Paul Williams (songwriter) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Williams
Williams at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Paul Hamilton Williams Jr.
Born	(1940-09-19) September 19, 1940 (age 84) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Folk pop soft rock film score
Occupation(s)	Musician singer composer songwriter actor writer
Years active	1964–present
Labels	A&M, Reprise, Portrait
Associated acts	The Holy Mackerel The Muppets The Odd Couple The Carpenters Daft Punk

Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American artist who is a talented composer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is famous for writing and co-writing many popular songs in the 1970s. Some of these hits include "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country" for Three Dog Night, "You and Me Against the World" for Helen Reddy, and "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays" for the Carpenters. He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman.

Williams also created the music and lyrics for the movie Bugsy Malone (1976). He contributed to other films, like the Oscar-nominated song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie. He also wrote the lyrics for the No. 1 song "Evergreen", the main love song from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born. For "Evergreen", he won a Grammy and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He even wrote the lyrics for the opening theme of the TV show The Love Boat.

Beyond music, Williams has had many well-known acting roles. He played Little Enos Burdette in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977). He was also the villain Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), where he also helped write the music and received an Oscar nomination. Since 2009, Williams has been the president and chairman of ASCAP, a group that supports songwriters.

Early Life and Family

Paul Williams was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Paul Hamilton Williams, was an architectural engineer, and his mother, Bertha Mae, was a homemaker.

One of his brothers, John J. Williams, was a NASA rocket scientist. He worked on the Mercury and Apollo space programs and received NASA's highest honor in 1969. His other brother, Mentor Williams, was also a songwriter. Mentor wrote the 1973 hit song "Drift Away" for Dobie Gray.

Musical Journey

Williams performing in 1974

Paul Williams started his professional songwriting career in Los Angeles with Biff Rose. They met while working on a TV comedy show. Together, they wrote "Fill Your Heart," which Rose recorded. Later, Tiny Tim covered it. In 1969, Williams formed a studio band called The Holy Mackerel.

Williams then began working with songwriter Roger Nichols. They created many successful pop songs in the 1970s. These included hits for Three Dog Night like "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country". They also wrote "You and Me Against the World" for Helen Reddy. For the Carpenters, they wrote "Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You", and "We've Only Just Begun". "We've Only Just Begun" was originally for a bank commercial and is now a very popular song for weddings.

Williams also worked with musician Kenneth Ascher. Together, they wrote "Rainbow Connection", sung by Jim Henson (as Kermit the Frog) in The Muppet Movie (1979).

He contributed music to many films. He wrote and sang songs for Phantom of the Paradise (1974), where he also acted. He earned an Oscar nomination for the music in this film. He also worked on Bugsy Malone (1976). Williams wrote and sang "Where Do I Go from Here" for the movie Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. He also wrote lyrics for "You're So Nice to Be Around" from Cinderella Liberty, earning another Oscar nomination.

With Ascher and Rupert Holmes, he wrote the music and lyrics for A Star Is Born (1976), starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The song "Evergreen" (lyrics by Paul Williams, melody by Barbra Streisand) won an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Song of the Year.

In 2012, Williams worked with the French electronic music group Daft Punk on their album Random Access Memories. He co-wrote and sang on the song "Touch" and co-wrote "Beyond". At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Williams spoke on behalf of Daft Punk when they won Album of the Year. He shared a message from the robots about generosity and the power of love.

Williams is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songs have been performed by many pop and country artists. In April 2009, he was chosen as the president and chairman of ASCAP.

Acting in Film and Television

Even though he is famous for his music, Paul Williams has appeared in many films and TV shows. He played the record producer Swan in Brian DePalma's film Phantom of the Paradise (1974). This movie was a rock and roll version of The Phantom of the Opera. He also played Virgil, a smart orangutan, in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).

In 1973, Williams appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Virgil. He played Miguelito Loveless, Jr. in The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979), a movie based on the TV series The Wild Wild West. He also played himself on The Odd Couple in 1974. His first film role was Gunther Fry in The Loved One (1965).

After appearing on The Muppet Show in 1976, Williams worked closely with Jim Henson's Henson Productions. He worked on the soundtrack for The Muppet Movie and had a small role as a piano player. He also wrote lyrics for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas.

Williams wrote theme songs for TV comedies like It Takes Two (1982–1983), where he sang a duet with Crystal Gayle. He also composed and performed the theme for The McLean Stevenson Show in 1976.

He provided the voice of the Penguin in Batman: The Animated Series and other shows in the DC Animated Universe. He appeared on an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger as a radio DJ. In 2008, he was on the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! and performed "Rainbow Connection". Williams also appeared in Dexter's Laboratory as Professor Williams, Dexter's piano teacher.

He made many TV appearances in the 1970s and 1980s on shows like Hawaii Five-O, Hollywood Squares, and The Love Boat. He also guest-starred in the Babylon 5 episode "Acts of Sacrifice".

In October 1980, Williams hosted the Mickey Mouse Club 25th Anniversary Special. He said he had tried out for the show in 1955 but was not chosen. He was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In 2014, he appeared on Community. Williams also appeared in the 2017 film Baby Driver as the Butcher, an arms dealer.

He played Little Enos Burdette in Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983). He has a recurring role as a former lawyer in the TV series Goliath in 2018 and 2019.

Personal Life

Paul Williams has been married three times. He has two children, Sarah and Cole Williams (born 1981), from his first marriage to Kate Clinton. In 1993, he married Hilda Keenan Wynn. His third wife is writer Mariana Williams.

Williams is an experienced skydiver and completed over 100 jumps in the 1970s.

In September 2011, a documentary called Paul Williams Still Alive premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Songbook

Other Hits

• "Love Dance" (Williams wrote the lyrics. It was recorded by Ivan Lins, Barbra Streisand, and Sarah Vaughan. It is a well-known jazz song.)
• "Flying Dreams" (from The Secret of NIMH soundtrack)
• "Touch" (Daft Punk – 2013 – Random Access Memories – Williams also sang on this song)
• "You're Gone" (a country hit for Diamond Rio)
• "Waking Up Alone" was written and recorded by Williams in 1971. It reached number 60 on the pop chart in April 1972.

Film Scores

Films

• The Loved One (1965)
• The Chase (1966)
• Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
• Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
• Bugsy Malone (1976)
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)
• Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
• The Cheap Detective (1978)
• The End (1978)
• The Muppet Movie (1979)
• The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)
• Ishtar (1987)
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
• The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)

Theatre

• Bugsy Malone (1997)
• Happy Days (2007)
• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (2008)

Notable Songs for Film Soundtracks

• "Where Do I Go From Here" (composed and performed by Williams for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot) (1974)
• "Evergreen (Love Song from A Star Is Born)" (lyrics by Williams, won Academy and Golden Globe awards) (1976)
• "What Would They Say?" (for The Boy in the Plastic Bubble starring John Travolta) (1976)
• "Rainbow Connection" (co-composed by Williams for The Muppet Movie, added to the National Recording Registry in 2020) (1979)
• "Flying Dreams" (co-composed with Jerry Goldsmith and performed by Williams for The Secret of N.I.M.H) (1982)
• "When Love is Gone" (co-composed by Williams for The Muppet Christmas Carol) (1992)
• "If We Could Remember" (co-composed with Jerry Goldsmith for The Sum of All Fears) (2002)
• "Still Alive" (composed and performed by Williams for Paul Williams Still Alive) (2011)
• "Old Souls", "The Hell of It" and "The Phantom's Theme (Beauty and the Beast)" composed for The Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
• "I Love You Too Much" and "The Apology Song" (co-composed with Gustavo Santaolalla for The Book of Life) (2014)
• "Time and Tide" (composed by Paul Williams and performed by Dale Menten for Lifeguard) (1976)

Discography

Albums

Soundtracks

Compilations

Other Releases

• The Holy Mackerel (with The Holy Mackerel, 1969)
• We've Only Just Begun (Roger Nichols and Paul Williams, 2001)
• Random Access Memories (Daft Punk, 2013) : Williams co-wrote and featured on "Touch", and co-wrote "Beyond"
• Chris Black Changed My Life (Portugal. The Man, 2023) : Williams features on one track

Filmography

Film

Television

Legacy

The song "Rainbow Connection" was added to the National Recording Registry in 2020. This means it is considered an important part of American sound history.

See also

In Spanish: Paul Williams (compositor) para niños