Hamlisch, Marvin (1944-2012), was a leading American composer who gained acclaim for his music for motion pictures and musical plays. Hamlisch shared the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for drama for his score of the popular musical A Chorus Line (1975). He won Oscars (Academy Awards) in 1974 for his score of The Way We Were and for the film’s title song, which he co-wrote with Marilyn and Alan Bergman, as well as for his adaptation of ragtime music for The Sting.
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch was born on June 2, 1944, in New York City, where he later attended the Juilliard School of Music. His song “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” (1960) became a hit in 1965. Hamlisch worked as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway musicals during the early 1960’s. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Queens College in New York City in 1967. Motion pictures for which he wrote music include Save the Tiger (1973), Same Time Next Year (1978), Sophie’s Choice (1982), Three Men and a Baby (1987), and Frankie and Johnny (1991).
Hamlisch and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager wrote the score of the Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song (1979), which was based on their relationship. Hamlisch composed the symphonic work Anatomy of Peace (1991). In 2000, he became principal conductor of popular music for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. He had previously held similar positions with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Hamlisch also performed his music in concerts, accompanying himself on the piano. He wrote an autobiography for adults, The Way I Was (1992), and an autobiography for young readers, Marvin Makes Music (published in 2012, shortly after his death). Hamlisch died on Aug. 6, 2012.
