Samuel Joseph Williams (November , â€" March , ) was an American
actor of stage and film. He was best known for his role as Paul in the
musical A Chorus Line, for which he won Broadway's Tony Award for
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.Williams was born in
Trenton, New Jersey to Joseph Williams, a factory worker and Nona
Dibella, a hospital employee. He started taking dance classes at age
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 at age
to make it on Broadway.He landed some tours and then appeared on
Broadway in The Happy Time and Applause (musical) in chorus roles
between and .In , Williams was then invited to participate in the
famous workshops which led to the creation of '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 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor
in a Musical. Along with the rest of the cast, Williams also won the
Theatre World Award for Ensemble Performance for the show.
actor of stage and film. He was best known for his role as Paul in the
musical A Chorus Line, for which he won Broadway's Tony Award for
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical.Williams was born in
Trenton, New Jersey to Joseph Williams, a factory worker and Nona
Dibella, a hospital employee. He started taking dance classes at age
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 at age
to make it on Broadway.He landed some tours and then appeared on
Broadway in The Happy Time and Applause (musical) in chorus roles
between and .In , Williams was then invited to participate in the
famous workshops which led to the creation of '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 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor
in a Musical. Along with the rest of the cast, Williams also won the
Theatre World Award for Ensemble Performance for the show.
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