Sheldon Mayer Harnick was born to his parents Esther (Kanter) and Harry M. Harnick, a dentist, in Chicago on April 30, 1924.[1][2] He grew up in the Chicago neighborhood ofPortage Park.[3] He took an interest in music from an early age, playing the violin as a child. He began writing music while a student atCarl Schurz High School.[4]
After serving in theU.S. Army, Harnick graduated from theNorthwestern University School of Music (1946–1949) with a Bachelor of Music degree, and worked with various orchestras in the Chicago area. He then moved to New York City and wrote for many musicals and revues.[5] He was friends withCharlotte Rae from college, and he went to see her one night at theVillage Vanguard where she was singing a revue.Yip Harburg, who was one of Harnick's idols, heard she was singing a song of his and decided to come. He told Harnick that he enjoyed his writing, and urged him to continue. Harburg advised Harnick to work with a large number of composers. He also counseled him to write character and comic songs, not ballads, for Broadway. Harnick’s composition "The Merry Minuet" was popularized byThe Kingston Trio.[6]
Around 1956, Harnick met Jerry Bock, forming "what is arguably the most important musical partnership of the '60s."[7] Their first musical wasThe Body Beautiful, running for only 60 performances in 1958, butFiorello! (1959) ran for 795 performances and won thePulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Tony Award for Best Musical.Fiddler on the Roof (1964) "became one of the most cherished of all Broadway musicals."[7] Other Broadway successes for Harnick includedShe Loves Me (1963),The Apple Tree (1966) andThe Rothschilds (1970).[1]
Harnick wrote thelibretto for the operaCoyote Tales, with music byHenry Mollicone, which received its world premiere at theLyric Opera of Kansas City in March 1998.[8] He wrote the book, music and lyrics to the musicalDragons, which was performed in 2003 at the Luna Stage inMontclair, New Jersey.[9] He wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book withNorton Juster for the musicalThe Phantom Tollbooth, based onthe book by Juster. The musical premiered at theKennedy Center in 2007.[10]
Harnick released the albumSheldon Harnick: Hidden Treasures (1949–2013) in 2014, which includes recordings of song demos and pieces cut from Broadway shows from his private collection.[11] In 2020, Harnick worked on a musical adaptation of the Soviet playThe Dragon byEvgeny Schwartz.[12]
Harnick was married three times. His 1950 marriage to Mary Boatner was annulled in 1957. His marriage toElaine May lasted only a year, from 1962 until their divorce in 1963.[1] In 1965, he married Margery Grey. They had two children and lived in an apartment atThe Beresford, a building on theUpper West Side of Manhattan.[4][13] Harnick died there on June 23, 2023, aged 99.[1]
In honor of Harnick's vast influence on American music, on May 19, 1984, he was awarded theUniversity of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit. Beginning in 1964, this award "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."[22]
Harnick and Jerry Bock were presented with the 18th Annual York Theatre Company's prestigious Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre in 2009.[25]
Harnick received the 2016Drama League Award for Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre, as well as the 2016Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.[26]
Harnick received an honorary doctorate from Northwestern University in 2018.[27]
Harnick was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 1972 and received its highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 1990.[28]
Harvey Fierstein / Marco Paguia, David Oquendo, Renesito Avich, Gustavo Schartz, Javier Días, Román Diaz, Mauricio Herrera, Jesus Ricardo, Eddie Venegas, Hery Paz, and Leonardo Reyna / Jamie Harrison, Chris Fisher, Gary Beestone, and Edward Pierce (2025)
