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

Contents 1 Musical career 2 Film and television career 3 Personal life 4 Songwriter career 4.1 Albums 4.2 Notable songs 4.3 Film music 5 Acting career 5.1 Movies 5.2 Plays 5.3 Television 5.4 Television 6 External links

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, and a number of 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^{[citation needed]}. An early collaboration with Roger Nichols, "Someday Man", was covered by The Monkees (a group for which he auditioned but was not cast^{[citation needed]}) on a 1969 single, and was the first Monkees' release not published by Screen Gems.

A frequent cowriter of Williams was musician Kenneth Ascher^{[citation needed]}; 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^{[citation needed]}, and his songs have been performed by both pop and country music artists^{[citation needed]}. He has won one Academy Award^{[citation needed]}, two Grammy Awards^{[citation needed]} and several Golden Globe Awards^{[citation needed]}.

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.

Williams has been active in the field of recovery from addictions. Paul Williams is married to writer Mariana Williams. He has two children, Sarah and Cole. Paul's 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."

• 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
• Oringinal Fool
• A Little On The Windy Side
• Crazy For Loving You

• "We've Only Just Begun"
• "Rainy Days and Mondays"
• "I Won't Last a Day Without You"
• "What Would They Say"
• "Someday Man"
• "To Put Up With You"
• "Waking Up Alone"
• "Rainbow Connection"
• "(Just An) Old Fashioned Love Song"
• "Family of Man"
• "The Hell of It"
• "One More Angel"
• "Theme to the Love Boat"
• "Evergreen"
• "Let Me Be the One"
• "You and Me Against the World"
• "Out In The Country"
• "Sad Song (That Used to Be Our Song)"

• The Getaway, 1972
• The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, 1972
• Cinderella Liberty, 1973
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, 1974
• Phantom of the Paradise, 1974
• The Day of the Locust, 1975
• Bugsy Malone, 1975
• A Star Is Born, 1976
• One on One, 1977
• The End, 1978
• Agatha, 1979
• The Muppet Movie, 1979
• The Secret of NIMH, 1982
• Ishtar, 1987
• The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992

• The Loved One, 1965
• The Chase, 1966
• Watermelon Man, 1970
• Battle for the Planet of the Apes, 1973
• Phantom of the Paradise, 1974
• Bugsy Malone, 1976
• Smokey and the Bandit, 1977, as Little Enos, a recurring part
• The Cheap Detective, 1978
• The Muppet Movie, 1979
• Smokey and the Bandit II, 1980
• Smokey and the Bandit Part 3, 1983
• The Doors, 1991
• Headless Body in Topless Bar, 1995
• The Rules of Attraction, 2002
• The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, 2004
• Georgia Rule, 2007
• Scary Movie 5, 2008

• Under the Sycamore Tree
• Tru on Broadway, 1989

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 and The Fall Guy. 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".

• Hawaii Five-O
• The Love Boat
• The McLean Stevenson Show
• 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
• "The Odd Couple ~ Season 5 1974-1974"
• "Fantasy Island--Man who wanted to be Don Quixote"
• "Babylon 5"
• Star Trek: Voyager

• PaulWilliams Connection - site includes biography, discography, acting bio, photos, media downloads any thing and everything Paul Williams including information on service organizations.
• Paul Williams (songwriter) at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Williams' Music & Acting Page
• Complete brief biography
• Interview
• 30th Anniversary Emmet Otter Tribute CD
• Songfacts Interview

Preceded by Danny DeVito

Actors to portray the Penguin 1992-2004

Succeeded by Tom Kenny (voice only)