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Paul H. Williams

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Biography

For|other musicians of that name|Paul Williams (disambiguation)!Paul WilliamsInfobox musical artist| name =Paul Williams| image =| alt =| caption =| image_size =| background =solo_singer| birth_name =Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr.| alias =| birth_date =Birth date and age|1940|9|19| mf=y| origin = Omaha, Nebraska | instrument =Vocals, guitar, keyboards| genre = Pop folk , Pop music|Pop , Soft rock , Traditional music|Folk | occupation =Singer, songwriter, actor, writer and director.| years_active =1960s–present| label = A& M Records | associated_acts =The Holy Mackerel, The Muppets, The Carpenters| website =URL|paulwilliamsconnection.org| notable_instruments = Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an Academy Award -winning American music composer|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 (song)|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 (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)|Evergreen " from A Star Is Born (1976 film)|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.

Musical career


Williams was part of a short lived rock group called "Holy Mackerel." He is responsible for a number of enduring pop hits from the 1970s, including several hits for Three Dog Night (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 (songwriter)|Roger Nichols , "Someday Man," was covered by The Monkees (a group for which he auditioned but was not cast)cite news| url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200851 | work=St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture | title=The Monkees | first=Karen | last=Lurie | year=2002 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 (song)|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 (musician)|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 cite web|url= http://www.bar-none.com/richard-barone.html |title=Richard Barone - Bar/None Records |publisher=Bar-none.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-10.

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 46th Academy Awards|Oscar nomination . Along with Kenneth Ascher and Rupert Holmes , they wrote the music and lyrics to A Star Is Born (1976 film)|A Star Is Born , with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson . The bittersweet love ballad, " Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)|Evergreen ", from the movie won the Academy Award for Best Song of The Year.

He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame ,cite web|title=Songwriters Hall of Fame Bio |url= http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_bio.asp? exhibitId=185 |accessdate=February 8, 2008 Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot and his songs have been performed by both popular music|pop and country music artists. He has won one Academy Award for best song (Evergreen) from A Star Is Born (1976 film)|A Star Is Born (co-written by the artist who performed it, Barbra Streisand ) and has been nominated for several others.cite web|title=Academy Awards Database |url= http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/BasicSearch? action=searchLink& displayType=6& BSNominationID=44449 |accessdate=February 8, 2008 , two Grammy Award sCitation needed|date=November 2007 and several Golden Globe Award s cite web|title=Golden Globes Database |url= http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/29890 |accessdate=February 8, 2008

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 . http://www.paulwilliamscouk.plus.com/pwnbugsyh.html www.paulwilliamscouk.plus.com

He wrote and sang the theme song from the made for television movie " The Boy in the Plastic Bubble ". A 1976 film starring newcomer John Travolta.

In April 2009, Williams was elected President and Chairman of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers .cite web|title=Songwriter Paul Williams Elected President and Chairman Of ASCAP |url= http://www.ascap.com/press/2009/0416_williams.aspx |accessdate=August 27, 2010

In March 2011 it was announced that Williams had "written a couple of tunes" on the upcoming album of French electronic duo Daft Punk .cite web|url= http://www.nme.com/news/daft-punk/62718 |title='The Muppets' songwriter to feature on new Daft Punk album? & #124; News |publisher=Nme.Com |date=2012-03-19 |accessdate=2012-04-10

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 (for which he also wrote the songs), a rock and roll remake of Phantom of the Opera , and as Virgil (Planet of the Apes)|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 The Wild Wild West|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 voice acting|provided the voice of Penguin (comics)|The Penguin in Batman:The Animated Series . He had a role in Star Trek: Voyager as Prelate Koru of the Qomar|Qomar Planetary Alliance , a race technologically superior to the United Federation of Planets|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|Match Game '79 , The Love Boat , The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries|The Hardy Boys , The Odd Couple (TV series)|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 (Star Trek: Voyager)|"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"

Personal life


Williams was born in Omaha, Nebraska , the son of Bertha Mae (née Burnside), a homemaker, and Paul Hamilton Williams, an architectural engineer.cite web|url= http://www.filmreference.com/film/10/Paul-Williams.html |title=Paul Williams Biography (1940-) |publisher=Filmreference.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-10 He is married to writer Mariana Williams, and has two children, Sarah and Cole Williams|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 Substance dependence#Methods of care|recovery from addictions .

In 2009, Paul Williams was elected President of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

In September 2011, director Stephen Kessler's documentary, Paul Williams Still Alive premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival .

Songwriting


col-begincol-break

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

  • A Star is Born (Motion picture Soundtrack; with Kenny Ascher) 1976

  • Classics 1977

  • " One on One: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Lyrics by Paul Williams, music by Charles Fox; performed by Seals and Crofts (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 (features songs written by Jerry Goldsmith ; Paul Williams performs the song "Flying Dreams"

  • 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)

  • "Family of Man" (#12 hit for Three Dog Night)

  • "Out in the Country" (#15 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" (from The Secret of Nimh soundtrack)

  • "Gone Forever"

  • "Where Do I Go From Here (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot)"

  • "Someday Man" ( Monkees - 1969 - "A" Side of "Listen To The Band" single)


    • TV themes (lyricist)


  • "The McLean Stevenson Show"

  • "Theme to the Love Boat"

  • "It Takes Two"

  • "Sugar Time!"

  • "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas"


    • 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)


    • col-end

    Scores


    col-begincol-break

    Films



  • The Loved One (1965 film)|The Loved One 1965

  • The Chase (1966 film)|The Chase 1966

  • The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing 1972

  • Cinderella Liberty 1973

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes 1973

  • Phantom of the Paradise 1974

  • The Day of the Locust 1975

  • Bugsy Malone 1976

  • A Star Is Born (1976 film)|A Star Is Born 1976

  • Lifeguard (Theme song "Time and Tide" 1976)

  • One on One (film)|One on One 1977

  • '' Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas 1977

  • The End (film)|The End 1978

  • Agatha (film)|Agatha 1979

  • Stone Cold Dead (1979)

  • The Muppet Movie ("The Rainbow Connection" 1979)

  • The Secret of NIMH ("Flying Dreams" 1982)

  • Ishtar 1987

  • The Muppet Christmas Carol 1992

  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa 2008

  • Paul Williams Still Alive 2011


    • Theatre


  • Bugsy Malone 1997

  • Happy Days The Musical 2007

  • '' Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas 2008

    • col-end

    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)


    • Acting


    col-begincol-break

    Films


  • The Loved One (film)|The Loved One , 1965

  • The Chase (1966 film)|The Chase , 1966

  • Watermelon Man (film)|Watermelon Man , 1970

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes , 1973

  • Phantom of the Paradise , 1974

  • Smokey and the Bandit , 1977, as Little Enos, a recurring part

  • The Cheap Detective , 1978

  • The Muppet Movie , 1979

  • Stone Cold Dead , 1979

  • Smokey and the Bandit II , 1980

  • Rooster (TV film)|Rooster , 1982

  • Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 , 1983

  • The Night They Saved Christmas , 1984, as Ed

  • Frog (TV film)|Frog , 1987

  • The Doors (film)|The Doors , 1991

  • Headless Body in Topless Bar , 1995

  • The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction , 2002

  • The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement , 2004, as Lord Harmony nb10

  • Georgia Rule , 2007

  • '' Valentine's Day (film)|Valentine's Day , 2010, as Romeo Midnight (Narrator)


    • Theatre


  • Under the Sycamore Tree

  • Tru on Broadway , 1989

    • col-break

    Television


  • Hawaii Five-O

  • B. J. and the Bear

  • Hardy Boys

  • The Love Boat

  • The McLean Stevenson Show

  • Match Game

  • The Gong Show

  • It Takes Two (1982 TV series)|It Takes Two

  • Sugar Time!

  • Baretta

  • '' Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas , produced by Jim Henson

  • The Muppet Show

  • The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

  • The Brady Bunch Hour

  • Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)|The Donny & Marie Show

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Hour

  • The Odd Couple

  • Fantasy Island

  • 227 (TV series)|227 - "Play It Again, Stan"

  • Batman The Animated Series - Penguin (comics)|The Penguin

  • Babylon 5

  • Walker: Texas Ranger

  • Star Trek: Voyager

  • Courage the Cowardly Dog , 2004, as Professor Lame

  • '' Dexter's Laboratory , 1998, as Professor Williams

  • Yo Gabba Gabba

  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa , 2008, as the Head Elf

  • Silver Spoons

  • Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , 2011, as himself

    • col-end

    References


    ;Notes
    Reflist
    ;Bibliography
  • Citation |last=Skinner |first=Curtis |title=Contemporary Authors Online|year=2001|publisher=Gale|location=Detroit |isbn=978-0-7876-3995-2


    • External links


    Commons category|Paul WilliamsWikiquote
  • http://paulwilliamsconnection.com/ paulwilliamsconnection.com — site includes biography, discography, acting bio, photos, media downloads any thing and everything Paul Williams including information on service organizations.

  • http://www.paulwilliams.co.uk/ paulwilliams.co.uk - Paul Williams' Music & Acting Page

  • IMDb name|0931437|Paul Williams

  • discogs artist|Paul Williams (2)|Paul Williams

  • Memoryalpha|Paul Williams

  • http://www.webcitation.org/query? url= http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/1127/People/evergree.htm& date=2009-10-25+05:38:43 Jim Bennett's interview with Paul Williams

  • http://www.songfacts.com/int/2007/06/paul-williams.html Songfacts Interview

  • http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_home_page.asp? exhibitId=185 Songwriters Hall of Fame Biography

    • S-startSuccession box| before = Danny DeVito | title = Actors to portray the Penguin | years = 1992-2004 | after = David Ogden Stiers (voice only)S-endUse mdy dates|date=September 2010AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1971–1980Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score 1970–1989Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song 1970sGrammy Award for Song of the Year 1970s
    Persondata | NAME =Williams, Paul
    | ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
    | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American songwriter
    | DATE OF BIRTH =September 19, 1940
    | PLACE OF BIRTH =
    | DATE OF DEATH =
    | PLACE OF DEATH =
    DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Paul Category:1940 births
    Category:American composers
    Category:American film actors
    Category:Songwriters from Nebraska
    Category:American soft rock musicians
    Category:American television actors
    Category:American voice actors
    Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters
    Category:Grammy Award winners
    Category:Living people
    Category:People from Omaha, Nebraska
    Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics
    Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees

    de:Paul Williams (Songwriter)
    es:Paul Williams (cantautor)
    fr:Paul Williams (auteur-compositeur)
    it:Paul Williams (compositore)
    ja:???·?????? (???????????)
    pl:Paul Williams (muzyk)
    pt:Paul Williams
    simple:Paul Williams (songwriter)
    fi:Paul Williams

    Copyright Citations

    This article is licensed under the GNU License
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    Paul H. Williams Photo by: www.behindthevoiceactors.com



          

    		  
       
     
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