In describing Paul’s creative life, you actually have to talk about three distinct branches or careers. Paul grew up in the pine woods of east Texas in the small town of Lufkin where his first love of movies was kindled. “There were three theaters in town and each offered a weekly double feature for 15 cents. My allowance was 50 cents. I’d see six movies a week and have 5 cents left over for candy.”

When he was ten on a train trip from California with his mother, were Veronica Lake, William Holden and Ray Milland en route to San Antonio to film the movie I Wanted Wings. Paul recalls, “I made a complete pest of myself running around the train getting autographs."

His early love for film led him eventually to a 35 year career as a professional actor in Chicago appearing in hundreds of TV commercials and industrial films represented by Shirley Hamilton Agency. Paul also appeared in Damien-Omen II, The Untouchables and in Somewhere In Time as Dr. Hull. This film, which starred the late Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, has become a classic inspiring, among many things, an annual reunion of the cast and devotees at the site of the film, the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

The second part of Paul’s creative trilogy is music. He began writing music while in the service in Japan during the U.S. occupation. Eventually he landed a job in the promotions department of Columbia Records in Chicago. “I would take people like Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, and Andy Williams into TV and radio stations where they would be interviewed.” He continued to write music and has had his work recorded by Les Paul and Mary Ford, the Gene Shaw Quintet and Kent Wehman.

The third passion of Paul’s life has been writing. He nurtured this interest for many years beginning in the 50s when he gave up a good job with American Airlines to work as a junior copywriter for Burroughs Corp in Detroit. He continued to write during his acting career and, now that he has retired, has devoted himself to fiction writing. His second novel, A Change In Plans, came out in May, 2006.

Paul’s boundless energy also led him into other related endeavors including: serving as Regional Vice President of Screen Actors Guild and serving many years as a Dale Carnegie Instructor. Paul also opened TV Actors Studio while living in Detroit. The studio provided training for those looking for a career in television. He later opened another studio in Chicago. Paul ran the studio for many years with his wife, Susan Knutsen, owner of Knutsen Casting, which supplied extras for movies and commercials. Naturally, this diversity of interests and experience enriches all his creative endeavors.