Marvin Hamlisch | |
|---|---|
 Hamlisch in the early 1970s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marvin Frederick Hamlisch |
| Born | (1944-06-02)June 2, 1944 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 2012(2012-08-06) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1965–2012 |
| Spouse | |
| Website | marvinhamlisch |
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to winEmmy,Grammy,Oscar, andTony awards, a feat dubbed the "EGOT". He and composerRichard Rodgers are the only people to have won those prizes and aPulitzer Prize ("PEGOT").[1]
Hamlisch was born inManhattan, toViennese-bornJewish parents Lilly (née Schachter) and Max Hamlisch.[2] His father was anaccordionist and bandleader. Hamlisch was achild prodigy; by age five, he began mimicking the piano music he heard on the radio. A few months before he turned seven, in 1951, he was accepted into what is now theJuilliard School Pre-College Division.[3] His favorite musicals growing up wereMy Fair Lady,Gypsy,West Side Story, andBye Bye Birdie.[4]
Hamlisch attendedQueens College, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967.[3] His first job was as a rehearsal pianist forFunny Girl withBarbra Streisand. Even on tour he would take time to book Kenny Veenstra's Progressive Music Studio to send musical ideas back to "Babs" in NY. Shortly afterward, producerSam Spiegel hired him to play piano at parties, and later to score Spiegel's 1968 filmThe Swimmer.[3]
Liza Minnelli's 1964debut album included "The Travelin' Life", a song Hamlisch wrote in his teens (originally titled "Travelin' Man").[5] His first hit arrived when he was 21 years old: "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows", co-written with Howard Liebling and recorded byLesley Gore. It reached No. 13 on theBillboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1965.[6]
His first film score was for 1968'sThe Swimmer.[6] He also wrote music for several earlyWoody Allen films, includingTake the Money and Run (1969) andBananas (1971).
Hamlisch and Liebling co-wrote the song "California Nights", which was recorded by Lesley Gore for her 1967 hit album of the same name. TheBob Crewe-produced single peaked at No. 16 on theHot 100 in March 1967, two months after Gore had performed the song on theBatman television series, in which she guest-starred as an accomplice toJulie Newmar'sCatwoman.
Among Hamlisch's better-known works during the 1970s were adaptations ofScott Joplin'sragtime music for the filmThe Sting, including its theme song, "The Entertainer". It hit No. 1 onBillboard's Adult Contemporary chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100, selling nearly 2 million copies in the U.S. alone. He had great success in 1973, winning twoAcademy Awards for thetitle song and the score for the motion pictureThe Way We Were and an Academy Award for the adaptation score forThe Sting.[7] He won fourGrammy Awards in 1974, two for "The Way We Were".
In 1975, he wrote the original theme music forGood Morning America; the show used it for 12 years. He co-wrote "Nobody Does It Better" forThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977) with his then-girlfriendCarole Bayer Sager, which would be nominated for an Oscar.[6] In the 1980s, he had success with the scores forOrdinary People (1980) andSophie's Choice (1982). He also received an Academy Award nomination in 1986 for the film version ofA Chorus Line.
In 1985, he worked onD.A.R.Y.L., a 1985 film about a boy who is in fact a U.S. military robot. He also worked on the score forThe Informant! (2009), starringMatt Damon and directed bySteven Soderbergh.[6] Late in his life, he wrote a children's bookMarvin Makes Music, which included the original music "The Music in My Mind" with words by Rupert Holmes; and the score for theHBO filmBehind the Candelabra (2013), also directed by Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon andMichael Douglas asLiberace.
Hamlisch's first major stage work was in 1972 playing piano forGroucho Marx atCarnegie Hall forAn Evening with Groucho. Hamlisch acted as bothstraight man and accompanist while Marx, at age 81, reminisced about his career in show business.[8] The performances were released as a two-record set, and remained very popular.[9]
He then composed the scores for the 1975Broadway musicalA Chorus Line, for which he won both aTony Award and aPulitzer Prize; and for the 1978 musicalThey're Playing Our Song, loosely based on his relationship withCarole Bayer Sager.[10]
At the beginning of the 1980s, his romantic relationship with Bayer Sager ended, but their songwriting relationship continued. The 1983 musicalJean Seberg, based on the life of the real-life actress, failed in its London production at the UK'sNational Theatre and never played in the U.S.[11] In 1986,Smile was a mixed success and had a short run on Broadway.[6] The musical version of Neil Simon'sThe Goodbye Girl (1993) closed after only 188 performances, although he received aDrama Desk nomination, for Outstanding Music.[12]
Shortly before his death, Hamlisch finished scoring a musical theatre version ofThe Nutty Professor, based on the 1963 film.[13] The show played in July and August 2012, at theTennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) inNashville, aiming for a Broadway run.[13][14][15] The book is byRupert Holmes, and the production was directed byJerry Lewis.[16][17]
Hamlisch was musical director and arranger of Barbra Streisand's 1994 concert tour of the U.S. and England as well as of the television special,Barbra Streisand: The Concert, for which he received two of his Emmys. He also conducted several tours ofLinda Ronstadt during this period, most notably on her successful 1996Dedicated to the One I Love tour of arenas and stadiums.[18]
Hamlisch held the position of Principal Pops Conductor for thePittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,[19] theMilwaukee Symphony Orchestra,[20] theSan Diego Symphony,[21] theSeattle Symphony,[22] theDallas Symphony Orchestra,[23]Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra,[24] TheNational Symphony Orchestra Pops,[25]The Pasadena Symphony and Pops,[26] and theBaltimore Symphony Orchestra.[27]
On July 23, 2011, Hamlisch conducted his debut concert forPasadena Symphony and Pops atThe Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Hamlisch replacedRachael Worby.[28] At the time of his death, he was preparing to assume responsibilities as Principal Pops Conductor for ThePhilly POPS.
Hamlisch is one of ten people to win three or more Oscars in one night and the only one other than a director or screenwriter to do so. He also earned tenGolden Globe Award nominations, winning twice forBest Original Song, with "Life Is What You Make It" in 1972 and "The Way We Were" in 1974.[29]
He shared the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1976 withMichael Bennett,James Kirkwood,Nicholas Dante, andEdward Kleban for his musical contribution to the original Broadway production ofA Chorus Line.[6] Hamlisch received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 at the World Soundtrack Awards inGhent, Belgium. He was also inducted into theLong Island Music Hall of Fame in 2008.[30] In 2008, he appeared as a judge in the Canadian reality seriesTriple Sensation which aired onCBC. The show was aimed to provide a trainingbursary to a talented young man or woman with the potential to be a leader in song, dance, and acting.[31][32] In 2008, Hamlisch was also inducted into theAmerican Theater Hall of Fame.[33]
Hamlisch's relationship with lyricistCarole Bayer Sager inspired the musicalThey're Playing Our Song.[34] He was also in a relationship with actressEmma Samms.[35][failed verification] He was in a relationship with television personalityCyndy Garvey after her breakup with her husband,Steve Garvey.[36]
In May 1989, Hamlisch marriedTerre Blair, fromColumbus, Ohio, who was theweather and news anchor for that city's ABC affiliate,WSYX-Channel 6.[37][38][39] The marriage lasted until his death.[40]
After a brief illness, Hamlisch collapsed in Los Angeles on August 6, 2012, and died later that day atRonald Reagan UCLA Medical Center at age 68.[41][42] According to Hamlisch's death certificate, the cause of death was determined to berespiratory arrest, withhypertension andcerebral hypoxia as contributing factors.[42][43]
TheAssociated Press described him as having written "some of the best-loved and most enduring songs and scores in movie history".[44] Barbra Streisand released a statement praising Hamlisch, stating it was "his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around".[6]Aretha Franklin called him "classic and one of a kind", and one of the "all-time great" arrangers and producers.[45] The head of thePasadena Symphony and Pops commented that Hamlisch had "left a very specific ... original mark on American music and added to the great American songbook with works he himself composed".[5]
At 8:00 p.m.EDT on August 8, the marquee lights of the 40 Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute in tribute to Hamlisch,[46][47] an honor traditionally accorded upon their death to those considered to have made significant contributions to the theater arts.[48][49][50]
Barbra Streisand,Aretha Franklin, andLiza Minnelli took turns singing songs by Hamlisch during a memorial service for the composer on September 18, 2012.[51] At the2013 Academy Awards, Streisand sang "The Way We Were" in Hamlisch's memory. On June 2, 2013, a tribute was held in New York City to remember Hamlisch in advance of the first anniversary of his death.[52] At the tribute, Staples Players, a high school theatre group fromStaples High School inWestport, Connecticut performed a selection of material fromA Chorus Line. Other veterans of the screen and stage also performed at the event.[53]
Hamlisch was the primary conductor for the Pittsburgh Pops from 1995 until his death.[54]
TheDallas Symphony Orchestra performed a rare Hamlisch classical symphonic suite titledAnatomy of Peace (Symphonic Suite in one Movement For Full Orchestra/Chorus/Child Vocal Soloist) on November 19, 1991.[55] It was also performed at Carnegie Hall in 1993,[34] and in Paris in 1994 to commemorateD-Day.[56] The work was recorded by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1992.[57]The Anatomy of Peace was a book byEmery Reves which expressed theworld-federalist sentiments shared byAlbert Einstein and many others in the late 1940s, in the period immediately followingWorld War II.[58]
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Seesaw | Dance Arrangements | |
| 1975 | A Chorus Line | Music by | Pulitzer Prize for Drama &Tony Award for Best Score |
| 1978 | They're Playing Our Song | Music by | |
| 1983 | Jean Seberg | Music by | |
| 1986 | Smile | Music by | |
| 1993 | The Goodbye Girl | Music by | |
| 2002 | Sweet Smell of Success | Music by | |
| 2002 | Imaginary Friends | Music by | |
| 2012 | The Nutty Professor | Music by |
| Title | Year | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Swimmer | ||
| 1969 | Take the Money and Run | ||
| 1969 | The April Fools | ||
| 1970 | Move | ||
| 1970 | Flap | ||
| 1971 | Something Big | ||
| 1971 | Kotch | ||
| 1971 | Bananas | ||
| 1972 | The War Between Men and Women | ||
| 1973 | The World's Greatest Athlete | ||
| 1973 | Save the Tiger | ||
| 1973 | The Way We Were | ||
| 1973 | The Sting | ||
| 1975 | The Prisoner of Second Avenue | ||
| 1977 | The Spy Who Loved Me | ||
| 1977 | The Absent-Minded Waiter | ||
| 1978 | Same Time, Next Year | ||
| 1978 | Ice Castles | ||
| 1979 | Starting Over | ||
| 1979 | Chapter Two | ||
| 1980 | Seems Like Old Times | ||
| 1980 | Ordinary People | ||
| 1980 | Gilda Live | ||
| 1982 | Sophie's Choice | ||
| 1982 | I Ought to Be in Pictures | ||
| 1983 | Romantic Comedy | ||
| 1984 | A Streetcar Named Desire | ||
| 1985 | D.A.R.Y.L. | ||
| 1985 | A Chorus Line | ||
| 1987 | When the Time Comes | ||
| 1988 | Sam Found Out: A Triple Play | ||
| 1988 | Little Nikita | ||
| 1988 | David | ||
| 1989 | The January Man | ||
| 1989 | Shirley Valentine | ||
| 1989 | The Experts | ||
| 1990 | Women & Men: Stories of Seduction | ||
| 1991 | Switched at Birth | ||
| 1991 | Missing Pieces | ||
| 1991 | Frankie and Johnny | ||
| 1994 | Seasons of the Heart | ||
| 1996 | The Mirror Has Two Faces | ||
| 2003 | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | ||
| 2009 | The Informant! | ||
| 2013 | Behind the Candelabra | Posthumous release |
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