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Paul Williams

Paul Williams

Actor, also composer and writer · Born September 19, 1940 (86) · Bennington, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American composer, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for writing and co-writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays". Williams is also known for writing the score and lyrics for Bugsy Malone (1976) and his musical contributions to other films, including the Oscar-nominated song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen", the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox, which was originally sung by Jack Jones and, later, by Dionne Warwick. Williams had a variety of high-profile acting roles, such as Little Enos Burdette in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process.[6] Since 2009, Williams has been the president and chairman of the American songwriting society ASCAP. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 19, 1940 (86)
From
Bennington, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Works as
Actor, also composer and writer
Titles
61 on MovieCove · 103 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Paul Williams' films like?

Across their 27 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 21st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Morality
21%
Self
20%
Society
15%
Power
8%
Ideas
5%
Survival
4%
Friendship9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 19 · Serious 4 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 14 · Charged 9 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 17 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 2

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 20 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 24 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 10 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 10
Trickster
2 of 10
Mentor
2 of 10
Ally
1 of 10
Herald
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
12
Joyful
12
Absurd
10
Tense
7
Hopeful
8
Other
21

How their films linger

Feel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Paul Williams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 40 of their 61 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Paul Williams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

103 credits, 61 with a MovieCove page; 29 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Muppet Scriptmas Carol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Songs

  • The Muppet Script (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Songs

  • Superman: Red Son(2020)

    as Brainiac (voice)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Belsen: Our Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • Baby Driver(2017)

    as The Butcher

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Goliath(2016)

    Show 7 episodes · as James 'JT' Reginald III

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Bridget Jones's Baby(2016)

    Dialogue Editor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Future-Worm!(2016)

    Show as Future-Danny

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • Guillermo del Toro Interviews Paul Williams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Thanks · as Self

  • The Diamond Jubilee Concert 2012 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • The Ghastly Love of Johnny X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as Cousin Quilty

  • Valentine's Day(2010)

    as Romeo Midnight (voice)

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Community(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Britta's Contact

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Lucky Ducks(2009)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa(2008)

    Composer · Songs · Story · Teleplay · as Elf

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Happening(2008)

    Construction Coordinator

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Georgia Rule(2007)

    as Mr. Wells

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Nowhere Man(2005)

    as Bar Patron

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement(2004)

    as Lord Harmony

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Rules of Attraction(2002)

    as Duty Doctor

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Close to You: The Story of the Carpenters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Actor

  • A Regular Frankie Fan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Narrator

  • Postal Worker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • The New Batman Adventures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 4 episodes · as The Penguin (voice)

  • Perversions of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Mueller

  • Superman: The Animated Series(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Penguin (voice)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Firestorm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Dr. Tangu

  • Dexter's Laboratory(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Professor Williams (voice)

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Boston Common (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · as Father Rooney

  • The Mask(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. Byron (voice)

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Headless Body in Topless Bar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Carl Levin

  • Star Trek: Voyager(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Koru

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Phantom 2040 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 35 episodes · Actor

  • The Tick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Mother of Invention (voice)

  • A Million to Juan(1994)

    as Jenkins

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die(1994)

    as Duke

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Babylon 5(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Taq

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Town Santa Forgot(1993)

    as Pomp the Elf

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Nick & Noel(1993)

    as Barnaby (voice)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Walker, Texas Ranger(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Tumbleweed Tom

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • The Muppet Christmas Carol(1992)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Batman: The Animated Series(1992)

    Show 7 episodes · as Penguin (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Solar Crisis(1990)

    as Freddy the Bomb (voice)

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Fish Police (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Buddy (voice)

  • The Last Halloween (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Gleep (Voice)

  • Timeless Tales: The Steadfast Tin Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Frogbrauten

  • The Legend of Prince Valiant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Doors(1991)

    as Warhol PR

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Frogs!(1992)

    as Gus

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Kujo (voice)

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • Dream On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 2 episodes · as Paul Williams

  • People Like Us(1990)

    as Ezzie Fenwick

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Sam Kinison: Banned (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Attorney

  • Old Gringo(1989)

    as Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Chill Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Clifford White

  • Twelfth Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Curio

  • Ishtar(1987)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Frog(1988)

    as Gus

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • My Little Pony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 65 episodes · Actor

  • The Blinkins: The Bear and the Blizzard(1987)

    as Grog the Frog (voice)

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 227(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Rep (voice)

  • The Night They Saved Christmas(1984)

    as Ed

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Puttin' on the Hits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Judge

  • Enchanted Musical Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Smokey and the Bandit Part 3(1983)

    as Little Enos

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Rooster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Writer · as Rooster Steele

  • The Secret of NIMH(1982)

    Lyricist

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Fall Guy(1981)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Williams (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Gimme a Break! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Smokey and the Bandit II(1980)

    as Little Enos

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Stone Cold Dead(1979)

    as Julius Kurtz

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Paul Williams Comedy Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Hamilton/Marvin the Martian

  • The Muppet Movie(1979)

    Composer · Songs · as El Sleazo Pianist

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Wild West Revisited(1979)

    as Michelito Loveless, Jr.

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • B. J. and the Bear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Cheap Detective(1978)

    as Boy

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The End(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Sparrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

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

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Love Boat(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Brian · as Nelson Hoag

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows

  • Smokey and the Bandit(1977)

    as Little Enos

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Flight to Holocaust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer · Songs · as Colorado Davis

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • The Brady Bunch Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • A Star Is Born(1976)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Bugsy Malone(1976)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Good Heavens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • When Things Were Rotten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · as Guy de Maupassant

  • Baretta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Phantom of the Paradise(1974)

    Composer · Songs · as Swan

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Police Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Willy Jaques

  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot(1974)

    Songs

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Stranger Who Looks Like Me(1974)

    Composer · Songs

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes(1973)

    as Virgil

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Odd Couple(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Paul Williams

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Watermelon Man(1970)

    as Employment Office Clerk

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Hawaii Five-O(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Story · as Tim Powers / Stringer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • The Chase(1966)

    as Seymour

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Loved One(1965)

    as Gunther Fry

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

A full career of 101 titles from 1948 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

$127M worldwide

Highest rated

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Muppet Movie (1979)

Film career

Top draw in 3 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting83 of 101: 77 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stWriting4 of 101: 1 only writing, 3 with another roleProducing1 of 101: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleMusic8 of 101: 3 only music, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score91stCinematography1 of 101: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another roleOther crew16 of 101: 10 only other crew, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score68th

101 titles, 8 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1940s1 · acting1960s3 · 3 acting · 1 crew1970s26 · 19 acting · 10 crew1980s18 · 16 acting · 3 crew1990s32 · 31 acting · 1 crew2000s9 · 8 acting · 2 crew2010s7 · 4 acting · 3 crew2020s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew

Billing

usually 17th · top billed in 0% of 19 roles
657585

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Paul Williams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 61 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th13

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 61 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Universally Panned2
  • Loved with Detractors1
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · actor

Nowhere Man (2005)

91st percentile spread · 54% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 21 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Paul Williams' work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles17–62 · median 26 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles13–67 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles2–54 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles26–49 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles14–47 · median 24 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Paul Williams work with?

People who share at least 2 of Paul Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Burt Reynolds shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers