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

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

of stage and

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

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

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett 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 cent ...

'', for which he won Broadway's 1976 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.

Early life and career

Williams was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

to Joseph Williams, a factory worker and Nona Dibella, a hospital employee. He started taking dance classes at age 8 at a studio run by John Tucci. He used to tag along to his sister's dance class, and one day when she refused to attend, he said "I can do that!" and his career was born. (This anecdote is the basis for the song "I Can Do That" in the musical ''A Chorus Line'', although it was not related by Williams' character in the play.) After graduating from Steinert High School in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, 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'' and '' Applause'' 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. 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 film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

''. 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 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 Male actors from Trenton, New Jersey American gay actors LGBTQ people from New Jersey People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Steinert High School alumni 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people