Born Bennington, NE. Versatilie, blond, diminutive (5'2") performer-composer of American TV, recordings and films. An apprentice jockey at 13, he later worked for an insurance company, joined a skydiving show, and appeared on the stage in summer stock. He began playing bit roles in films in the mid-60s (THE LOVED ONE, THE CHASE, et al.) and gained popularity in the 70s as a singer, songwriter ("We've Only Just Begun," "You and Me Against the World," etc.) and frequent guest and host on TV series and variety and talk shows. He composed the music for and starred in PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974), a rock screen version of The Phantom of the Opera. Williams had his own TV show in the late 1970s. He shared an Academy Award with Barbra Streisand for the song "Evergreen" from A STAR IS BORN (1976). Other notable credits include: (As composer) THE END (1978) and THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992, songs); (As actor) WATERMELON MAN (1970), BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (1973, as Virgil), SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (1977), THE CHEAP DETECTIVE (1978), THE MUPPET MOVIE (1979, as El Sleezo Pianist), OLD GRINGO (1989), THE DOORS (1991), A MILLION TO JUAN (1994), HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR (1995), POSTAL WORKER (1998), THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (2002), THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (2004), NOWHERE MAN (2005), GEORGIA RULE (2007), and THE GHASTLY LOVE OF JOHNNY X (2008).  Nominated for Music Best Song 1973: CINDERELLA LIBERTY "You're So Nice To Be Around" - Lyric  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Scoring: Original Song Score and/or Adaptation) 1974: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (w. George Aliceson Tipton)  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score) 1976: BUGSY MALONE - Song Score  Music Best Song 1976: A STAR IS BORN "Evergreen (Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born')" - Lyric  Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score) 1979: THE MUPPET MOVIE - Song Score  Nominated for Music Best Song 1979: THE MUPPET MOVIE "The Rainbow Connection" - Music & Lyric (w. Kenny Ascher) 6 nominations, 1 Award