokey and the Bandit II
    Smokey and the Bandit II

    Smokey and the Bandit II is a comedy film released on August 15, 1980 in the United States. It is the sequel to the 1977 in film film Smokey and the Bandit....
    , 1980
  • Smokey and the Bandit Part 3
    Smokey and the Bandit Part 3

    Smokey and the Bandit Part III is the 1983 in film 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 Doors
    The Doors (film)

    The Doors is a 1991 in film biopic about the 1960s rock band The Doors 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, Kevin Dillon as John Densmore and Kathleen Quinl...
    , 1991
  • Headless Body in Topless Bar, 1995
  • The Rules of Attraction
    The Rules of Attraction (film)

    The Rules of Attraction is a dark satire film directed by Roger Avary, based on The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue and Clare Kramer....
    , 2002
  • The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
    The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

    The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is the 2004 in film sequel to 2001 in film's The Princess Diaries .Anne Hathaway , Julie Andrews, H?ctor Elizondo, and Heather Matarazzo return to portray their characters from the first Princess Diaries film, Princess Mia Thermopolis, Queen Clarisse Renaldi, Joe and Lilly Moscovitz, res...
    , 2004, as Lord Harmony
  • Georgia Rule
    Georgia Rule

    Georgia Rule is a 2007 in film comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund and Cary Elwes....
    , 2007
  • The Night They Saved Christmas
    The Night They Saved Christmas

    The Night They Saved Christmas is a 1984 in film RHI Entertainment Christmas film, executive produced by Robert Halmi, Senior and Junior; and originally developed for ABC....
    , 1984, as Ed


Plays

  • Under the Sycamore Tree
  • Tru on Broadway, 1989


Television

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 United States television series that starred Jack Lord as Lead Detective for a fictional Hawaii state police department....
, Match Game '79
Match Game

Match Game was an United States television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions....
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat

The Love Boat is an United States television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the American Broadcasting Company from 1977 in television until 1986 in television....
, 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 American Broadcasting Company. The series starred Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy as amateur sleuth brothers Frank Hardy and Joe Hardy , respectively, and Pamela Sue Martin as girl detective Nancy Drew....
, 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 American Broadcasting Company. It starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison....
, The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of The Muppets, which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from Sesame Street....
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy was an United States television program produced for American Broadcasting Company and originally broadcast from 1981 in television to 1986 in television....
, and The Gong Show
The Gong Show

The Gong Show was a parody of television variety shows. It broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in television syndication in the U.S....
. He has also guest-starred in the Babylon 5
Babylon 5

Babylon 5 is an United States science fiction on television created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict in the late 2250s and early 2260s....
 episode entitled "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
Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek: The Original Series, created by Gene Roddenberry....
 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 Dramatic programming centering around the residents of the fictional community of Rome, Wisconsin. 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 is an United States actress, best known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the movies Poltergeist and its sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side , and Poltergeist III ....
). 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 Academy Awards-winning United States songwriters who specialize in musical films. They are Robert B. Sherman and Richard M....
. 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
Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series is an United States, two time Emmy Award winning animated series adaptation of the comic book series featuring the DC Comics superhero, Batman....
.

He also starred as Professor Williams in an episode of Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory

Dexter's Laboratory is an Annie Award-winning American list of animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky about a boy genius named Dexter, who has a secret laboratory hidden behind a bookshelf in his bedroom....
, entitled, "Just An Old Fashioned Lab Song", and, also as himself, in an episode of "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 American Broadcasting Company. It starred Tony Randall as Felix Unger and Jack Klugman as Oscar Madison....
".

He also appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba on episode 5 of the second season singing his song Rainbow Connection. Air Date October 10th, 2008.

Television

  • Hawaii Five-O
    Hawaii Five-O

    Hawaii Five-O is an United States television series that starred Jack Lord as Lead Detective for a fictional Hawaii state police department....
  • The Love Boat
    The Love Boat

    The Love Boat is an United States television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the American Broadcasting Company from 1977 in television until 1986 in television....
  • The McLean Stevenson Show
  • Match Game
    Match Game

    Match Game was an United States television game show featuring contestants attempting to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions....
  • The Gong Show
    The Gong Show

    The Gong Show was a parody of television variety shows. It broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in television syndication in the U.S....
  • It Takes Two
    It Takes Two

    It Takes Two can refer to the following:...
  • Sugar Time!
  • Baretta
    Baretta

    Baretta is a United States detective fiction television series which ran on American Broadcasting Company 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 Henson
    Jim Henson

    'James Maury "Jim" Henson' , was one of the most widely known puppeteers in American television history. He was the creator of The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, and the leading force behind their long run in the television series Sesame Street and The Muppet Show and films such as The Muppet Movie and The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth...
  • "The Muppet Show
    The Muppet Show

    The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of The Muppets, which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from Sesame Street....
    "
  • "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson"
  • The Brady Bunch Hour
    The Brady Bunch Hour

    The Brady Bunch Hour was a television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, which aired on American Broadcasting Company between 1976 to 1977....
  • The Donny & Marie Show
  • The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
    The Mary Tyler Moore Hour

    The 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 situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show , had been highly-rated, critically-acclaimed, and the recipient of many Emmy Awards....
  • "The Odd Couple
    The Odd Couple

    The Odd Couple was 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....
     ~ Season 5 1974-1974" (Episode 101: The Paul Williams Show / Germany: Ein Lied für Edna)
  • "Fantasy Island
    Fantasy Island

    Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related United States fantasy television series, both originally airing on the American Broadcasting Company television network....
    --Man who wanted to be Don Quixote"
  • "Babylon 5
    Babylon 5

    Babylon 5 is an United States science fiction on television created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on the Babylon 5 space station: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict in the late 2250s and early 2260s....
    "
  • Star Trek: Voyager
    Star Trek: Voyager

    Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek: The Original Series, created by Gene Roddenberry....
  • Yo Gabba Gabba
  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
    A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa

    A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa is the second NBC television film produced by Jim Henson Television and the Walt Disney Studios starring Jim Henson's Muppets....
    , 2008, as the Head Elf


External links