William E. Martin
Encyclopedia
William E. Martin, also known as Bill Martin, is an American
musician
, songwriter
, screenwriter
, comedic actor
and voice actor.
, Martin wrote the first song ("All of Your Toys
") to be recorded with all four Monkees singing and playing. Unfortunately, the song's copyright
was owned by Tickson Music
; Screen Gems
, who supervised music selection for the Monkees, had a rule that only Screen Gems-owned material could be released, and Tickson Music refused to sell the copyright. Martin took the setback in stride, signed a new contract with Screen Gems, and the band recorded his "The Door into Summer
" (with title inspired by Robert A. Heinlein
's novel).
A later teaming with singer-songwriter
Harry Nilsson
resulted in the song "Rainmaker", released in two different versions by Nilsson (on single and on LP
) in 1969. Nilsson also covered some of Martin's songs, including "Fairfax Rag" and "City Life". Martin released his own album in the late 1960s, but it failed to sell.
Martin also wrote the song "Evergreen (Earth Anthem)", recorded by Cyrus Faryar
, The Turtles
, Dan Fogelberg
and others.
Martin co-starred with Nesmith in his Grammy-winning Elephant Parts
in 1981, and Nesmith also produced An Evening with Sir William Martin, with Martin delivering a half-hour monologue dressed in a smoking jacket
and parodying Orson Welles
, interspersed with different character voices.
Among Martin's screenwriting
credits are the 1987 movie Harry and the Hendersons
, and episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun
. Martin's first movie voice role came in the 1989 animated movie Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
as the villain. He also had a cameo role in Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees
, the 1997 television movie
which reunited the full band.
His voice skills have also earned him roles in numerous animated series, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, (taking over the character of The Shredder after James Avery's departure from the role) , Transformers
, Challenge of the GoBots
, and several Star Wars
video games.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, comedic actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and voice actor.
Life and career
A friend of Monkee Michael NesmithMichael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
, Martin wrote the first song ("All of Your Toys
All of Your Toys
"All of Your Toys" is a song by Bill Martin, a friend of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, who recorded the song in 1967.The Monkees hoped to make "All of Your Toys" their third single, and the first to feature them actually playing the accompaniment, which they had not for their first two singles...
") to be recorded with all four Monkees singing and playing. Unfortunately, the song's copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
was owned by Tickson Music
Tickson Music
Tickson Music was a Hollywood-based music publishing company; songwriters signed to Tickson Music included members of The Byrds, and writer Bill Martin....
; Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
, who supervised music selection for the Monkees, had a rule that only Screen Gems-owned material could be released, and Tickson Music refused to sell the copyright. Martin took the setback in stride, signed a new contract with Screen Gems, and the band recorded his "The Door into Summer
The Door into Summer
The Door into Summer is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published in hardcover in 1957. It is a fast-paced hard science fiction novel, with a key fantastic element, and romantic elements...
" (with title inspired by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's novel).
A later teaming with singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
resulted in the song "Rainmaker", released in two different versions by Nilsson (on single and on LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) in 1969. Nilsson also covered some of Martin's songs, including "Fairfax Rag" and "City Life". Martin released his own album in the late 1960s, but it failed to sell.
Martin also wrote the song "Evergreen (Earth Anthem)", recorded by Cyrus Faryar
Cyrus Faryar
Cyrus Faryar is an American folk musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was active in musical, theatrical, and performance events in high school. After graduating from high school and attending college, he became involved in the entertainment industry, opening the first coffee house in...
, The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
, Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
and others.
Martin co-starred with Nesmith in his Grammy-winning Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts
Elephant Parts is a collection of comedy and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, former member of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts, using money he inherited from his mother, the inventor of Liquid Paper...
in 1981, and Nesmith also produced An Evening with Sir William Martin, with Martin delivering a half-hour monologue dressed in a smoking jacket
Smoking jacket
A smoking jacket is an overgarment designed to be worn while smoking tobacco, usually in the form of pipes and cigars, or for domestic leisure.-Design:The classic smoking jacket is a mid thigh-length jacket made from velvet or silk, or both...
and parodying Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, interspersed with different character voices.
Among Martin's screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
credits are the 1987 movie Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons
Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American comedy film directed and produced by William Dear, and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Lainie Kazan and Don Ameche. It is the story of a family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot...
, and episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet...
. Martin's first movie voice role came in the 1989 animated movie Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, known in Japan as simply Nemo, is a 1989 animated film directed by Masami Hata and William T. Hurtz. Loosely based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay, the film went through a lengthy development process with a number of screenwriters...
as the villain. He also had a cameo role in Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees
Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees
"Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees" was a one-hour comedy special televised on the ABC Network on Monday February 17, 1997. It featured all four of the original Monkees. Michael Nesmith wrote and directed the program. The real now middle-aged Monkees make fun of plots of their own earlier TV series...
, the 1997 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
which reunited the full band.
His voice skills have also earned him roles in numerous animated series, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five part miniseries and began its official run on October 1, 1988...
, (taking over the character of The Shredder after James Avery's departure from the role) , Transformers
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...
, Challenge of the GoBots
Challenge of the GoBots
Challenge of the GoBots is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, based on the Gobots toy-line released from Tonka. Most of the toys were imported from the Japanese Machine Robo toy line. The show originally debuted in animated form as a five-part miniseries, which aired in...
, and several Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
video games.