Samuel Joseph Williams (November 13, 1948 – March 17, 2018) was an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and film. He was best known for his role as Paul in the musical ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dancers ...

'', for which he won Broadway's 1976

Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. The award has been given since 1947, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly announced since 1956. Winner and ...

Early life and career

Williams was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Steinert High School Steinert High School (also formally known as Hamilton High School East) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of three secondary high schools that are part of the Hamilton Townsh ...

Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Hamilton Township is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is the largest suburb of Trenton, the state's capital, which is located to the township's west. The township is within the New York metropolitan area as defined ...

, where he performed school plays, he left for New York City in 1967 at age 19 to make it on Broadway. He landed some tours and then appeared on Broadway in ''

The Happy Time ''The Happy Time'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobb ...

'' and ''

Applause (musical) ''Applause'' is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Lee Adams, and music by Charles Strouse. The musical is based on the 1950 film ''All About Eve'' and the short story on which the movie is based, Mary Orr's "The ...

'' in chorus roles between 1968 and 1972.

''A Chorus Line'' and Broadway success

In 1974, Williams was then invited to participate in the famous workshops which led to the creation of 1975's ''A Chorus Line.'' He originated the role of Paul, a Puerto-Rican dancer who shared a heart-breaking and touching story of growing up gay in a Catholic high school, his years as a drag performer, and ultimate acceptance of his family. While the overall characterization of Paul was based on Williams, the bulk of the story was the true life experience of ''A Chorus Line'' co-author

Nicholas Dante Nicholas Dante (November 22, 1941 – May 21, 1991
from '' ...

. Williams was extremely successful in the role and won the 1976 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Along with the rest of the cast, Williams also won the 1976 Theatre World Award for Ensemble Performance for the show. Williams continued on stage for several years, but he was unable to translate his success into significant credits in television and film, appearing in only a handful of projects, such as a guest appearance in ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...

''. Frustrated, he eventually quit acting in the late 1980s and moved to West Hollywood, California, where he went into business as a florist. He designed floats for the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

for 10 years.

Later career

Eventually, Williams decided to give acting another try and began performing in California and even touring in a one-man show about his experiences in ''A Chorus Line'', among other things. He commented, "It tells of my journey through the rehearsal process and the experience of doing the show and the things that happened after I left the show. So many people ask me what happened, so I just wrote a show about it." He died on 17 March 2018, of cancer in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

References

External links

* * *Flinn, Denny Martin, ''What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of A Chorus Line'', Bantam Books, 1989. *Kelly, Kevin, ''One Singular Sensation: The Michael Bennett Story'', Zebra Biography, 1990. *Mandelbaum, Ken, ''A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett'', St. Martin's Press, 1989. *Viagas, Robert, Baayork Lee, and Thommie Walsh, ''On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line'', Morrow, 1990 {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sammy 1948 births 2018 deaths American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male television actors Theatre World Award winners Tony Award winners Actors from Trenton, New Jersey Male actors from New Jersey Entertainers from New Jersey American gay actors LGBT people from New Jersey People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Steinert High School alumni