MARVIN HAMLISCH
Name: Marvin Frederick Hamlisch
Born: 2 June 1944 New York City, New York, U.S.
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (born June 2, 1944) is a multi award-winning American
composer. He is one of only two people in history (the other being Richard
Rodgers) to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize.
Hamlisch was born in New York City, the son of Viennese Jewish parents Lily (née
Schachter) and Max Hamlisch. His was a musical family with his father being
an accordionist and bandleader. Marvin Hamlisch was a child prodigy and by age
five he began mimicking music he heard on the radio on the piano. A few months
before he turned seven, in 1951, he became the youngest person ever accepted to
the Juilliard School. However anxiety issues kept him from pursuing a career as
a concert pianist leading him to instead focus on composition, specifically for
film and theater. His first job in "the business" was as a rehearsal pianist for
Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand. Shortly after that he was hired by producer
Sam Spiegel to play piano at Spiegel's parties. This connection led to his first
film score, The Swimmer.
Hamlisch later attended night classes at Queens College. He received his
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. In 2007, he received the prestigious Q Award,
presented to Queens College alumni who have served as role models for the
college.
Although Liza Minnelli's debut album included a song he did in his teens, his
first hit did not come until he was 21 years old. This song was done by Lesley
Gore, in the form of Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows. (The song, in Lesley
Gore's version, later figured prominently in the "Marge on the Lam" episode of
The Simpsons) His first film score was for The Swimmer although he had done some
music for films as early as 1965. Later he did music for some of Woody Allen's
early films like Take the Money and Run. In addition, Hamlisch co-wrote the song
"California Nights" with Howard Liebling, which was recorded by Lesley Gore on
her 1967 hit album titled the same. The song was on the pop charts as high as
number 16.
Marvin Hamlisch on TV's The Match Game
The 1970s would be his peak period as a composer. This is most true of the first
half of the decade. The best known work he did in this period might be
adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime music for the motion picture The Sting,
including its theme song, "The Entertainer". In award terms he had his greatest
success with The Way We Were in 1974. For that he won two of his three 1974
Academy Awards. He also won 4 Grammy Awards in 1974, two of them for "The Way We
Were." He continued having hits in the late 1970s after this. He co-wrote "Nobody
Does It Better" from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me with his then-girlfriend
Carole Bayer Sager. He also wrote the orchestral/disco score for the film, which
was rerecorded for album. The song went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 1977.
He also had Broadway success with A Chorus Line (for which he won both a Tony
Award and a Pulitzer Prize), They're Playing Our Song (loosely based on his
relationship with Carole Bayer Sager), and a score for a Neil Simon play.
Although productive the 1980s were a less successful period for him. On balance
the decade was arguably his least successful period. At the very beginning of
the decade his romantic relationship with Carole Bayer Sager ended, but their
songwriting relationship continued. In 1983 the musical Jean failed in the
United Kingdom and never appeared in the US. In 1986 Smile was a mixed success,
but he did gain some note for the song Disneyland. He won no awards in music,
theater, or film during the 1980s.
In the 1980s he had success with the scores for Ordinary People (1980) and
Sophie's Choice (1982). He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1986 for
a song in the film version of A Chorus Line. He married his current wife in 1989.
The Sting: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The 1990s saw something of an improvement if not a return to the fame he once
had in the 1970s. He received his first Emmy nomination for his musical work for
the television show Brooklyn Bridge. Later he won his first Emmy for a Barbra
Streisand special. He also received a Tony nomination for music in a musical
version of The Goodbye Girl.
Currently, he is Principal Pops Conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,
the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra (the first
person to hold this position), the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the San
Diego Symphony.
He is one of only twelve people to win all four major US performing awards, Emmy
Award, Grammy Award, the Oscar and Tony Award. (See List of people who have won
an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. He and Richard Rodgers are the
only two to have won all four of those plus a Pulitzer Prize.
He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Name: Marvin Frederick Hamlisch
Born: 2 June 1944 New York City, New York, U.S.
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (born June 2, 1944) is a multi award-winning American
composer. He is one of only two people in history (the other being Richard
Rodgers) to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and the Pulitzer Prize.
Hamlisch was born in New York City, the son of Viennese Jewish parents Lily (née
Schachter) and Max Hamlisch. His was a musical family with his father being
an accordionist and bandleader. Marvin Hamlisch was a child prodigy and by age
five he began mimicking music he heard on the radio on the piano. A few months
before he turned seven, in 1951, he became the youngest person ever accepted to
the Juilliard School. However anxiety issues kept him from pursuing a career as
a concert pianist leading him to instead focus on composition, specifically for
film and theater. His first job in "the business" was as a rehearsal pianist for
Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand. Shortly after that he was hired by producer
Sam Spiegel to play piano at Spiegel's parties. This connection led to his first
film score, The Swimmer.
Hamlisch later attended night classes at Queens College. He received his
Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. In 2007, he received the prestigious Q Award,
presented to Queens College alumni who have served as role models for the
college.
Although Liza Minnelli's debut album included a song he did in his teens, his
first hit did not come until he was 21 years old. This song was done by Lesley
Gore, in the form of Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows. (The song, in Lesley
Gore's version, later figured prominently in the "Marge on the Lam" episode of
The Simpsons) His first film score was for The Swimmer although he had done some
music for films as early as 1965. Later he did music for some of Woody Allen's
early films like Take the Money and Run. In addition, Hamlisch co-wrote the song
"California Nights" with Howard Liebling, which was recorded by Lesley Gore on
her 1967 hit album titled the same. The song was on the pop charts as high as
number 16.
Marvin Hamlisch on TV's The Match Game
The 1970s would be his peak period as a composer. This is most true of the first
half of the decade. The best known work he did in this period might be
adaptations of Scott Joplin's ragtime music for the motion picture The Sting,
including its theme song, "The Entertainer". In award terms he had his greatest
success with The Way We Were in 1974. For that he won two of his three 1974
Academy Awards. He also won 4 Grammy Awards in 1974, two of them for "The Way We
Were." He continued having hits in the late 1970s after this. He co-wrote "Nobody
Does It Better" from the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me with his then-girlfriend
Carole Bayer Sager. He also wrote the orchestral/disco score for the film, which
was rerecorded for album. The song went on to be nominated for an Oscar in 1977.
He also had Broadway success with A Chorus Line (for which he won both a Tony
Award and a Pulitzer Prize), They're Playing Our Song (loosely based on his
relationship with Carole Bayer Sager), and a score for a Neil Simon play.
Although productive the 1980s were a less successful period for him. On balance
the decade was arguably his least successful period. At the very beginning of
the decade his romantic relationship with Carole Bayer Sager ended, but their
songwriting relationship continued. In 1983 the musical Jean failed in the
United Kingdom and never appeared in the US. In 1986 Smile was a mixed success,
but he did gain some note for the song Disneyland. He won no awards in music,
theater, or film during the 1980s.
In the 1980s he had success with the scores for Ordinary People (1980) and
Sophie's Choice (1982). He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1986 for
a song in the film version of A Chorus Line. He married his current wife in 1989.
The Sting: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The 1990s saw something of an improvement if not a return to the fame he once
had in the 1970s. He received his first Emmy nomination for his musical work for
the television show Brooklyn Bridge. Later he won his first Emmy for a Barbra
Streisand special. He also received a Tony nomination for music in a musical
version of The Goodbye Girl.
Currently, he is Principal Pops Conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,
the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra (the first
person to hold this position), the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the San
Diego Symphony.
He is one of only twelve people to win all four major US performing awards, Emmy
Award, Grammy Award, the Oscar and Tony Award. (See List of people who have won
an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. He and Richard Rodgers are the
only two to have won all four of those plus a Pulitzer Prize.
He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.